2026 Professional Development Conference Agenda

Date: March 13, 2026
Time: 8:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.    
Location: Student Ballroom, Student Union, 41 Campus Center Way, UMass Amherst

Program

8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. 
Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. 
Opening Remarks and Introduction 

Presented by: 
Gwyneth Rost, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (she/her)
Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, 
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.  
Session 1 : Effective Feedback Practices to Maximize Learning and Skill Acquisition in Graduate Student Clinicians

Presented by: 
Shawneen Buckley, SLPD, CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor, The Department of Communication Disorders at Southern Connecticut State University

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Break

10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.  
Session 2 : Headlines and Takeaways
A collective session in which researchers and clinical community members present on connecting best practices to clinical work

Presenters:
Jennifer Mack, PhD, Assistant Professor, UMass Amherst 
Yael Fuerst, M.A., M.S., CCC-SLP, Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools  
Tim DeLuca, PhD, CCC-SLP, Assistant Professor, UMass Amherst 
Sara Mamo, AuD, PhD, CCC-A, Associate Professor, UMass Amherst 
Jasleen Singh, PhD, CCC-A, Assistant Professor, UMass Amherst 
Brittany Ciullo, M.A. CCC-SLP, Ph.D. Candidate, UMass Amherst

12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Lunch Break

1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.  
Session 3 : Lived Experience Community Panel

Panel Members:
Megan Gross, PhD, Associate Professor, UMass Amherst 
Brenda Liz Muñoz 
Lavanda-Sofia (Lava) Probasco, Ph.D. Student, UMass Amherst 
Catherine McEarchern, Research & Professional Training Coordinator, Autism Connections

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Break

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Session 4: Demystifying AI in CSD: Developing an AI Literacy for Speech-Language Pathologists

Presented By: 
Leila Denna, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist, Assistive Technology Specialist, Senior Consultant at Cotting Consulting