Transcending Advisory Team

Making an impact with a team of stars.

We celebrate and appreciate our remarkable advisory team at Transcending Stuttering.

Each person is a world in and of themselves. Some are professional - clinicians, researchers and innovators. Others are extraordinary people who stutter. And some, wear both hats with blended perspectives.

In sum, this team represents an unprecedented tapestry of talent, perspective and experience. So much of what we do is a product of the people.

The following bios, represent a fraction of who they are and what they mean to us, and the community at large. But for the curious of mind, you can begin to get a sense of their greatness.

ANITA BLOM

Anita Blom, originally from the Netherlands, is a person who stutters and the previous chair of the Swedish Stuttering Association. She has worked for several decades to break down barriers and improve the lives of PWS around the world, leading camps for children and youth who stutter for the past 20 years. She has founded and led a consulting firm on stuttering and motivation, been a national and international keynote speaker on stuttering and served on the boards of stuttering associations both in Europe and internationally.

KATIE GORE

Katie Gore is the founder and principal of speech IRL, a communication consulting and speech therapy practice. She is the founder and former Chapter Leader of the City of Chicago chapter of the National Stuttering Association and formerly served on the NSA Board of Directors as Professional Relations Co-Chair. She is the co-founder and Community Outreach Chair of Shared Voices, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization focused on community support and advocacy for people who stutter. She is an adjunct faculty member at Rush University, where she teaches the graduate course in Stuttering & Fluency Disorders. She is a SIG 4 affiliate and currently serves as the Fluency Track Chair for the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

While stuttering is her first love, Katie is also passionate about equity and inclusivity. Her approach to this work is rooted in her experiences in the stuttering community, applying intersectional principles and values more broadly. As a consultant for organizations, she provides training and facilitation services centered on the topics of communication, inclusion, and leadership. She is the Chair of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force.

Katie grew up in Toronto, Canada, and is a proud dual American-Canadian. She has lived in Chicago with her husband John for the past 11 years. When not engaged in work, volunteer, or advocacy activities, she enjoys yoga, reading (specifically classic literature and Marvel comics), and playing Minecraft or Sid Meier's Civilization. New pandemic hobbies include crossword puzzles, trying to become a runner, and learning Spanish.

See and hear more with Katie in Episode #17, Transcending Stuttering Podcast

DAN GREENWALD

Dan is a father of 3 and a proud stutterer. He has been an educator, entrepreneur, and connector for over 20 years. His most recent project is ThirtyTenZero. Dan works with companies and people challenging the traditional modes of how we learn, strategize, and hit our targets. ThirtyTenZero is a practical framework to tap your inner power, refine your current target, and customize a measurable game plan to hit it. Dan lives in NYC with his family.

See and hear more with Dan in Episode #11, Transcending Stuttering Podcast

JUDY KUSTER

Judith Kuster CCC/SLP, is an ASHA Fellow, the webweaver of the Stuttering Homepage, professor emeritus from Minnesota State University, Mankato where she taught for 25 years. She holds an MS in speech-language pathology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and an MS in counseling from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Her work on the Internet has been recognized with the following awards: Minnesota Clinical Service Award (1995), American Speech-Language and Hearing Foundation's DiCarlo Award (1996), International Fluency Association's Distinguished Contributor Award (2003), International Stuttering Association's Distinguished Service Award (2007), American Speech-Language and Hearing Association's Outstanding Contribution Award (2008), Elizabeth and Wynn Kearney International Center Global Citizen Award, MSU, Mankato (2008), and National Stuttering Association's Hall of Fame Award (2009). She has been awarded two Fulbright Specialist Awards to Bulgaria (2007) and China (2010). She also has hosted the International Stuttering Awareness Day online conferences from 1998-2012 and the first International Cluttering Conference in 2010.

GERALD MAGUIRE

Gerald A. Maguire, MD, is Professor and Chair in Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine. Dr. Maguire earned his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1991. He carried out his residency in Psychiatry at UC Irvine from 1991 to 1995, where he was Chief Resident his final year and later served on faculty for 20 years. Dr. Maguire served as residency training director and Sr. Associate Dean of Medical Education at UC Irvine during his tenure.

Dr. Maguire is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (DFAPA). Dr. Maguire is listed in the “Best Doctors in America” and in the past as “Orange County Physician of Excellence” as recognized by his peers.

He is a person who stutters. He has served as the Chair for the National Stuttering Association and Vice Chair of the International Stuttering Association.

He has received numerous teaching awards at both UC Riverside and UC Irvine. His research in areas such as stuttering, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and Alzheimer’s dementia has appeared in various publications, including The Lancet Neurology, NeuroReport, Comprehensive Psychiatry, Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry and the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. He served as an investigator on the National Institute of Mental Health CATIE trial for schizophrenia. Dr. Maguire has presented his research at various conferences and symposia, including the American Psychiatric Association, US Psychiatric Congress, the American Speech and Hearing Association, Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologicum, and The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

NATHAN MALLIPEDDI

Nathan Mallipeddi is a medical school student at Harvard Medical School. He graduated summa cum laude with honors from UCLA, where he received a B.S in Biology and B.A in Political Science. He is a Junior-elect to Phi Beta Kappa and a Fulbright Scholar. Nathan is founder and CEO of Stuttering Scholarship Alliance, a non-profit organization that tackles a critical issue in the field of speech therapy regarding its lack of access to low income communities. He also serves on leadership teams for several international speech disability awareness organizations. Nathan has conducted both cell biology and public policy research at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and the Luskin School of Public Affairs, where he published his work in top journals. As the senior policy intern for the City of Los Angeles Department on Disability, Nathan developed transformative public policy initiatives that created jobs for the thousands of unemployed or homeless persons with disabilities in Los Angeles. Nathan aspires to a career as a physician-researcher-policymaker focusing on improving the quality of care and reducing the disparities for disabled persons in healthcare systems.

