TAASLP Leadership

Ginger Geldreich Jones is an SLP and Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist. She is the founder and CEO of Jones Therapy Services which provides speech-language, physical, occupational, feeding and behavior therapy in 10 locations in Tennessee.  Born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee, she received her Bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders from the University of Mississippi. She went on to complete her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology with a concentration in aural habilitation from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Ginger is licensed by the Tennessee Board of Communication Disorders and holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. She currently serves on the board of Autism Tennessee, the board of the Nashville Chapter of Entrepreneur’s Organization, and the board of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. She is a member of the Women Presidents’ Organization and Entrepreneurs’ Organization.  Ginger was a recipient of the 2013 40 Under 40 by the Nashville Business Journal, recognized as a favorite Speech Language Pathologist in Nashville Parent Magazine,  In 2018, she was named an Enterprising Women Champion by Enterprising Women Magazine.  She’s been named as a Woman of Influence in 2019 and Most Admired CEO in 2019 and 2020 by the Nashville Business Journal.  Jones Therapy Services was recognized on the INC 5000 list of the 5000 fastest growing companies in the United States in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.   Ginger lives in Nashville with her husband and 2 sons.

Jennifer Wilson has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for over 25 years, working primarily with pediatrics in medical settings.  She received her M.A. from University of Memphis in 1993 and began gaining  experience through working for two Children’s Hospital systems, owning a private practice for 12 years and  working for the past 3 1/2 years at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center as a Clinical Instructor. She specializes in the area of Pediatric Dysphagia, educating  graduates clinically and academically, and providing community education on feeding and swallowing disorders in children.  She also serves on the Admissions Board and as a Internship Coordinator with the University of Tennessee FUTURE program, a post-secondary education program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Additionally,  she serves as a Community Ambassador with Feeding Matters, a Site Visitor for the Council of Academic Accreditation, and is on the Member Advisory Board for the ASHA Alternative Payment Models Committee.

Meagan Spencer received her B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Harding University and her Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership in Higher Education from Abilene Christian University. She started as a rural school-based speech pathologist, but is now a pro-bono rural community-based SLP and clinic director of the FHU Speech Clinic, which serves rural West TN with no-cost services. She is also the program coordinator of the CSD program at Freed-Hardeman University and a rural health/education researcher and advocate. She is a 2021 ASHA Distinguished Early Career Professional and enjoys watching future SLPs love the profession as an FHU NSSLHA chapter sponsor. In her off-time, she likes to listen to punk rock music (think Paramore) and drinking copious amounts of coffee at the local coffee shop.

Louise Powers is an audiologist for Eargo, based out of Nashville. She received her Doctor of Audiology from University of Memphis and her Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She enjoys educating patients on implications of their hearing loss and helping them navigate through the convoluted hearing aid market to find a solution best for them. Prior to Eargo, she was in the private practice setting for three years collaborating with all 5 big manufacturers and many third party payers.  In her spare time, you can find her cheering on the Vols, redecorating every room in her house twice and spending time with friends and family.

Jessica Lenden-Holt is a bilingual, CCC-SLP living in Johnson City, TN. She has been a speech language pathologist for 14 years and has experience as a speech-language pathologist in schools, hospitals, home health, teletherapy and private practice settings.

Jessica was a Whittle Scholar at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville where she earned an Honors degree in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology and an Honors degree in Spanish with an emphasis on Hispanic Studies. Jessica received an MA degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with an emphasis in Bilingualism/Multiculturalism from the University of Texas-Austin. She has studied abroad in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Peru. Jessica worked as a bilingual SLP on the Texas-Mexico border for seven years before moving back to Tennessee.

Jessica is currently the Sr. Director of Clinical Services for Sidekick Therapy Partners and Owner of Speech Therapy with Lenden-Holt (Teachers Pay Teachers store). In her spare time, she loves creating resources and materials for other SLPs.

Andrea Green, Au.D., is a clinical audiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  She graduated with her Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.  Dr. Green has clinical experience in diagnostics, amplification, and vestibular sciences for both adult and pediatric populations.  Since beginning her career in audiology, she has demonstrated her passion for volunteer leadership as an active member in many state and national professional organizations.  She is currently the Past Chair for the AAA Leadership Council and active in the community as a Board member for HEAR Nashville.

Sarai Ward, Ed.D., CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences Disorders at Austin Peay State University. Her areas of expertise are in Cultural Responsiveness and Sensitivity and Bilingualism and Childhood Speech and Language Disorders. She worked for Palm Beach County School District in West Palm Beach, Florida as a multicultural diagnostician and school based bilingual speech-language pathologist for 7 years. She also served families in private practice and home health throughout the course of those years. She is currently finishing her Bilingual Extension Certificate from Columbia University in New York. She is also a peer reviewer for ASHA CEU webinars with Northern Speech-Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations.

Lori Shea, M.S. CCC-SLP is in her fifth year working as Director of Learning Support at Middle Tennessee Christian School.  In addition, for the last seven years, she has served as an adjunct clinical supervisor for Middle Tennessee State University's Speech and Hearing Clinic.  Lori completed her Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from West Virginia University in 1994. Since then she has worked in a variety of settings including Early Intervention, Skilled Nursing, K-12 Schools, and pediatric outpatient facilities.

Jennifer Bancroft, Ph.D. CCC-SLP is in her second year of service as faculty for the new MSLP program at APSU.  Jennifer completed her Ph.D. in early childhood special education at Vanderbilt University in 2021.  Prior to returning to graduate school in 2017, Jennifer worked in Williamson County Schools as a speech language pathologist for 10 years. There she served preschool through transition age students. Jennifer has also worked in the acute care and inpatient rehabilitation settings.

Haven Brooks is a second-year Speech-Language Pathology graduate student at East Tennessee State University, where she also received her B.S. in General Psychology with a minor in Communicative Disorders. Haven is an active member in the ETSU NSSLHA chapter and previously served as the chapter’s 'Lunch and Learn' Chair. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her husband, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her friends and family.

Courtney Atnip began lobbying over a decade ago for persons with disabilities needing healthcare and she has never stopped being a tireless advocate for clients. She manages complicated public policy issues and develops multi-tiered, targeted strategic plans to achieve positive outcomes largely through managing legislative agendas, grass roots initiatives, and public information campaigns. Atnip has built a reputation throughout Tennessee for rolling up her sleeves to find the best solution for clients. She and her husband live in Nashville with their daughter Lizzie. She holds undergraduate and Master's degrees from the University of Tennessee and is a native of Knoxville.

Heather Meshell has a background in advocacy that includes work with the Sexual Assault Center of Middle Tennessee as a Sexual Assault Response Team Coordinator (SART) where she collaborated with police, nurses, prosecutors, and advocates to help four counties (Davidson, Cheatham, Sumner, and Williamson) formalize protocols on responding to sexual assault. Prior to that, she worked at the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence as the Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy, conducting legislative research and teaming up with community partners and legislators on policy initiatives. She received her Juris Doctorate from Nashville School of Law and holds a degree in Sociology from Middle Tennessee State University.