Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty
Meet Our Team
Experienced, knowledgeable practitioners with a passion for teaching
Our CSD faculty combine cutting-edge theory with hands-on practice to provide you with a rich, fulfilling learning experience. While they’re experts in the field, they’re also approachable, sympathetic, and dedicated to helping you achieve your goals.
Dr. James Feeney
Associate Professor & Chair
Dr. Feeney has over 20 years of clinical and teaching experience, and has published and presented on topics such as Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), AAC and literacy, AAC and individuals on the Autism Spectrum, context-sensitive interventions for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), adults with developmental disabilities, and clinical supervision in speech-language pathology.
Dr. David DeBonis
Professor
Dr. DeBonis has been a CSD faculty member at Saint Rose since 1992, and is a part-time audiologist at Sunnyview Hospital. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in audiology and research methods, and has published papers on auditory processing disorders, clinical practices, ADHD, and other CSD topics.
Dr. Robert Owens
Professor
Nationally recognized for innovative research that regards children not as textbook abstractions, but intelligent young people who must be listened to and understood, “Dr. Bob” has been training SLPs for more than four decades. He specializes in language development and childhood language disorders, and has published extensively on these and other topics.
Dr. James FeeneyAssociate Professor & Chair
Dr. Feeney has over 20 years of clinical and teaching experience, and has published and presented on topics such as Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), AAC and literacy, AAC and individuals on the Autism Spectrum, context-sensitive interventions for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), adults with developmental disabilities, and clinical supervision in speech-language pathology.
Dr. David DeBonisProfessor
Dr. DeBonis has been a CSD faculty member at Saint Rose since 1992, and is a part-time audiologist at Sunnyview Hospital. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in audiology and research methods, and has published papers on auditory processing disorders, clinical practices, ADHD, and other CSD topics.
Dr. Robert OwensProfessor
Nationally recognized for innovative research that regards children not as textbook abstractions, but intelligent young people who must be listened to and understood, “Dr. Bob” has been training SLPs for more than four decades. He specializes in language development and childhood language disorders, and has published extensively on these and other topics.
Dr. Deirdre Muldoon
Assistant Professor
Dr. Muldoon teaches graduate and undergraduate students topics in speech-language pathology (SLP), and pursues a research agenda in evidence-based practices in SLP and applied behavioral analysis (ABA). She is a consultant SLP to Albany Medical Center on the Developmental Behavioral Clinic team, and has taught and practiced in New Mexico, Dublin, and New Jersey.
Dr. John Pickering
Professor
Dr. Pickering has been on the Saint Rose CSD faculty since 1993. His teaching interests include voice disorders, transgender voice and communication, motor-speech disorders, and speech-language pathology counseling; he is a noted author and speaker on transgender voice and communications issues.
Dr. Julia Unger
Associate Professor
Dr. Unger’s teaching interests include fluency and fluency disorders, applied clinical research, and clinical applications. She has taught and practiced in Germany and Colorado, and published papers on topics including social justice perceptions in clinical practitioners, and the mechanisms and treatment of stuttering.
Dr. Deirdre MuldoonAssistant Professor
Dr. Muldoon teaches graduate and undergraduate students topics in speech-language pathology (SLP), and pursues a research agenda in evidence-based practices in SLP and applied behavioral analysis (ABA). She is a consultant SLP to Albany Medical Center on the Developmental Behavioral Clinic team, and has taught and practiced in New Mexico, Dublin, and New Jersey.
Dr. John PickeringProfessor
Dr. Pickering has been on the Saint Rose CSD faculty since 1993. His teaching interests include voice disorders, transgender voice and communication, motor-speech disorders, and speech-language pathology counseling; he is a noted author and speaker on transgender voice and communications issues.
Dr. Julia UngerAssociate Professor
Dr. Unger’s teaching interests include fluency and fluency disorders, applied clinical research, and clinical applications. She has taught and practiced in Germany and Colorado, and published papers on topics including social justice perceptions in clinical practitioners, and the mechanisms and treatment of stuttering.
Lottie Dunbar G'99
TBI Program Clinical Supervisor
Professor Dunbar has worked as a speech-language pathologist in outpatient neurorehabilitation, with a specialized focus on cognition, counseling needs, and the use of technology following traumatic brain injury. She has also been a clinical supervisor of graduate students from Boston University, Northeastern University, and Massachusetts General Hospital School. She has presented at the annual Neurorehabilitation conference, the Brain Injury Assn of Massachusetts, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Assn.
