Speak Out August 2017 low res

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August 2017 Speak Out 5
Association news
IN 2017 INLINE with the Constitution, nominations were sought
for three vacant positions on the Board of Directors. On this
occasion the Association received seven nominations, with an
election held to elect the three successful candidates.
It was exciting to have seven high-calibre nominees and we thank
all for their commitment and interest in standing for election to the
Board.
The Association was pleased to announce the election results at
the recent Annual General Meeting, with Dr Marleen Westerveld
being newly elected to the Board of Directors, while Gaenor Dixon
and Chyrisse Heine were re-elected for a further two-year term.
I would like to congratulate all of the successful nominees and
warmly welcome Dr Marleen Westerveld to the Board.
On behalf of the Association I would also like to acknowledge the
significant contributions of outgoing Director, Robyn Stephen.
Robyn was a highly valued and experienced Director having held
office for six consecutive years on the Board. Thank you Robyn
for your insightful and strategic contributions to the Association
and your passionate commitment to the speech pathology
profession.
Gail Mulcair
Chief Executive Officer
Your Board of Directors for 2017 – 2018
The Board of Directors for 2017 – 2018 consists of: Vice President Communications Tim Kittel, Lee McGovern, Dr Marleen Westerveld,
National President Gaenor Dixon, Brooke Sanderson, Dr Chyrisse Heine, Vice President Operations Belinda Hill.
MARLEEN WESTERVELD, PhD, CPSP
was recently appointed to the SPA Board.
“I am currently a senior lecturer in speech
pathlogy at Griffith University. As an
academic on a “balanced” profile my work
comprises both a research and a teaching
component. My research relates to clinically
relevant research into child language and
literacy development and disorders, with
the ultimate aim of bridging the gap from
research to practice. Existing projects
include an autism-CRC funded study
investigating the early literacy pathways of
children on the autism spectrum; a New
Zealand-based oral narrative intervention for
school-age children with Down syndrome;
and the Reading Success project aimed
at implementing evidence-based literacy
initiatives in primary schools in collaboration
with my colleagues from the Department of
Education in Queensland.
“I have been a member of SPA since 2000
and have contributed to the Association
and the profession in many different ways,
for example through co-editorship of the
Journal of Clinical Practice and Speech-
Language Pathology, working party
membership for two clinical guidelines
(Literacy and ASD), reviewer of conference
papers and research applications and regular
conference attendance and workshop
presentations.
“As a Director of the Board, I look forward
to learning more about the work that goes
on behind the scenes of our Association
(now more than 8000 members), including
advocacy, finance, and strategic planning.
I will support the Association’s strategic
directive to get “future ready”. I believe
in actively promoting opportunities to
consolidate and expand our scope of
practice, for example in the literacy domain,
and look forward to assisting the Association
in preparing speech pathologists to serve the
ever-expanding population of culturally and
linguistically diverse clients and students.”
On Board... meet Marleen