To believe, to hope, to empower! These are the values that drive me as I provide therapy and guide my great colleagues at Minnetonka Pediatric Therapy Center.

Areas of Expertise: My expertise over the past 30 years has narrowed to running MPTC and working as an expert feeding specialist for Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD), Tethered Oral Tissue (TOTS) / Tongue and Lip Tie, working with infants who have difficulties breast or bottle feeding (lactation) and / or transitioning to solids, or working with adults who have orofacial myofunctional disorders.

Education / Certification: I graduated from Illinois State University in 1994 with a Master’s Degree in Speech & Language Pathology. I hold my certificate of clinical competency through the American Speech Language Hearing Association and am licensed in the state of Minnesota.

I was Certified in Orofacial Myology in 2013, as a Certified Lactation Consultant (CLC) in 2019, and as a Talk Tools Level 4 trained therapist in 2004.

Membership and Professional Activities: I am a member of Minnesota Speech Language Hearing Association (MSHA), AOMT, International Consortium of Ankyloglossia Professionals (ICAP), ASHA Special Interest Group 03 (Voice and Upper Airway Disorders), 05 (Craniofacial and Velopharyngeal Disorders) and 13 (Swallowing Disorders, Dysphagia). I have earned 13 ACE awards from ASHA for lifelong learning.

I speak regularly for professionals and parent groups in MN and had two publications in the Newsletter of the National Down Syndrome Congress.

Specialized Training: I have had extensive training and years of experience evaluating and working with infants and children who have muscle-based and sensory-based feeding disorders. I have taken many courses on infant development / lactation / feeding to support mothers and babies who are having difficulty nursing; have years of experience working with Tethered Oral Tissue (TOTS) ~ tongue and lip ties; restorative breathing; and Orofacial Myology Disorders. I have trained in Talk Tools programs since 1999 and hold their level 4 Talk Tools Certification.