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 28 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, and working with infants who have difficulties breast or bottle feeding (lactation) and / or transitioning to solids.

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 am the second person in the state of Minnesota to become a Certified Orofacial Myologist (COM) through the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM), am a Certified Lactation Consultant (CLC), a Talk Tools Level 4 trained therapist, coauthor of Feeding Foundations class and Talk Tools speaker.

Membership and Professional Activities: I am a member of Minnesota Speech Language Hearing Association (MSHA), American Academy of Private Practice Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (AAPPSPA), International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM), AOMT and on the IAOM Board of Directors.

I speak regularly at local parent groups have 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.