ASHA State Education Advocacy Leaders
Kami Rowland, MS, CCC-SLP
Elizabeth Marsden, MS, CCC-SLP
2025-2027
State Education Advocacy Leaders (SEALs) are appointed by ASHA-recognized state speech-language-hearing associations to advocate on education issues. These issues may include caseload/workload, salary supplements, and maintenance of personnel standards in school settings. SEALs can be speech-language pathologists or audiologists. SEALs can be audiologists or speech-language pathologists (SLPs). The mission of the SEALs network is to enhance and perpetuate the advocacy, leadership, and clinical management skills of school-based ASHA members at the state and local levels to influence administrative and public policy decisions that affect the delivery of speech-language pathology and audiology services in school settings.
Little Rock Southwest High School
Theodore Jones Elementary, Conway, AR
ASHA State Advocate for Reimbursement
Colleen Sears, MCD, CCC-SLP
2023 – 2025
The State Advocates for Reimbursement (STARs) are ASHA-member audiologists and speech-language pathologists who advocate in their states for improved health care coverage and reasonable reimbursement. Their targets are key decision-makers in private corporations, public agencies, and the local legislature. Examples are health care insurance executives, benefits administrators, state insurance department officials, and state congress members. STARs create advocacy strategies and share skills with the state speech-language-hearing associations that appoint them.
ASHA State Advocates for Medicare Policy
Richard Kenneth Boardman, MHA, M.S., CCC-SLP
2025-2027
The mission of the State Advocates for Medicare Policy (StAMP) Network is to enhance and perpetuate the advocacy, leadership, and communication of ASHA members at the state level to influence administrative and public policy decisions that impact Medicare coverage and reimbursement of audiology and speech-language pathology services.