Jackie Klein
Director of Clinical Services
Professor Klein, who has been the director of clinical services at Saint Rose since 2009, completed her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders, as well as her master’s degree in speech-language pathology, at SUNY Geneseo.
Zhaleh Lavasani '14, G'16
Clinical Supervisor
Professor Lavasani, as the clinical supervisor, provides services and evaluations to preschool-aged children with speech, language, and fluency disorders. She has copresented research on rethinking conventional procedures for collecting and analyzing language samples with Dr. Robert Owens and other researchers.
Lottie Dunbar G'99TBI Program Clinical Supervisor
Professor Dunbar has worked as a speech-language pathologist in outpatient neurorehabilitation, with a specialized focus on cognition, counseling needs, and the use of technology following traumatic brain injury. She has also been a clinical supervisor of graduate students from Boston University, Northeastern University, and Massachusetts General Hospital School. She has presented at the annual Neurorehabilitation conference, the Brain Injury Assn of Massachusetts, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Assn.
Jackie KleinDirector of Clinical Services
Professor Klein, who has been the director of clinical services at Saint Rose since 2009, completed her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders, as well as her master’s degree in speech-language pathology, at SUNY Geneseo.
Zhaleh Lavasani '14, G'16Clinical Supervisor
Professor Lavasani, as the clinical supervisor, provides services and evaluations to preschool-aged children with speech, language, and fluency disorders. She has copresented research on rethinking conventional procedures for collecting and analyzing language samples with Dr. Robert Owens and other researchers.
Melissa Spring
Coordinator of the Winkler Center
Coordinator of the Winkler Center, Professor Spring began her career as a speech-language pathologist in a public-school setting, later providing outpatient pediatric services at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Center, and later through her own private practice. She has taught and supervised in the Saint Rose CSD program for several years. She teaches clinical methods at the undergraduate level, and the first practicum seminar and the language-and-hearing-loss course at the graduate level.
Lynn LaVoie-Stephens
Clinical Supervisor/Early Intervention & Preschool Services
Professor LaVoie-Stephens has taught and supervised at Saint Rose since 2013. Previous experience includes owning and operation of the Discovery Place Learning Center LLC, serving clients through her private speech-language pathology practice, and serving as speech-language therapist at Unity House of Troy. Her areas of interest include feeding disorders, augmentative and alternative communication, language impairment, articulation and phonological delay, and childhood apraxia of speech.
Elaine Galbraith '00, G'00
Preschool Clinical Supervisor
Professor Galbraith has been a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and a clinical supervisor of graduate students at Saint Rose, as well as an SLP for the Catholic Charities Disabilities Services and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Melissa SpringCoordinator of the Winkler Center
Coordinator of the Winkler Center, Professor Spring began her career as a speech-language pathologist in a public-school setting, later providing outpatient pediatric services at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Center, and later through her own private practice. She has taught and supervised in the Saint Rose CSD program for several years. She teaches clinical methods at the undergraduate level, and the first practicum seminar and the language-and-hearing-loss course at the graduate level.
Lynn LaVoie-StephensClinical Supervisor/Early Intervention & Preschool Services
Professor LaVoie-Stephens has taught and supervised at Saint Rose since 2013. Previous experience includes owning and operation of the Discovery Place Learning Center LLC, serving clients through her private speech-language pathology practice, and serving as speech-language therapist at Unity House of Troy. Her areas of interest include feeding disorders, augmentative and alternative communication, language impairment, articulation and phonological delay, and childhood apraxia of speech.
Elaine Galbraith '00, G'00 Preschool Clinical Supervisor
Professor Galbraith has been a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and a clinical supervisor of graduate students at Saint Rose, as well as an SLP for the Catholic Charities Disabilities Services and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Grace Paster '98
Winkler Center Clinical Supervisor
Professor Paster has served as the clinical supervisor of the Pauline K. Winkler Center at Saint Rose since 2018, and has been a speech-language pathologist at various local school districts and private schools.
Kelly Fagan '92
Winkler Center Clinical Supervisor
Professor Fagan has worked as a speech-language pathologist in local school districts and facilities, as well as in private practice, since 1995. Her teaching interests include augmentative and alternative communication, feeding and swallowing disorders, early intervention, interdisciplinary collaboration, and autism-spectrum disorders
Jessica Evans
Clinical Supervisor/ Placement Coordinator
Professor Evans has been a clinical supervisor and the placement coordinator at Saint Rose since 2013. Her previous experience includes serving as a speech-language pathologist for Achievements, and working in private practice with a focus on early-intervention and preschool populations.
