2026 Professional Development Conference Speakers

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

10:45 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, MA, MS, 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, MA, CCC-SLP, Ph.D. Candidate, UMass Amherst

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

Panel Members:
Megan Gross, PhD, Associate Professor, UMass Amherst 
Brenda Liz (Bren) Muñoz, MS, Mini-MPA™, Bilingual Academic and Community-Based Advisor, Consultant, Educator, Interpreter, Mentor, Translator, and Researcher 
Lavanda-Sofia (Lava) Probasco, Ph.D. Student, UMass Amherst 
Catherine McEachern, MS, Research & Professional Training Coordinator, Autism Connections

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Session 4: Moving Toward Critical AI Literacy

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