Our Team
Are you a talented SLP looking to join an amazing team? We would love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]
Meet
the Experts
CARY OFFICE:
Katie Davidson
MS, CCC-SLP
katie davidson
MS, CCC-SLP
Katie obtained her Bachelors's degree from Bowling Green State University. She then worked as a vocal coach and piano teacher until she found her calling as a Speech Pathologist after learning more about voice disorders related to vocal trauma. She went on to obtain her Masters in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Cincinnati and has enjoyed working with children and families in both office, hospital, and home settings. Katie continues to have a passion for treating voice disorders and also enjoys providing therapy for feeding and swallowing, articulation, phonology, language delays, cognitive and developmental disorders, as well as genetic disorders and syndromes.
Amy Hart
MS, CCC-SLP
Amy Hart
MS, CCC-SLP
Amy is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist who received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Loyola University in Maryland. She has worked over 20 years in pediatrics in multiple settings including: private practice, outpatient pediatric hospital and private school. Her work expertise and areas of interest include working with expressive and receptive language deficits, pragmatic language/social skills development, autism spectrum disorder, articulation/phonological disorders, motor speech disorders and reading disorders. She also has extensive experience working with children with feeding disorders. Amy understands the importance of family involvement and participation in their child's speech therapy program and looks forward to helping your child meet their goals while having fun along the way!
Amy lives with her husband and three sons in Cary along with their two dogs. When not at work you will find her with her family enjoying outdoor activities, whether it be on the sports fields, water or hiking trails.
Kathleen Grimme
MS, CCC-SLP
Kathleen Grimme
MS, CCC-SLP
Kathleen earned her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She has 10 years of experience in assessment and treatment of a variety of areas including: articulation, phonology, receptive/expressive language, stuttering, apraxia of speech, and social communication. Kathleen worked in public schools providing speech-language services to students in preschool, elementary, middle, and high school; until 2022 when she made the switch to private practice. Kathleen is dedicated to continuing her education so that she can best support her patients and families. She has completed training in Natural Language Acquisition and gestalt language processing and uses a child-led therapy approach within this framework. Kathleen also enjoys treating speech sound disorders and uses a variety of evidence-based approaches to meet the child’s needs in articulation, motor speech, and/or phonology.
Kathleen is licensed by the N.C. Board of Examiners for Speech Language Pathology and has her national certification from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. She lives in Raleigh with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys scrapbooking, exploring the many parks in the area, and volunteering at a local dog rescue.
Michelle Shan
MS, CCC-SLP
Michelle Shan
MS, CCC-SLP
Michelle received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Saint Francis and later obtained her Master’s degree in Communication Disorders from Governors State University.
She has worked in multiple settings with clients from birth to 18 years of age. She has experience working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, expressive and receptive language delays, fluency disorders, and articulation/phonological disorders.
She is originally from the suburbs of Chicago but recently relocated to North Carolina with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. Michelle is a devoted Chicago Cubs and Bears fan. In her free time, Michelle enjoys traveling with her family and attending outdoor events.
Michelle has her national certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has licenses to practice in both Illinois and North Carolina. Michelle is excited to support you and your family and welcomes the opportunity to provide comprehensive therapy.
Gloriann Favale
MS, CCC-SLP
Gloriann Favale
MS, CCC-SLP
Gloriann has over 17 years of experience working as a Speech-Language Pathologist. She obtained her B.A. in Speech Communications from St. Joseph's College and her M.S. in Speech Pathology from CUNY Brooklyn College. She is certified by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and is licensed to practice Speech Pathology in New York and North Carolina. Additionally, Gloriann holds her permanent teaching certification in New York as a Teacher of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped. She has worked in a variety of settings, including both private and public schools, as well as clinics. She ran her own private practice for over ten years, servicing primarily preschool and school-aged children. Gloriann also served as a Clinical Instructor at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY, for 2 1/2 years.