ERIK RAJ

Dr. Erik X. Raj holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a practicing speech-language pathologist who works with school-age children and adolescents with various communication difficulties. He is currently an assistant professor and clinical supervisor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, and is also a facilitator at Camp Shout Out, a Michigan-based sleep away summer camp for young people who stutter.

Dr. Raj regularly presents interactive workshops demonstrating how speech-language pathologists can use mobile and Internet-based technologies to educate and motivate school-age children and adolescents. In addition to developing over 25 mobile apps for children with communication difficulties, he is the creator of Your Face Learning, an educational app for the iPhone and iPad that was named Creative Child Magazine’s 2019 Children’s App of the Year. Dr. Raj has obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Stockton University in New Jersey, and a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Misericordia University in Pennsylvania. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

See and hear more with Erik in Episode #26, Transcending Stuttering Podcast

PHIL SCHNEIDER

Phil Schneider, Ed.D. CCC-SLP is the founding partner of Schneider Speech Pathology. Recognized as a master clinician and teacher, he has been practicing and teaching for over 40 years. He holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Communication Disorders at Queens College, CUNY.

Phil has been honored with the New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association Distinguished Clinician Award, the New York City Speech-Language-Hearing Association Professional Achievement Award, and the Queens College Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2004 he was named the Speech Pathologist of the Year by the National Stuttering Association; in 2006 he was awarded the highest Honors of the New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association and in 2013 he was given the Advocacy Award by the Stuttering Association of the Young (SAY). Phil is a spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America and has appeared on NBC, ABC and WOR-TV; he has presented more than 200 inspirational and innovative seminars across the United States and around the world.

URI SCHNEIDER

Uri Schneider, M.A. CCC-SLP leads the team at Schneider Speech (personalized speech therapy in-office and online); guides the Transcending Stuttering community; and serves on faculty at the University of California at Riverside School of Medicine.

Uri is recognized as a leading clinician, educator, researcher and innovator.

Clinically, Uri specializes in stuttering, voice, learning and speech improvement; working with parents, preschool children, school-age young people, teens and adults.  He has helped hundreds of people achieve their goals in the face of stuttering, voice problems, learning issues (including dyslexia, ADHD, language learning issues, Executive Functioning, Asperger’s Syndrome, Auditory Processing Disorder and more).

Uri publishes articles, presents seminars and workshops around the world, hosts the Transcending Stuttering podcast and co-produced two documentaries “Transcending Stuttering: The Inside Story” and “Going with the Flow: A Guide to Transcending Stuttering.”  He is an active member of local, national and international professional organizations (ASHA, Special Interest Divisions for Fluency and Voice, NSA, SFA, NYSSLHA, LISHA, NYC Voice Group, ISHLA and AMBI). Uri serves on the leadership board of several non-profits including Different & Able, Health Advisory Committee of Worldwide B’Above Headstart and volunteers with many others.

Uri’s work experience includes an array of opportunities, including; corporate communication and media training at Virgil Scudder & Associates, speaker development at Nefesh b’Nefesh, speech-language therapy and consulting for the New York City Department of Education, voice therapy at MEETH at Lenox Hill hospital, speech-language therapy at the Summit School; educational consulting and educational development at Netiv Aryeh, Jerusalem, podcasting at Transcending Stuttering and producing films and social media campaigns @schneiderspeech

Uri received his BA in Linguistics and Communication Disorders and Business, and his MA in Speech-Language Pathology from Queens College, CUNY.  He graduated Magna Cum Laude, and he was awarded the prestigious Mitsui USA Scholarship.  He also received rabbinical ordination at Beis Medrash L’Talmud.

Uri is a runner, loves to breath-in the outdoors, and most of all, he enjoys spending time with his family (wife and kids). His most celebrated and rewarding role in life is being a dad to four incredible young people.

MICHAEL SUGARMAN

Michael Sugarman has been an activist in the stuttering and disability communities since the 1970s. He was co-founder and former Executive Director of the National Stuttering Project and former chair of the International Stuttering Association. Michael wrote for academic journals and promoted people-first language and stuttering awareness in “It’s Ok to Stutter” (Journal of Fluency Disorders) and the Perniciousness of Labels (Transactional Analysis Journal). As a medical social worker, he recently updated his children’s book, The Adventures of Phil and Dotty. Michael currently co-facilitates a peer support group and is co-writing an article on peer and professional facilitation of support groups, emphasizing mindfulness communication, self-care skills, and resilience.

See and hear more with Michael in Episode #32 (Behavioral Health) and Episode #59 (Mindfulness and Meditation) Transcending Stuttering Podcast and see his book “The Adventure of Phil and Dotty”