NANCY MARTINO, PHD, CCC-SLP - SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
Nancy became certified to practice as a speech-language pathologist in 1986 (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She has worked as a clinician in preschools, public schools, private practices, and nursing and rehabilitation facilities. For 25 years (1993-2017), she worked as a researcher, instructor, and clinician at Xavier University of Louisiana. Nancy earned her Ph.D. in 1998 in Communication Disorders from Louisiana State University; she studied language underpinnings of reading acquisition and reading disability.“All I’ve ever wanted to do was help people. When I found out about the field of speech pathology as a junior in high school, I knew right then what I wanted to do with my life. I love seeing individuals be able to speak and be understood. I’ve helped young children say their first words and individuals who’ve had strokes speak again for the first time. It never gets old! Being able to communicate is one of the things that makes us human. It’s how we relate to one another. It’s devastating if someone is unable to express their thoughts or understand what a loved one is saying."
During her years as a professor at Xavier, Nancy had the privilege of educating many future SLPs. This was a great role for Nancy. She loves to learn, and the field of speech pathology is ever-changing. Nancy has traveled to Central America several times to perform speech, language, and hearing evaluations, and to perform workshops for teachers and parents in areas where there were few, if any speech pathologists.
“I usually took students with me. It was life changing for all of us. It’s extremely humbling to see how people who are less fortunate than us, and have a child or family member with a disability, cope with the challenges of that disability as they live their lives.”
Nancy is as kind and approachable as she is educated and experienced. It’s not uncommon to hear a child loudly say, “Fancy Nancy!” when they see her smiling face walk through the door.
JORDAN ANDRESON, MS, CCC-SLP - SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
Jordan grew up in Branson, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders. She then attended the University of Tulsa, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology in 2016. Jordan has since worked in the outpatient clinic setting providing evaluations and treatment to pediatric patients.“I have really grown to love the multidisciplinary teamwork I’ve experienced in the outpatient clinic setting. Each child is an individual with their own individual needs, and the outpatient setting provides at least two advantages. First, teaming up with other therapists allows us all the opportunity to share insight with one another, especially when the child receives therapy in more than one discipline. It allows us the opportunity to create a culture that promotes being creative and intentional, instead of settling for an uninspired ‘routine of usual treatment.’ Working together with a skilled team to best meet the needs of each child is so fun! Secondly, we can take the time to allow the parents and caregivers to communicate their hopes, expectations, concerns, and frustrations with us— which I think is so important. I love having those conversations. They bring clarity concerning the child’s needs and keep my heart so motivated to be the best therapist I can be.”
Jordan loves working with the pediatric population, from early intervention to high school. She loves watching children grow and develop. She is the most vocal encourager in the clinic, and you can hear her celebrate each child’s effort regardless of the number of walls between you. She’s described by the families of her patients as sweet-spirited, energetic, and focused.
“It is amazing to see children begin to functionally use skills and strategies that are being targeted in their sessions and practiced in their home environment. It makes me feel so pumped up!”