As the older sibling of a brother with cerebral palsy, Gloriann knows just how great an impact communication delays can have not only for a child but for their family as well. Her personal perspective and empathy combined with her professional expertise has allowed Gloriann to work effectively with children with a variety of communication disorders, including but not limited to: dysphagia, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), auditory processing disorders, attention deficit disorder, autism spectrum disorder, articulation, and phonological disorders, and receptive and expressive language delays. Gloriann also uses her personal and professional experience to establish a bond with each and every child and family, which she feels fosters the child's progress that much more.
Gloriann lives in Apex with her husband, two children, and their numerous adopted pets.
Valentyna Hibbs
MS, CCC-SLP
Valentyna Hibbs
MS, CCC-SLP
Valentyna received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from East Carolina University. She has 7 years of experience working in private practice and hospital settings. Valentyna has a passion for working with the preschool and early intervention population and enjoys play based therapy involving caregivers in order to provide education and coaching on carryover into the natural home environment. She has experience evaluating and treating a variety of communication areas including receptive/expressive language, articulation/phonology, fluency, and pragmatics.
Valentyna is licensed to practice Speech Language Pathology in the state of North Carolina and has her national certification from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association.
Valentyna is originally from Cary and is excited to be able to work with children and their families in the area she grew up in! She currently lives in Holly Springs with her husband and daughter with another little one on the way. In her free time she enjoys reading, going to the beach, and going on walks with their dog Cooper.
Liane Rudd
MS, CCC-SLP
Liane Rudd
MS, CCC-SLP
Liane is originally from Pennsylvania but has lived in Raleigh for over twenty years. She graduated from Bloomsburg University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders and obtained her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Nova Southeastern University.
Liane has years of experience working with children with a variety of communication disorders in multiple settings. She thoroughly enjoys working with the preschool age population, and her areas of interest include the treatment of receptive/expressive language delays, pragmatic/social skill deficits, and articulation/phonological disorders. She believes in a team approach involving the parents and caregivers to ensure effective communication skills for the child. She looks forward to working with you and your child!
Liane is licensed by N.C. Board of Examiners for Speech Language Pathology and has her national certification from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. She lives in Raleigh with her husband and two sons.
Laura McNicholas
MS, CCC-SLP
MA, CCC-SLP
Laura earned a bachelor’s degree in Language and Communication Disorders from Queens College in
New York City and obtained a Master’s degree from Hofstra University in Long Island New York in
Speech and Language Pathology. She has over ten years’ experience providing therapy for children up to
21 years of age in schools specialized for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities
including Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down’s syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, receptive/expressive language
delays, articulation/phonology disorders, pragmatic deficits, sensory needs and has extensive
experience with behavior management. Laura is licensed in the state of New York and in North Carolina
by the Board of Examiners for Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists and holds her
Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) with the America Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA).
Additionally, Laura has experience programming and implementing the use of a variety of Augmentative
and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices/programs with children who rely on this as their primary
means of communication. Laura enjoys collaborating with other professionals to work as part of a team
within a multidisciplinary approach and with families to promote a functional and naturalistic approach
to therapy.
CLAYTON OFFICE:
Katelyn Restrepo
MS, CCC-SLP
Katelyn Restrepo
Katherine Carroll
MS, CCC-SLP
Katherine Carroll
MS, CCC-SLP
Katherine obtained her Bachelors's degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Elementary Education and Psychology. After teaching 2nd grade for five years, she decided to use her passion for helping children in a different capacity and pursued a career as a speech therapist. Katherine completed her Graduate degree from North Carolina Central University. She also holds her state licensure and national certification from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).
She has had experience in the school setting, private practice, and in acute care and outpatient services at a local hospital. Katherine has experience treating expressive and receptive language delays, pragmatics/social skills, childhood apraxia of speech, acquired apraxia, articulation/phonological disorders, autism spectrum disorder, cognitive disorders, and fluency disorders. She also has experience treating children with traumatic brain injuries, rare genetic disorders, intellectual disability, ADHD, and Down syndrome. Through her time in the hospital setting, Katherine also gained experience evaluating and treating swallowing disorders. Katherine believes that a relationship between the child, therapist, and the child’s family is essential in the speech therapy process.
Katherine lives in Garner with her husband, son, and dog Zoey. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, cheering on the NC State Wolfpack, traveling, and trips to the beach.
lauren plowman
MS, CCC-SLP
Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist
Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and continued her education to receive her Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Cleveland State University. She is a licensed SLP in North Carolina and has her Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). Lauren was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has lived in North Carolina since August of 2023.