Grace Paster '98Winkler Center Clinical Supervisor
Professor Paster has served as the clinical supervisor of the Pauline K. Winkler Center at Saint Rose since 2018, and has been a speech-language pathologist at various local school districts and private schools.
Kelly Fagan '92Winkler Center Clinical Supervisor
Professor Fagan has worked as a speech-language pathologist in local school districts and facilities, as well as in private practice, since 1995. Her teaching interests include augmentative and alternative communication, feeding and swallowing disorders, early intervention, interdisciplinary collaboration, and autism-spectrum disorders
Jessica EvansClinical Supervisor/ Placement Coordinator
Professor Evans has been a clinical supervisor and the placement coordinator at Saint Rose since 2013. Her previous experience includes serving as a speech-language pathologist for Achievements, and working in private practice with a focus on early-intervention and preschool populations.
Colleen Fluman
Coordinator of Early Intervention and Preschool Services
Professor Fluman has taught at Saint Rose for more than a decade, has been coordinator of early-intervention and preschool services at the Pauline K. Winkler Center since 2014, and has been a speech-language pathologist (SLP) at the Winkler Center since 2012. She has also served as an SLP at various facilities and agencies in the Capital District, as well as in Virginia.
Julie Hart
Director of TBI Medicaid Waiver Services/ Clinical Supervisor
Professor Hart has been the director of TBI Medicaid Waiver Services at the Pauline K. Winkler Center since 2010, in which capacity she teaches courses on adult language disorders, anatomy and physiology for speech and swallowing, neuroanatomy for speech pathologists, and medical speech-language pathology. Prior to this, she had taught at Saint Rose since 1997. Other experience includes serving as a speech-and-swallowing or speech-language pathologist for numerous Capital District healthcare facilities since 1989. She has published research on counseling techniques, traumatic brain injury, and meditation in adults with aphasia, among other subjects.
Nina Benway
Clinical Supervisor
The creator and director of Saint Rose’s IGNITE program, Professor Benway has teaching interests including phonetics, clinical phonology, phonological awareness, language variation, and childhood speech-sound disorders. She has published or copublished, often with Saint Rose CSD or psychology faculty, research on speech-sound disorders, the integrity of language testing, advocacy for children with speech-language disorders, and acoustic and perceptual changes in transgender individuals.
Colleen FlumanCoordinator of Early Intervention and Preschool Services
Professor Fluman has taught at Saint Rose for more than a decade, has been coordinator of early-intervention and preschool services at the Pauline K. Winkler Center since 2014, and has been a speech-language pathologist (SLP) at the Winkler Center since 2012. She has also served as an SLP at various facilities and agencies in the Capital District, as well as in Virginia.
Julie HartDirector of TBI Medicaid Waiver Services/ Clinical Supervisor
Professor Hart has been the director of TBI Medicaid Waiver Services at the Pauline K. Winkler Center since 2010, in which capacity she teaches courses on adult language disorders, anatomy and physiology for speech and swallowing, neuroanatomy for speech pathologists, and medical speech-language pathology. Prior to this, she had taught at Saint Rose since 1997. Other experience includes serving as a speech-and-swallowing or speech-language pathologist for numerous Capital District healthcare facilities since 1989. She has published research on counseling techniques, traumatic brain injury, and meditation in adults with aphasia, among other subjects.
Nina BenwayClinical Supervisor
The creator and director of Saint Rose’s IGNITE program, Professor Benway has teaching interests including phonetics, clinical phonology, phonological awareness, language variation, and childhood speech-sound disorders. She has published or copublished, often with Saint Rose CSD or psychology faculty, research on speech-sound disorders, the integrity of language testing, advocacy for children with speech-language disorders, and acoustic and perceptual changes in transgender individuals.
Sarah Coons
Instructor and Supervisor
Professor Coons has taught at Saint Rose since 2001. Among her teaching interests is providing speech therapy to children and young adults. She has presented to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association on using college students in RTi programs.
Sarah CoonsInstructor and Supervisor
Professor Coons has taught at Saint Rose since 2001. Among her teaching interests is providing speech therapy to children and young adults. She has presented to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association on using college students in RTi programs.
Explore Our Programs
Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders
Saint Rose speech-language pathologists (SLPs) help others overcome communication and swallowing (also known as dysphagia) challenges of everyday life.
Master's Degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders
Saint Rose speech-language pathologists (SLPs) help others overcome communication and swallowing (also known as dysphagia) challenges of everyday life.
