Kathleen Youse, Founding Program Director
Lauren Hayden, Director of Clinical Education
Lindsay Milgram, MS, CCC-SLP, has extensive experience working with children with a variety of developmental disabilities including cognitive disabilities, cerebral palsy, and Autism. Her primary areas of interest include working across the lifespan with people who would benefit from Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), as well as Clinical Education and Supervision. She began her career working in a specialized public school within the New York City Department of Special Education fostering interdisciplinary service delivery. Following, Lindsay was the Diagnostics Coordinator and a Clinical Instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she supervised graduate students providing evaluations and treatment across the lifespan and developed specialized clinical training programs. These included a camp for children who use AAC, a social group for families who use AAC, and an AAC device evaluation program for adults.
After a decade in higher education, Lindsay joined the faculty at Widener University in January 2022 as a Clinical Associate Professor. She supervises graduate students providing comprehensive speech-language services in our Chester Community Clinic and a local preschool. Her teaching philosophy mirrors her approach to clinical practice and includes the central tenets of I) Person & Family-Centered Care; II) Evidence-Based Practice & III) Advocacy & Passion for Change. Lindsay believes it is a privilege to teach the next generation of practitioners, so she takes great pride in the responsibility of sharing knowledge and promoting enthusiasm for evidence-based practice in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP).
Lindsay earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, with high distinction, at The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Science Degree in Speech and Language Pathology at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Joanne Wisely, MA, CCC-SLP, ACE FNAP: Joanne has served in all post-acute settings, engaging in clinical service improvements, financial stewardship, statutory compliance and legislation development. A frequent national presenter, she also serves as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer.
Awarded Distinguished Fellowship in Public Policy by the National Academies of Practice, she currently serves that organization as Vice President of Public Policy. Drawing on experience as a member of several CMS Technical Expert Panels (TEPs), the MedPAC Medicare Part B Payment TEP and as the Long-Term Care industry representative to the Congressional Bipartisan/Bicameral Work Group responsible for development of the IMPACT Act, Joanne is known as a clinical expert and professional advocate. She is currently a Clinical Medical Expert with the CMS PACIO Committee and ASHA SPLASCH Work Group to develop post-acute electronic health record guidance.
Joanne is a Life Member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and the Pennsylvania Speech-Language Hearing Association. She also serves as the Pennsylvania State Advocate for Medicare Policy, serves on the ASHA Member Advisory Group for Value Based Care and is a member of the Board of Directors for Main Line Senior Services Wayne Senior Center, an NCOA NISC accredited program.
Jolynn Thomas, MS, CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS:
Emily Sweet, MS, CCC-SLP: Emily Sweet is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinical Associate professor. She completed her undergraduate degree at Rutgers University and earned her Masters degree at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has practiced across the life span: in hospitals, schools, outpatient clinics, and university clinics. She is especially interested in multilingual language development and disorder, and in articulation and phonology. She supervises students in the Chester Community Clinic and is part of the teaching team for Community and Population Health. As a new faculty member as of Fall 2024, she is loving learning about Widener and the program. The message of belonging at Widener and the strong commitment of the faculty to helping students achieve their goals makes her excited to be here. She also loves the interprofessional opportunities in the SLP program!
Karen Nix, PhD, CCC-SLP: Karen Nix has joined us as an Assistant Professor! Dr. Nix has just completed her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Her primary area of research is child language, emphasizing learning and literacy. Karen has been a speech-language pathologist for more than 20 years, working with children and adolescents ages birth to 18. She has worked in early intervention, public schools, alternative schools, and on interdisciplinary diagnostic teams in both urban and rural settings. While completing her PhD, Karen served as a clinical supervisor and course instructor at UNCG.
Rebecca Jones, PhD, CCC-SLP, completed her doctoral studies in Communication Sciences and Disorders in the Infant and Toddler Language Lab at James Madison University (JMU). Her research focused on the skills required to develop effective therapist-caregiver partnerships. She is passionate about preparing future speech-language pathologists (SLPs) for these essential roles in clinical and community settings.
Rebecca brings over a decade of clinical experience. Her career includes work in early intervention, providing family-centered services to young children with developmental delays and disabilities, and significant experience in adult and pediatric acute care and outpatient environments. She has worked closely with multidisciplinary medical teams in specialty follow-up clinics throughout her career, ensuring coordinated care for high-risk infants and children with complex medical needs.
Rebecca is a certified Hanen provider of the More Than Words and It Takes Two to Talk programs. She utilizes her advanced training in these programs to support caregivers in fostering communication in young children with language delays and social communication challenges. She is also certified in various feeding and swallowing assessments and supportive treatment protocols, including the SOFFI method and EFS assessment.
Rebecca has experience in student supervision both on and off campus, including externship supervision. She enjoys mentoring graduate students and early career clinicians in clinical and academic capacities. As the lead trainer for pediatric SLPs in a large regional hospital system, she mentored clinicians and developed clinical competencies. Additionally, she served as a multi-site student coordinator, overseeing the placement and supervision of SLP students across multiple clinical settings.
She is excited to continue working with students at Widener, combining her research expertise with her passion for teaching.