Lauren has experience working in the private practice setting as well as in the school system and skilled nursing facilities. She is passionate about feeding and swallowing disorders. She has experience treating and evaluating articulation, language, cognitive-communication impairments, aphasia, dysphagia, voice disorders, and dysarthria. She also has experience in treating and evaluating children in both general education and special education settings in the areas of articulation/phonology, pragmatics, expressive and receptive language, fluency, as well as implementation of augmentative & alternative communication (AAC) devices. Lauren has experience with Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) in several autism support classrooms to reach educational and personal goals. She is passionate about providing quality individualized patient care.
In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband, Frankie and their dog, Leo. Lauren enjoys traveling, especially to Pittsburgh to spend time with family and friends. She looks forward to meeting you and helping your children reach their goals!
Stewart Mason
M.Ed, CCC-SLP
Stewart Mason
MS, CCC-SLP
Stewart received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Master's degree in Communication Disorders from North Carolina Central University. Before attending graduate school for speech therapy, Stewart gained valuable experience working as a group home manager for adults with various disabilities. This work experience fueled her decision to pursue a career as a Speech-Language Pathologist.
Stewart has seven years of experience providing therapy across diverse environments, including clinical settings, daycares, home settings, adult rehabilitation facilities, acute care, public school systems, and private settings. Her clinical experience includes diagnosis and treatment of clients with a variety of disorders and/or diagnoses including Autism Spectrum Disorders, articulation/phonological disorders, Apraxia of Speech, cognitive delays, Down syndrome, pediatric developmental delays, pragmatic/social skill deficits, fluency disorders, and expressive and receptive language delays.
As an older sibling of a brother with Down syndrome, Stewart has the unique perspectives of both family and professional roles within the rehabilitative process. It is her belief that all children and adults alike, regardless of ability, should be able to demonstrate functional communication skills. Therefore, she has a passion for her clients to apply pragmatic and functional social skills learned in therapy that will serve as valuable tools throughout their lives.
MORRISVILLE OFFICE:
Katie Goodrich
MS, CCC-SLP
Katie Goodrich
MS, CCC-SLP
Katie graduated from Cedarville University in Ohio with a B.A. in Biology and a minor in Ethics and received her M.S. degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from East Carolina University in Greenville. She is fluent in Spanish and has a special interest in feeding/swallowing disorders, motor speech disorders, hearing impairment, craniofacial anomalies, and bilingualism. Katie has worked with many different patient populations from 0-95 years of age, including children with feeding/swallowing disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, developmental dysarthria, fluency disorders, cleft lip and/or palate, language delay due to hearing impairment, Autism spectrum disorders, genetic syndromes, learning disability, language-based literacy disorders, and diverse cultures and languages (especially Spanish-speaking families). Katie believes in providing meaningful contexts for learning and enjoys working alongside family, caregivers, and other practitioners to establish goals that meet the needs of each child. She has lived in North Carolina since 2014 and enjoys hobbies such as traveling, reading, watercolor painting, photography, swimming, horseback riding, and spending time with her husband, Timothy. Katie is licensed by the board of North Carolina and certified by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association.
Stephanie Furimsky
MS, CCC-SLP
MS, CCC=SLP
Stephanie is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist who received her Bachelor of Science degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from East Carolina University and received her Master of Science Degree in Speech Language Pathology from North Carolina Central University. She also holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). She has 4 years of experience working in private practice settings with children and their families.
Stephanie has experience treating and evaluating populations with expressive and receptive language delays, fluency/stuttering disorders, articulation/phonological disorders, literacy disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, and Down syndrome. She is particularly passionate about early intervention using play-based therapy and parent coaching, as well as treating articulation/phonological disorders.
Stephanie has a strong passion for working closely families in order to provide education and training that will be carried over in the home setting. She understands the significance of involving family and caregivers in their loved one’s speech-language therapy programs and can’t wait to build connections with families in the Morrisville area.
