CONDUIT ADVOCACY & THERAPY - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Speech - Language Pathologist

Mallorie was interested in speech and language development from a very young age, asking other kids how they knew what certain words meant and enjoying learning German phrases and pronunciation from her sister's exchange student. As an adolescent in beautiful southern Oregon, Mallorie enjoyed spending time outside, writing for and editing school newspapers, and learning even more German phrases. At college, Mallorie dabbled in linguistics, second language acquisition, and teaching. She eventually decided speech pathology was the career for her, as it combined some of her favorite things: human sounds, human language, and helping other humans. Following her undergraduate training in communication disorders and German (how could she resist?), Mallorie received a Master's degree in speech-language pathology from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. Previously, Mallorie worked with adults in an inpatient setting, specializing in swallowing disorders and speech and language disorders for people affected by strokes, brain injuries, and progressive neurological diseases. Mallorie's most interesting and rewarding moments in her inpatient clinical practice involved patients with complex communication and swallowing needs. Mallorie joined the Conduit Advocacy & Therapy team in January 2022 to continue to pursue improved communication abilities for all. Outside of the fun she has at work, Mallorie enjoys traveling, playing sports, reading books about Ernest Shackleton, listening to stand-up comedy, and speaking German every chance she gets.

Job Titles:

• Owner, Speech - Language Pathologist, AAC Specialist

Sarah McKim Thomas has been a language nerd for as long as she can remember. As a child, she loved spelling bees, learning to count in Japanese and German, and attempting to write novels (if you want to embarrass her, ask her about the epic fantasy novel "Wolf Song" that she penned at the age of 11). Sarah is an enthusiastic lifelong learner and continuously seeks out professional development opportunities, earning the ASHA Award for Continuing Education (ACE) multiple times. She has applied her passion for learning about cultural and linguistic diversity into learning from the autistic community and developing her ability to provide neurodiversity-affirming services.