Meagan Spencer
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 speech pathologist for Cheatham Co. Schools, was the founding director of Freed-Hardeman University’s CSD program in West TN and is back in Nashville as the founding chair/director of Lipscomb University CSD. She is a 2021 ASHA Distinguished Early Career Professional and enjoys watching future SLPs love the profession.
Jessica Lenden-Holt
Jessica Lenden-Holt is a bilingual SLP and Chief Clinical Officer for Sidekick Therapy Partners. She is the current President Elect and the former VP of Legislative Affairs for TAASLP. She serves on the Medicaid committee for ASHA. Lenden-Holt also serves on multiple non-profit boards and is the founder of Dream Team Adapted Sports which hosts adapted sports camps for children and young adults.
Ginger Jones
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.
Martha Sherrill
Martha Sherrill, PhD., CCC-SLP, BCS-S is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and Board-Certified Specialist (BCS-S) in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. She has been practicing in medical settings (e.g., acute care, SAR/IPR, SNF, HH, etc.) since 2006. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at East Tennessee State University and practices clinically at Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates of Johnson City.
Audrey Thompson
Audrey Thompson, MS, CCC-SLP received her Batchelor of Science in Communication Disorders from Delta State University in 1988 and her Master of Science in Communication Disorders from the University of Mississippi in 1990. She is currently employed as a Speech-Language Pathologist with Williamson County Schools and has served this school district since 2002. Currently, she serves on the TAASLP Executive Committee as VP of Communications and hopes to keep you updated with the latest information regarding all things TAASLP through social media platforms.
Kristen Secora
Kristen Secora, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an assistant professor of communication disorders at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her areas of interest include perspective-taking and its connection with language as well as language deprivation and how to support language access for deaf/hard of hearing children. She has worked as an SLP since 2016 in various settings including a public school with an autism and deaf/hard of hearing focus (and also with all other clinical areas represented) as well as in private practice and early intervention for in person and teletherapy. She is a member of ASHA’s SIG 9 (Pediatric Hearing and Hearing Disorders) and serves as a peer reviewer for ASHA’s Perspectives journal and the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.
Jack Henderson
Jack Henderson MS CCC-SLP (he/ him) is a person who stutters with over a decade of clinical experience as a SLP. He is the founder of Henderson Stuttering Therapy, a practice based in Nashville, TN with teletherapy availability in Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Alabama. He is a co-leader of the Nashville area chapter of the National Stuttering Association (NSA) and an adjunct faculty at Austin Peay State University, teaching the graduate-level fluency course. Jack is on the Advisory Board of SPACE (Stuttering, People, Arts, Community, Education), an international non-profit advocacy and support organization for people who stutter.
Marc Fagelson
Fagelson serves on the TAASLP Executive Committee as a conference committee co-chair. He hopes to encourage and nurture TAASLP offerings that address the unique needs of underserved audiologic populations, such as those patients bothered by tinnitus, as well as musicians and other individuals whose careers and quality of life may be influenced profoundly by disorders of sound tolerance.
Jennifer Henderson
Jennifer Henderson is a CCC, SLP residing in Knoxville Tennessee. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from Valdosta State University. She has been practicing as a SLP for 16 years. She began her career as a CF for Rockdale County Schools, in Conyers, Ga. She has been working for Sidekick Therapy Partners, formally known as Curlee Communication Consultants, since 2009.
At Sidekick, Jennifer has provided comprehensive evaluation and therapeutic treatment to adult clients with cognitive and dysphagia challenges through home health services. She has also provided speech and language services to children aged 0-3 years, and conducted speech, language, and fluency evaluations and therapies for HeadStart students and those in preschool through twelfth grade. She also provided speech and language services at a psychiatric residential treatment facility that supported residents with Autism and other Neurodevelopmental diagnoses. Her leadership roles include that of Lead SLP, District Coordinator, and currently, Director of Quality Assurance and Clinical Lead at Sidekick.
As Clinical Lead, Jennifer is responsible for supporting zone teammates and district coordinators, which includes conducting annual check-in reviews and providing ongoing feedback. She is also responsible for collaborating with leadership team members on policies/procedures, following up on any concerns or issues and assisting in managing day to day Sidekick operations and communication with teammates.
As Director of Quality Assurance, Jennifer is responsible for supporting and leading the QA team, auditing a variety of documents uploaded to Cue, providing feedback and collaborating with the Sidekick Clinical and Operations team.
Her goal is to increase awareness & advocacy efforts around access to speech, language, & hearing services. This includes increasing engagement in advocacy efforts & expanding access to critical services statewide.
Shequria Williams
Shequria Williams is a CCC, SLP residing in Knoxville Tennessee. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa. She has been practicing as a SLP for 15 years. She began her career as a CF for Sidekick Therapy Partners, formally known as Curlee Communication Consultants.
Throughout her time with Sidekick, she has provided evaluations and therapeutic treatment for TEIS, school aged, and adult populations treating a variety of impairments. Her leadership roles at Sidekick include Lead SLP, District Coordinator, Clinical Lead, and now Sr. Director of Clinical Services.
Shequria is a member of TAASLP. She is currently representing TAASLP as a state advocate and holds the title of SEAL, State Education Advocacy Leader, for the state of Tennessee. Shequria is also the SEAL Champion for the Southern Region of the U.S. She works to tackle issues related to caseload and workload, SLP shortages in the school system, salary supplements, and maintenance and personal standards in the school setting.
Kacey Hammonds
Rachel Simmerman
Rachel Simmerman is a 1st year Audiology student at East Tennessee State University. She earned her B.S in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Tennessee. Rachel is an active member in the ETSU SAA chapter. Rachel found her interest in Audiology when her fiancé, who is active-duty Air Force, was referred to the audiologist due to high-intensity noise exposure. This interaction ignited Rachel’s interest to improve the quality of individuals with hearing challenges. In her free time, Rachel enjoys hiking, spontaneous road trips, and DIY improvements on her family’s hobby farm.
Beth Humphrey
As former President of TAA and currently serving on ASHA’s Committee of Ambassadors, Beth also steps into the role of STAMP representative this year. One of her goals is to improve access to information about Medicare coverage and advocacy opportunities for speech-language pathologists and audiologists in TN.
Jan Ward
Jan Ward, CCC-SLP, CDP, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, QCP, is a speech-language pathologist with over 30 years of experience in geriatric post-acute care. She serves as the Director of Quality Improvement and Education for a multi-state rehabilitation company and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology at Rocky Mountain University. Her professional focus includes Medicare compliance, PDPM, dementia care, and interdisciplinary team leadership. She is the Tennessee State Advocate for Medicare Policy (StAMP), chairs the professional development committee for TAASLP, and contributes to ASHA’s geriatric SIG 15 on the professional development committee. She also leads a national peer group for SLPs in long-term care.
Bess Sirmon-Taylor
Bess Sirmon-Taylor is chair of the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at East Tennessee State University. Her academic work was completed at Florida State University, Georgia College, and the University of Georgia, and she has been active in state association work for about 30 years in several states. As Member-At-Large, she is excited to represent the membership in all of the activities of the Executive Council, and chair the Honors and Awards Committee. Bess lives in Johnson City with her husband and five special needs rescue dogs, which is why she is usually covered with dog hair.
