Meet the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall number a minimum of ten and not exceed fifteen members. Nominees shall be presented to the board for approval by the nominating committee, with a majority vote of the board determining their election to serve. Each board member shall be elected to a term of (3) years, no more than two terms (6 years) before taking a three year (1 term) break. There is no limit to the number of terms to which a director may be elected.

The Board holds two regular meetings during the year. The winter meetings typically take place in February at a location to be determined by the Board. The summer meetings take place at the location of the NSA’s Annual Conference, the day before the Conference.

Source: National Stuttering Association Bylaws (February 2012).

Current members of the board are (if you would like to email the board members please use NSABoard@westutter.org.

Sheryl Hunter, Esquire – Board of Directors Chairwoman, elected February 2012. Former Co-Chair of Family Programs. Sheryl lives in Tampa, FL with her husband Gabe who stutters and two children; son Logan (9) and daughter Aspen (7). Logan has stuttered since age 3. Sheryl founded and has hosted many of the NSA Family Radio shows and has participated in several Tampa Youth Days (2012 Parent Workshop presenter), King’s Speech panel discussions and TV interviews about stuttering. In 2011, Sheryl and her family established the Seckel-West Fluency Scholarship at University of South Florida to provide funds for graduate students focused on stuttering so that more people will be trained to research, study and provide effective therapies for stuttering. Professionally, Sheryl is an attorney and is the founder and CEO of Lifelines Academy & Network, a national provider of education and business services for professionals serving seniors. A 1995 graduate of Georgetown Law Center and a 1991 graduate of George Washington University, B.A., Magna Cum Laude, Sheryl has practiced law for 17 years in the areas of business, real estate and estate planning. She has served on several non-profit board positions over the years and is honored to serve the NSA as its Board Chairwoman.

Kenny Koroll – Vice-Chairman. Kenny currently lives in Naperville, IL and has been a member of the NSA since 2000. He has been a part of the Chicago/Woodale, IL and St. Louis, MO Chapters, and served briefly as co-leader of the Naperville, IL Chapter. He has presented multiple conference workshops, including speaking on the inaugural NSA All-Star panel. He has written various articles in Letting Go, represented the NSA at the Illinois AHSA conference, and was interview by the New York Times regarding stuttering and the NSA. He is best known for living and promoting a non-covert stuttering lifestyle. He most recently served the NSA Board as the Co-Chair of Adult Programs. Kenny has a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Occupational Health and Safety, and works for the US Department of Labor/OSHA in the Directorate of Training and Education.

Bill-Smith-200

Bill Smith - Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Committee, re-elected in 2011. Shortly after hearing about our 2000 annual conference in Chicago, Bill made contact with the NSA and has since been an active member of the Chicago Metro North chapter. Bill holds BA (Math) and MBA (Finance) degrees. He retired from the insurance industry in 1999 and has been pursuing other interests, including his hobbies of amateur radio and playing tournament bridge.

Cathy Olish - Secretary, elected 2011. Special Projects and Volunteer Coordinator. Cathy is from Ferndale, Michigan and has been a member of the NSA since 1999. She is co-chapter leader of the Royal Oak (Detroit) adult chapter and the Royal Oak Kids/TWST chapter. She is also the moderator of the Covert-S Yahoo group, which is an on-line support group for covert people who stutter. She has facilitated over 35 workshops at NSA conferences and currently manages the First Timers Program for conference attendees. She is also the former Assistant Editor of NSA's Letting GO newsletter and received the prestigious NSA Member of the Year award in 2004. Cathy works in Human Resources at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan.

Barry Liben - Fund Developement, Barry, along with his family, has been a member of the NSA since 1998 and he has served on the Board for 10 years. Barry’s primary focus has been in securing the financial stability of the NSA and fundraising, enabling more energy to be used for outreach, education and support. The Alvin Liben Fund, created in memory of Barry’s father in 2005, has raised almost $300,000 since its inception. These funds are used for scholarships for families who would otherwise be unable to attend the Annual Conference and for special projects and NSA initiatives. Additionally, Barry has been instrumental in ensuring that our Annual Conference live auction is a success.

Barry is President and CEO of Tzell Travel/Travel Leaders Group, an international travel management company with headquarters in New York City. Since 2002, Tzell Travel has donated the NSA’s office space, infrastructure and support within their New York office. Barry lives in Livingston, NJ and Manhattan with his wife Sindy, and often finds his home filled with his 3 beautiful children and their spouses.

Pattie Wood – Chair Family Programs. Pattie attended her first NSA Annual Conference in 2008 with her family, including her son, Danny, who is a person who stutters. Since then she has volunteered her time to Family Programs by starting and co-leading a successful NSA Kids and TWST Chapter in Southern New Hampshire. She has lead and been involved in presenting workshops for parents and children at conference. Her children are growing up in the heart of NSA, and her son, Danny, is a proud member of the TAC. She is currently finishing up a program to become a certified Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant and will graduate in May, 2012. She currently lives in Auburn, New Hampshire with her husband, Kevin, and their three children: Kayla, Danny, and Julia.

Stephanie Nicolai, 20 Something is starting her first year of graduate school at Alliant International University in San Diego and working toward getting her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Stephanie is currently the 20-Something Representative on the Board of Directors, is a past leader of the Teen Advisory Council, and was a TAC member for 6 years. Steph looks forward to attending the conference every year and getting the chance to listen to everyone's stories.

