Speakers

Ms. Derr is a bilingual speech-language pathologist (Spanish and Portuguese) who has worked for Saint Paul Schools’ Early Childhood Special Education Evaluation Team for more than 20 years, evaluating children who speak more than 25 different languages. She has studied in Mexico and lived in Brazil for four years. Ms. Derr is the co-founder and past chairperson of the MSHA Multicultural Affairs Committee, recipient of the Spirit of MSHA award, co-author of the Talk with Me manuals (2002 and 2009), trainer with the ASHA grant Clinical Decision Making with CLD Learners, and frequent volunteer to Guatemala with a cleft palate medical team.

Ms. Fairchild is a speech pathologist at the University of Minnesota. She works in clinical education, supervising graduate students with pediatric and adult clients from various cultural and linguistic groups. In that setting, she oversees preschool speech and language groups with an early literacy focus. She also supervises graduate students at a charter school with a student population comprised of refugees, recent immigrants, and other English language learners.

Ms. Fairchild received two master’s degrees, one in teaching English as a second language and one in communication disorders, both from the University of Minnesota. She has served on cleft palate teams in the U.S., Peru, and Guatemala, served as co-chair of the Minnesota Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Multicultural Affairs Committee, presented on topics such as second language acquisition and communication needs of internationally adopted children, worked as a communication consultant for the Chongqing Bureau of Health, and participated in the ASHA training grant Bilingual/Multicultural Clinical Training in Speech-Language Pathology. She is one of the contributors to the first and second editions of Talk With Me, a resource guide for speech/language pathologists and early childhood special education teams working with linguistically diverse young children and their families. She also works privately with adult typical language learners on modifying elements of their English such as accent and grammar.

Dr. Gottfred received her doctoral degree in speech pathology from Northwestern University in 1979, and founded Leap Learning Systems in 1988. She has teaching and clinical experience and has held numerous positions in the field’s state and national associations. A few of note include 2008 president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, president of the Illinois Speech-Language- Hearing Association, legislative counselor to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Council on Professional Ethics and Ethical Practices Board, and vice president of governmental and social policies for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Dr. Gottfred is extremely active in professional and community affairs. As president and founder of Leap Learning Systems, Dr. Gottfred oversees the development and delivery of training programs and curricula to educators who work with Chicago’s underserved youth. Leap Learning Systems is a nonprofit organization dedicated to results-driven language and literacy development. The organization partners with schools and agencies in Chicago to deliver its innovative programming. Dr. Gottfred resides in the Chicago suburb of Golf, Illinois, with her husband, Dick. She has three adult children and four grandchildren.

Ms. Hanson received both her B.A. in communication disorders and Spanish and her M.A. in communication disorders from the University of Minnesota. She is the Minnesota representative for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s STAR network (reimbursement advocacy).

Ms. Johansen is the lead speech-language pathologist for Bemidji Schools. She received her B.S. degree from North Dakota State University in 1977 and attended Minnesota State University Moorhead in a “summers” program to earn her M.S. and CCCs in 1985. Her first job was in northern Minnesota for two rural school districts (working at nine schools) based out of Littlefork-Big Falls Public Schools. In 1978, Ms. Johansen began working in Bemidji Public Schools and has been there for 30 years. Her caseloads have included children of all ages (preschool to high school). Currently, Ms. Johansen leads a staff of 12 and has a caseload at the Headstart preschools. She has also been a casual employee at the regional hospital and recently began a private practice for the summer months. Ms. Johansen is married, has one son heading off to college this fall, and lives on a small lake south of Bemidji where they enjoy the wildlife, kayaking, and hiking.

Ms. Porte has been a speech-language pathologist for the Bloomington Public Schools for eight years. Prior to Bloomington, she worked in rural Colorado schools for 14 years. She is currently the president-elect for MSHA.

Ms. Lemke is a clinical supervisor at the University of Northern Iowa and the owner of SpeechWorks, P.C. She received her B.A. from Valparaiso University and her M.A. in speech pathology from the University of Iowa. Ms. Lemke hopes to finish a second master’s degree (in public administration) at Drake University in December 2009.

Ms. Lemke is a past president of the Iowa Speech-Language-Hearing Association and served on ASHA’s Legislative Council for nine years. She is currently serving on the ASHA board of directors as vice president for planning. She loves to talk about future trends!

Ms. Moorse has been a speech-language pathologist for 35 years. She worked in the public schools for 33 years and held a private practice at the Swift County Benson Hospital for 15 years, part time. Ms. Moorse earned her bachelor and master degrees at St. Cloud State University, holds a supervisory license for speech pathology, and earned a certificate in assistive technology. During her public school experience, Ms. Moorse worked with students with all communication, cognitive, and physical disabilities. One of her areas of special interest was working with physically impaired students who required augmentative communication systems.

Ms. Theis received a B.A. in business administration from the University of St. Thomas in 1989 and completed her M.Ed. from the University of Georgia in 1993. She has more than 15 years of clinical experience working with adults and geriatric patients in skilled nursing facilities and transitional care settings in the state of Minnesota. She is currently employed by Augustana Therapy Services and works at Augustana Health Care Center in Apple Valley. Ms. Theis has been involved in MSHA for more than nine years. She has been a member of several MSHA committees, was co-chair of the 2005 MSHA spring convention, was vice president of health care issues from 2006-2007, and is currently the president of MSHA.