12/16/2025
Still reflecting on an inspiring few days at ASHA in DC last month ✨
It was SO great to reconnect with former classmates Leila, Marc, and Erich from the who continue to highlight just how much innovation is happening in our field.
Allow me to introduce you to my friends 💁🏻♀️:
🌟 Leila Denna, MS, CCC-SLP has recently founded where she empowers SLPs to thoughtfully integrate technology into clinical practice. Her presentation on AI literacy challenged us to look beyond the “magic” of AI and focus on bias, transparency, and ethical implementation, offering practical frameworks for responsible use. Leila’s work and her ever-expanding network of SLP innovators make her a true catalyst for positive change in our profession! Be sure to give her a follow!
🎓Marc Maffei, PhD, CCC-SLP is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Rhode Island! His research on the development of language and motor skills gives clinicians new tools to understand and support late talkers — a critical contribution to our understanding of early language development. 👶🏻
🤖 Erich Reiter, founder of , continues to push the boundaries of what speech technology can do. His team develops AI-driven tools and interactive games that support individuals who stutter, and they are now expanding these tools to address articulation and early literacy! Go check them out!
Since I roomed with Leila who knows, like…EVERYBODY 🤣, I also had the immense pleasure of meeting Konrad Zielinski of .bionics , a researcher and laryngectomee himself whose team is developing personalized electrolarynx technology to give fellow laryngectomees a more natural, individualized voice. Having worked extensively with head and neck cancer patients before transitioning into the pediatric realm, this is a population that is especially near and dear to my heart. 💙
Truly, “The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing.”
I’m so grateful for these opportunities—a reminder that growth begins with curiosity and humility. 🙏
