CAPCSD welcomes
Christie Needham, Kelly Rutherford, Douglas Parham, Andy Clare, Leslie Grubler and John McCarthy to the Board of Directors.
Terms begin July 1, 2025.
President-Elect
Christie Needham, M.A., CCC-SLP
President-Elect: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026
President: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027
Past President: July 1, 2027 - June 30, 2028
Christie Needham, M.A., received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Akron in Speech-Language Pathology and holds her CCC in Speech-Language Pathology. Upon graduation in 1999, she began working in a school where she served as the University Liaison for the school district. After her time there she was employed in a hospital system where she worked with graduate student externs until accepting the position at Baldwin Wallace University in 2006. Currently, Christie is a tenured clinical practitioner full professor and the Director of Clinical Education for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Secretary
Kelly Rutherford, Ed.D., CCC-SLP
3-year term: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028
Kelly Rutherford Ed.D., CCC-SLP is an associate professor at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. She earned her M.S. in Communication Disorders and Ed.D. in Leadership Studies from Marshall University as well. Dr. Rutherford teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in anatomy and physiology, neurology, aphasia, and dysphagia. She also serves as a clinical educator facilitating the clinic’s aphasia group and serving individual clients. Dr. Rutherford is active on many committees at Marshall University including the College of Health Professions Policy and Procedure Committee for which she serves as chair and the university Budget and Academic Policy Committee for which she serves as secretary, has sat on multiple appeal boards, and serves as a university hearing officer. Additionally, she is a current member of the CAPCSD DEI committee (term ending 2025).
Vice President of Admissions
Douglas F. Parham, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
3-year term: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028
Douglas F. Parham, PhD, CCC-SLP, is the Chair, Program Director, and Professor of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at Wichita State University (WSU).
Dr. Parham is a licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) who has provided skilled speech-language therapy in both Kansas and Tennessee. He has extensive experience working for Kansas professionals at the state association level. He is a two-term Past President of the Kansas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (KSHA), and a Past President of the Council of State Speech-Language-Hearing Association Presidents (CSAP). He served on annual KSHA Conference Planning Committees both before and after his terms on the KSHA Executive Committee. He received the Honors of the KSHA in 2015.
Dr. Parham has been an active participant in multiple areas of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). He is a Site Visitor for ASHA's Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) and served two terms as the Kansas SLP Ambassador on ASHA's Committee of Ambassadors. He was the Professional Development Manager (PDM) for ASHA’s Special Interest Group 19, Speech Science. He has been a reviewer or mentor for almost all of ASHA's reviewing and mentorship programs. He also completed a four-year cycle as a member of the Admissions Committee of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD).
Dr. Parham earned his PhD in Audiology and Speech Pathology from the University of Memphis. His research interests include infant vocalization, speech breathing, typical and atypical speech-language development, physiological instrumentation, and conversational interaction. He is the Director of the Speech Development and Communication (SDC) Lab, located at WSU’s Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex. The SDC Lab focuses on two broad categories of research in the communication sciences: early speech development and parent-infant communicative interaction. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Memphis and teaches health care ethics courses for WSU.
Vice President of Clinical Education
Andy Clare, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS
July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028
Andy Clare, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS, serves as the Assistant Director of Clinical Education and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at The George Washington University. He teaches courses in Dysphagia, Aural Rehabilitation, and Clinical Methods for Speech-Language Pathology. He also supervises graduate students in their clinical rotations through the Adult Acquired Neurological Disorders practicum track. His clinical areas of expertise include dysphagia, aphasia, cognitive-linguistic disorders, and aural rehabilitation. His research interests focus on refining clinical education processes for students and supervisors in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
He previously served as Chair of the CAPCSD Clinical Education Committee and is excited to step into the role of Vice President of Clinical Education.
Vice President of Organizational Advancement
Leslie Crusco-Grubler Ed.D., CCC-SLP
July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028
Leslie Crusco-Grubler Ed.D., CCC-SLP is the Director of Clinical Education and Clinical Services of the Lehman College Speech and Hearing Center in the Bronx, New York, designated a Clinic of Excellence by New York State. Dr. Grubler serves on the Board of Directors of NYSSLHA as Director of Speech, Universities, and Labs, as committee member of their Governmental Affairs Committee, and has served as Topic Chair of the NYSSLHA Convention for last five years. Dr. Grubler serves on the Bronx Borough President’s Disability Council, serves CAPCSD as Co-Chair of the DEIB Committee, has served as Chair of their Social Media Committee, and is a former ASHA Advisory Council Member for NYS. A local and national presenter, Dr. Grubler’s most recent presentations have included: Reimagining Externships through Informed Partnerships -- Early is Everything; Do More, Better -- Disability and What it Teaches; Elevating Clinical Practice for All Learners through Inclusive Supervision; Culturally Sensitive Home-Based Simulation Rooms: Fostering Understanding and Acceptance; Advancing Understanding of Neurodivergent College Students -- An Innovative College and Me Program, Prioritizing Student Clinician Retention through Paid Clinical Experiences with Neurodivergent College Students. Dr. Grubler’s research, scholarship, and advocacy interests have been in disability-affirmative and culturally responsive practice. In December 2022, Dr. Grubler completed her doctoral degree in Executive Leadership in Social Justice. Her dissertation topic, “The Lived Educational Experiences of Student Clinicians with Non-Apparent Disabilities in Communication Sciences and Disorders: Perspectives of Recent Graduates on the Current Culture of Inclusion,” is the first study of its kind in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Dr. Grubler prioritizes vision with intentionality, passionate and thoughtful execution of purpose, and the necessity to elevate others through empowerment. Dr. Grubler looks forward to serving the member programs of CAPCSD in her new role as Vice President of Organizational Advancement.
Vice President of Research and Academic Affairs
John McCarthy, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028
John McCarthy, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is the Dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions and a Professor of Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences at Ohio University. He has worked for 15 years in interprofessional education research, consulting, and committees at state and national levels. His other research interests include developing better computer user interfaces and expanding the creative possibilities for children and young adults with complex communication needs.
He is an ASHA Fellow, Distinguished Scholar Fellow of the National Academies of Practice, and a former member of the CAPCSD IPE/IPP Committee.