Announcement
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Rodney Gabel is the Founding Director of the Speech-Language Pathology Division and a professor in Decker's School of Rehabilitation Sciences. He is a speech and language pathologist and holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association and a New York State License. He is Fellow of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association and a Fellow of the National Academy of Practice.
Gabel has been an active researcher during his career, publishing more than 75 articles and presenting more than 100 papers at professional conferences, all exploring different aspects of stuttering. He has served on the Board of the International Stuttering Association, the Steering Committee for ASHA Special Interest Group 4 (SIG4) Steering Committee, was the Editor for SIG 4 Perspectives, and the Executive Board for the American Board of Fluency Disorders (now American Board of Stuttering, Cluttering, and Fluency Disorders).
Kurt Eggers is a professor at the department of Rehabilitation Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Ghent University and coordinator of the Stuttering Research Group (Belgium). He is chair of the European Stuttering Specialization, secretary of the Certified European Stuttering Specialists, and associate editor for the Journal of Fluency Disorders. Kurt has worked clinically for many years and his research focuses on temperament, attention, and executive functioning in stuttering and speech disfluencies in different populations.
Kurt has served on WSCO’s executive board since 2015, holding roles as secretary, president-elect, president, and now past-president. During his presidency, he led important efforts, including renaming the organization from the International Fluency Association to the World Stuttering and Cluttering Organization, launching a more interactive website, and working with Elsevier to set a new direction for the Journal of Fluency Disorders. He is thrilled to pass the torch to the capable leadership of Dr. Byrd.
Hope Gerlach-Houck, PhD, CCC-SLP has served as WSCO treasurer since 2024. She is currently an Associate Professor at Western Michigan University where she teaches courses in stuttering, counseling, and phonology, and directs the WMU Stuttering Lab. Her research, funded by the National Science Foundation and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, investigates how social and environmental factors contribute to health disparities associated with stuttering, with the larger goal of promoting evidence-based change to improve quality of life.
Building relationships with the stuttering community is her favorite part of her work, and she enjoys regularly attending support and research-focused conferences within and outside of the United States. As treasurer of WSCO, Hope is committed to maintaining excellent communication with members for all financial related matters. During her tenure on the WSCO Executive Board, she looks forward to growing representation of cluttering within the organization and contributing to a culture where many conceptualizations of stuttering are welcome and celebrated.
Naomi Rodgers, PhD, CCC-SLP began her role as WSCO Secretary in September 2024. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University Iowa where she directs the Iowa Stuttering Lab and teaches courses in stuttering, counseling, and clinical methods. In her research, she uses a variety of experimental and observational methods to understand the cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of stuttering.
Her work is inspired by her experiences as a person who stutters, clinician, and a deeply committed advocate in the stuttering support community. To this end, Naomi is excited for her work as WSCO Secretary as this unique opportunity will allow her to immerse herself in the challenges and developments within our scholarly field. By supporting communications and processes, Naomi is committed to working closely and effectively with WSCO’s editorial board and members to help the organization embody its values and bring its visions to reality.
Jean Sawyer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Illinois State University. She has been a member of the IFA/WSCO for the past 18 years. At Illinois State University, she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in stuttering, professional writing, and speech science. She served as a chapter of the National Stuttering Association and serves as a consultant to speech-language pathologists who treat stuttering. Jean’s research is in the characteristics of stuttering in preschool children, the distribution of disfluencies in stuttered speech, and treatment efficacy with preschool children who stutter.
As the Member-at-Large and membership committee director on WSCO’s executive board, I hope to be the members’ voice on issues they feel it is important for WSCO to address. It is my job to advocate for the interests of all WSCO members. I hope members will feel comfortable reaching out to me, whether it be for any grievances they have or for ideas for initiatives. I will strive to make sure that WSCO serves the needs of all of its members.