Stephanie lives in Raleigh, NC and enjoys spending time with her boyfriend and two cats, reading, going to concerts, and hanging out with her loved ones and friends!
Jeanine Beavers
MS, CCC-SLP
MS, CCC-SLP
Jeanine received her Bachelor’s degree in Speech & Hearing Sciences from East Carolina University in 2010 and her Master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Western Carolina University in 2012. Jeanine has experience providing speech therapy to both adults and children with a variety of diagnoses, but she especially enjoys working with the pediatric population. Areas of expertise include treating receptive & expressive language delays, articulation/phonological disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, fluency disorders, use of augmentative & alternative communication devices, developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, & Down syndrome. She is excited to help her clients develop functional communication skills & to form relationships with children & their families. In her free time, Jeanine enjoys walking at parks, being outside, drinking coffee, & reading. Jeanine is licensed by the N.C. Board of Examiners and has her national certification from the American Speech Language & Hearing Association.
ADMINISTRATION:
Christy Johnson
Clinical Director and SLP
Christy Johnson
MS, CCC-SLP
Christy is the owner of Wake Pediatric Speech Therapy. She is nationally certified by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and has her license to practice in the state of North Carolina. Christy obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to also obtain her Master’s Degree in Speech and Hearing Science from UNC-CH. She has sixteen years of experience working with preschool through middle school-age children with varying speech and language needs. Her areas of interest include early intervention for toddlers and preschoolers, expressive and pragmatic therapy for children with an autism spectrum disorder, treatment of articulation, receptive, and expressive language skills. She was recognized as Outstanding Young Alumni from UNC-CH School of Education in 2006 for her work providing speech and language therapy services to children in the educational setting. She has a passion for working together with families to watch children learn, grow, and achieve their goals!
Christy establishes close relationships with the families she serves. A big part of our philosophy at Wake Pediatric Speech Therapy is parent participation and education. Christy helps teach families how to turn everyday routines into a language-rich experience for their child.
Christy lives in Apex with her husband, sons, and stepdaughter.
Carolyn Kouroupas
Medical Billing Specialist
Billing/practice manager
Carolyn excels at coordinating patient care and getting speech therapy services started for our families. She is available to answer insurance and financial information as it relates to our services. She can be reached directly at 919-259-4590 or at [email protected]
Testimonials
Teletherapy with Ms. Gloriann has been a huge benefit for us while we wait for safer conditions to resume in person therapy. My daughter was released from the hospital after a lengthy illness right before the pandemic hit the U.S., and she had backtracked in her abilities.
Through the use of teletherapy for both feeding and speech, we have been able to work with Ms. Gloriann and learn how to support and challenge her skills during this unprecedented time. We have seen growth in all of her abilities that we never would've seen without the input and guidance we are able to receive via telehealth.
Maria
My son started speech therapy online 3 weeks ago. Once it became clear that we wouldn't return to "normal" anytime soon -- I wouldn't be at the office and my son wouldn't be at school -- we decided to continue speech therapy online.
My wife has always been the one to take him to speech. I was always at work. Now that I'm working from home, I've been able to actually see what he's doing. I can see his speech therapist and watch how she engages him and how he responds to her. That personal connection is what has stood out to me as a parent. I am happy he is able to keep this weekly routine as some sort of normal for him right now.
Christopher
My son has been in speech since he was 1.5 years old and had 3 words. He is now 3.5 and has an explosive vocabulary. Alongside his two devoted speech therapists he meets with 4 days a week they work together to overcome his speech and language barriers. When COVID 19 hit he lost his in-service speech therapy service during preschool. We trudged ahead with private speech therapy in person as long as the office was open. As with everything, eventually that closed too. Once our insurance approved Virtual Speech we got on board and started speech services set up at our kitchen table with a pair of headphones. Virtual Therapy is our only option to continue speech therapy services.
If we give up and wait indefinitely for our speech office and preschool doors to open back up he will undoubtedly backtrack. Then, when life resumes to normalcy he will have to work even harder to recover his lost ground. Speech therapy is an essential service for my son; he needs every tool and every minute of support he can get. Right now that support is received at the kitchen table while my other child is homeschool by dear old mom and dad.
