Candidates for Director (5; vote for 3)

Tammy H. Brown, M.A., CCC-A, Board Certified in Audiology

Ohio

Ms. Brown is an Ohio licensed member and Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Ohio Speech Language and Hearing Association. She has presented on topics of ethics, OTC hearing aids, genetics of hearing loss, hearing aid fitting rationale and other areas of audiology and state licensure issues. Ms. Brown has also served numerous leadership roles in her community,workplace and her state associations. Currently employed as a clinical audiologist with Miami University, she has over 30 years of experience as a licensed audiologist, primarily focused in pediatric audiology and patient advocacy. She has worked and trained in hospital, school, university and private ENT settings working with consumers across the life span in Michigan and Ohio. Her interests range from etiology of communication disorders to consumer-based care models, interdisciplinary collaborative program development and student engagement. Ms. Brown is currently serving as one of the three audiology board members on the Ohio Speech and Hearing Professionals Board and is has been elected as the Board’s President since 2018. She formerly served on the Ohio Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and during her term was involved with the Board’s transition, per the Ohio legislature, to include Hearing Aid Dealers and Fitters under their purview. Her Board member experience includes many statewide issues, including testifying before the Ohio House Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, supporting legislation enabling veterans and their spouses to request consideration of military training, OTC hearing aids, collaborative efforts and education with other boards and the Governor’s office in Ohio and other states especially during COVID, education regarding compacts, training experience for applying to occupational licensure boards in Ohio. Ms. Brown is a current Board member and past president of the National Council of State Boards (NCSB). She has been elected as the Audiologist assigned to the ASLP IC for Ohio after being involved in ASLP IC issues for the profession since drafting began. Her passion for consumers to receive excellent care for their communication needs is fueled by her family, patients and many mentors who include educators, audiologists, speech language pathologists, physicians, hearing aid dealers, businessmen, nurses, administrators and students and the privilege of working with dedicated interdisciplinary teams throughout her 30 years as an Audiologist.

Election Statement: While serving on Ohio’s board, I have been privileged to become a member and serve in tandem on the NCSB board. This involvement has exponentially improved, expanded and validated our state board’s scope of work and translated to outcomes, education and efficiency on the NCSB Board. National benchmarking and open collaborative forums like NCSB provides have allowed us all to move with the changing tides of ensuring our professionals are able to provide consumers with the best care possible even as regulatory climates ebb and flow. It would be my honor to continue work we have started to fulfill the mission and work of NCSB. I consider this board position a true stewardship of practicing professionals and consumers we serve to provide positive consumer outcomes under regulatory guidance. My particular interest includes welcoming new states and professionals to the Audiology Speech Language Pathology-Interstate Compact (ASLP –IC) who may wish to contribute their perspectives and experiences to NCSB as we continue growth and future transitions in audiology and speech language pathology.

Nicole Jeffcoat

North Carolina

Born and raised in Indiana, I am a Boilermaker to the core and received my BS in Audiology and Speech Sciences at Purdue. I then moved to NC and have been an SLP in the medical setting since graduating with my MS from UNC-CH. I have worked for, WakeMed, a non-profit health system in the Raleigh, NC area, for the last 24 years and now manage our Acute Rehab services department. Alongside getting to do something I love as a career, my other passion is raising two teenage boys which involves significant amounts of time at the baseball field along with boys and husband.

Election statement: I was elected to the NCSB board in January 2021 while serving on the NC Board of Examiners for SLP and Audiology. I had the privilege of serving on our state board and working to ensure and consistently assess areas for improvement in the protection of our citizens. Throughout my career I have been privileged to work for an organization whose mission is to provide exceptional care to all those who seek care and to those throughout our community. To me, this foundation and mission aligns directly with the role of state boards and I would be honored to continue to serve on the board of directors of an organization that advocates for these values across the nation.

Kerrilyn Phillips, SLP.D., L-SLP, CCC-SLP

Louisiana

Kerri Philips, SLP.D., is Professor/Program Director for speech-language pathology at Louisiana Tech University as well as adjunct instructor at Nova Southeastern. Dr. Phillips has served multiple terms on the Louisiana Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Dr. Phillips is a current member on the Board of Directors for the National Council of State Boards of Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists (NCSB) and is the NCSB Board Liaison for the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC). Dr. Phillips has been involved with the ASLP-IC since its inception. Dr. Phillips has also served NCSB in various capacities including Past President, conference planner, presenter, panelist, and moderator for annual conferences. She is currently holds the Eva Leggett Endowed Professorship in speech-language pathology at Louisiana Tech Univerity. Dr. Phillips has served on various committees for state and national organizations involved with communication disorders.

Election Statement: A variety of reasons exist in my interest in continuing as a member of the NCSB Board of Directors. I understand the role and function of a licensure board member and spent many hours working to develop the ASLP-IC to provide consumers access to quality care. I believe in the power of a group process and understand the importance of bringing a representative group of stakeholders to the table to develop goals and long‐range strategic planning. I am a collaborative person by nature and enjoy the synergy that comes about from a dynamic group process. I understand the challenges, but also the opportunities that are inherent with laws, policies and regulations as they relate to communication disorders Finally, I believe that it is vital for University faculty to be involved, represented on committees and be invested in the decisions that are being made relative to our professions. I want to be part of the solution, and the only way to do that is by putting myself out there to be involved in committees and other service opportunities. If I am elected, I will be diligent about that responsibility and will do my level best to make positive and meaningful contributions.

Elizabeth Rooney, Doctor of Audiology

North Carolina

Dr. Rooney is an audiologist practicing at Duke University Medical Center since 2017. She earned her Doctorate in Audiology from Northeastern University and is a proud Bostonian. Dr. Rooney's practice focuses mostly on adult vestibular and hearing evaluations and hearing aid care. She currently serves on the NC Audiology Association leadership as Past President and has been a part of the NC Audiology Association since its inception in 2017.

Election Statement: I have served the North Carolina audiology community for many years, during which I have aided in passing legislation to bring our statutes up to modern standards and have been active in planning an annual educational conference. During these years I have found that collaboration among the regions of NC has made our work stronger. While updating our statutes we examined similar legislation with other states and it was impactful to communicate with other state professional organizations to ensure we are doing the best we can in NC. I am interested in participating in this role to help further collaboration among states and educate audiologists nationwide on current best practices.

Jason P. Wigand, AuD, CCC-A, Owner, Board Certified in Audiology

South Carolina

Jason P. Wigand, AuD is Chief Audiologist and owner of Beach Audiology Hearing & Balance Center. He is board-certified in Audiology and has held positions in various private practice and nonprofit settings, including serving as faculty, clinical director of the cochlear implant program, and clinical preceptor for the graduate program at the University of South Carolina in the Arnold School of Public Health in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. He currently serves on South Carolina’s licensure Board of Examiners for Speech Pathology and Audiology. He is past president and continuing board member for the South Carolina Academy of Audiology and serves as treasurer for the South Carolina chapter of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired.

Dr. Wigand completed undergraduate work at the University of Kentucky and received his clinical doctorate in Audiology from The Ohio State University. His research and clinical expertise include cochlear and Auditory implants, speech perception and psychoacoustics, early intervention in hearing loss, hearing aids and amplification treatment options, and aural rehabilitation and communication strategies.

As a researcher, clinical audiologist, and late-deafened adult and bilateral cochlear implant recipient, Dr. Wigand is passionate about serving both adult and pediatric populations challenged by hearing loss. He is continually engaged in contributing to the professional and consumer education and collaboration needed to forward the practice and profession of Audiology as the primary provider of care for individuals with hearing and communication challenges.