Miranda Smith, Teen Advisory Council, is studying Computer Information Technology full time at Northern Kentucky University. She keeps herself busy between going to school full time, working as a waitress at a famous Cincinnati restaurant, Gold Star Chili, living on her own, and coaching two cheerleading teams. She enjoys dancing and spending time with family and friends. She joined the NSA in 2010 at the Cleveland conference. From there, she helped to begin the Cincinnati Chapter of the NSA and then the Youth Cincinnati Chapter of the NSA. She considers herself a motivational speaker and has spoken at small stuttering conferences like Fluency Friday and loves talking about stuttering. Miranda truly believes that stuttering makes her unique and has given her nothing but good things in her life and she strives to help children and other people feel the same way about their stuttering.

John A. Tetnowski, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BRS/M FD. - Research Committee & Professional Relations: SLP specializing in stuttering. He received his Ph.D. from Florida State University in 1993 and now holds the Ben Blanco/BoRSF Endowed Professorship in Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is a Board Recognized Fluency Specialist and Mentor and was the NSA’s Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year in 2006. He is the Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program in Applied Language and Speech Sciences and the Master's Program in Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he teaches courses in fluency, counseling, and research methods, and mentors doctoral students specializing in stuttering. He has authored nearly 50 publications relating to stuttering, assessment procedures and research methodologies. He is the founder of the Lafayette Chapter of the NSA and has worked clinically with people who stutter for over 20 years.

Jim McClure – Jim was a chapter leader in Chicago for more than 20 years, served on the NSA board from 1997 to 2003 and returned to the board in 2008. His work over the years as the NSA’s public relations director has increased awareness of stuttering and the NSA. Jim has conducted research on the experience of people who stutter, is a frequent contributor to stuttering publications and was named to the NSA’s Hall of Fame in 2007. He also serves as the consumer representative to the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders.

Jim started his career as a newspaper reporter, worked in corporate public relations and his own consulting practice, and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America’s College of Fellows. He also commanded two Navy reserve units and retired as a captain. Jim is mostly retired in Albuquerque, NM, and has two grown children.

Gerald A. Maguire, MD, is Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and the Kirkup Endowed Chair in Stuttering Treatment in the Department of Psychiatry as well as Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine. Dr. Maguire earned his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1991 and his residency in psychiatry in 1995 from the University of California, Irvine.

Dr. Maguire is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and is recognized by his physician peers as one of the “Best Doctors in America” for 2009-2011. Dr. Maguire is a person who stutters himself and has been a member of NSA since 1992. His research on the pharmacologic treatment of stuttering has appeared in numerous scientific journals and he is the author of the book, Without Hesitation: Speaking to the Silence and the Science of Stuttering.

Vivian Sisskin, M.S., CCC-SLP, BRS-FD- Research Committee & Professional Relations: Vivian Sisskin is an instructor and clinical supervisor in the department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland. She was awarded the 2008 Excellence in Teaching Award by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in fluency disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and clinical methods. She is an ASHA Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders and served as Coordinator for ASHA’s Special Interest Division 4, Fluency and Fluency Disorders. She has authored articles and continuing educational materials related to the treatment of stuttering for school-age children. In addition to assessment and treatment of fluency disorders, her workshops include strategies for effective group therapy, communication strategies for children with autism spectrum disorders, and clinical supervision. Vivian has specialized in the treatment of stuttering for more than 25 years and is currently a private practitioner in the Washington D.C. area. In addition, she is co-leader of the Northern Virginia TWST Chapter.

Mitchell Trichon, Ph.D. – Adult Programs. Mitch received his PhD from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a specialty in stuttering. His published research and dissertation have focused on the role of self-help activities in the management of stuttering. He has made over 30 presentations about stuttering at national and international conferences. He has led several self-help chapters, including the 2008 Chapter of the Year. He has co-hosted national self-help conferences and hosted regional self-help conferences. As an advocate for people who stutter since 1991 he has made over 20 media appearances. Mitch has a background as a certified public accountant. He is currently a speech-language pathology instructor at St. John’s University and lives in Queens, NY.

NSA Staff (not on the Board of Directors)

Tammy-Flores-200 Tammy Flores - Executive Director. Tammy has been with the NSA since 1994 and has served as the Executive Director since 2006. She relocated from California to New York to accept the position, and loves working with the wonderful membership on a daily basis.

Melissa Lopez - Executive Assistant and co-webmaster. Melissa has been with the NSA since 2008 and serves as the 'go-to' person for the day-to-day activities within the National Office.

Mandy Banquet_2 Mandy Finstad - Editor of Letting Go and Family Voices, Social Media Coordinator, and co-webmaster. She is also the co-leader for the Northern Virginia TwST Chapter, and an active member of the NoVA Adult Chapter. Mandy resides in Arlington, VA with her husband, PWS Jean Finstad, and their two dogs - Emmett and Graham. She graduated from George Mason University with a B.A. in Psychology and continued on to graduate studies at The Catholic University of America and University of Ulster. Mandy has been invited to speak to several groups and give numerous interviews on being the spouse of a person who stutters, and has recently completed an e-book chapter on the topic.

Stephanie Coppen - Family Programs Administrator, became involved with the NSA when she and her husband were searching for information about stuttering for their son, Cameron who stutters. The Coppen's attended their first NSA annual conference in 2008 at which time Stephanie became involved in various volunteer endeavors. She assisted in the development of the NSA’s brochure designed specifically for pediatricians and family physicians and led the pediatrician outreach program. She also served on the NSA Board of Directors as Family Programs co-chair from July 2010 - March 2012. Stephanie enjoys working on behalf of kids and teens who stutter and their parents and is excited to continue her support of families in the role of Family Programs Administrator. Prior to taking on the role of full-time mom for 11 years, Stephanie worked in the financial/insurance industries. Stephanie lives in Woodstock, Georgia with her husband Matt and their three children Cameron, Rachel and Deacon.

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