On the other end of the computer are his two therapists who are doing their absolute best to help our son continue making progress. He is smiling and laughing during the session, and looks forward to the next. We are thankful for every session our insurance has agreed to. It's not perfect, but it's not forever either.
Samantha
We first came in contact with Wake Pediatric Speech Therapy after our 18 month old daughter was diagnosed with a speech delay. She knew only a few words and stopped using words we had heard her say before. From the moment we met Cindy Crockett we felt more at ease. Cindy has been a true answer to our prayers.
She has worked with our daughter for several months and we are amazed at her progress. Cindy really goes above and beyond sending notes and suggestions home to us and emailing us with helpful links. We feel very blessed to have located such a wonderful speech therapist. We would highly recommend Wake Pediatric Speech Therapy. Cindy has exceeded our expectations and we are so appreciative of her expertise and encouragement.
Beth
When I first brought my son in for an evaluation, he was two-and-half-years old and was only saying the word “duh.” I felt apprehensive about what to expect, as I knew how shy my son was and how timid he felt around strangers. Right away during the pre-screen, Cindy had Henry giggling and engaged and I felt immediately at ease.
Her knowledge, expertise, and warm approach gave me the confidence to bring him to speech therapy twice a week and to implement different behaviors and techniques at home to encourage Henry’s language development. Throughout Henry’s one and a half years at Wake Pediatric Speech Therapy, our whole family felt so supported by Cindy and we always knew we were in such good hands. Not only did Henry blossom through Cindy’s guidance, but he quickly began speaking in full sentences after just a few months of therapy. Additionally, he went on to thrive at preschool because of the strong foundation that she gave him.
We are so deeply appreciative of Cindy’s play-based approach to therapy and the tools that she gave us to support his language development at home. Not once did Henry think he was going to a “scary” clinical speech session; in fact, he looked forward to seeing her every week and playing with her while developing and enhancing his language skills.
Henry is now learning French in addition to English and has amazed us with his rapid accumulation and understanding of a second language. We know that we have Cindy to thank and we are very grateful to Wake Pediatric Speech Therapy for all that they have done for our son. As he continues preschool and moves on to kindergarten in one year’s time, we will continue to have immense gratitude for all that Henry has learned during his time in speech therapy.
We are very grateful for our time with Mrs. Cindy who has helped my son grow in so many ways! We have been working with Mrs. Cindy for a little over a year and a half and have only great things to say! Thank you Mrs. Cindy for all that you have done to help our son talk and be able to communicate! Hearing him say “I love you” for the first time was greatly in part to you, and as a parent, those words are greater than gold! Also, for helping us as parents understand how to communicate with him as he was beginning to communicate. The environment is friendly and welcoming and I highly recommend it to anyone!
Kirsten
I'm so glad we found Christy! She puts so much work & thought into my child's treatment. She is very caring, professional, innovative, patient, and awesome! My child has improved significantly, and we could not have done it without Christy. I can't sing her praises enough!
Erin
I am a parent of two sons who received speech therapy from Christy Johnson. They had totally different speech issues, one with some stuttering, AKA, "bumpy speech," the other articulation and pragmatic issues. Christy worked with our family between 4 and 5 years, and she was absolutely wonderful! She worked on their specific target areas, communicated with us after every session with a written log, and gave us activities to work on at home to bridge activities over Track Outbreaks.
She is kind, patient, thoughtful, and very organized. Our IEP's were very detailed and thorough, and she was available to answer any questions we had. I highly recommend Christy, and I think you will be very satisfied with your decision to have her work with your child or other family members. She is the best! 🙂
Claudia
My son went to Christy Johnson for speech/language therapy between 4th and 5th grade. Christy always made it fun and he enjoyed seeing her every week. He needed help expressing himself both verbally and in writing and Christy worked on both. She was incredibly patient yet always encouraging.
She was always thinking of new ways to help him. She recognized that he would benefit from small group therapy and paired him with another child. One issue he had was that it took him a long time to put his thoughts together and verbally express himself, so Christy came up with a game that required him to think and speak quickly. If you are looking for a caring speech therapist that is creative, I highly recommend Christy!
Linda
