The largest living organism is a grove of Aspen tress in Utah that was originally thought to be 40,000 individual trees. When studied, it was discovered that it was one massive root system/tree that supported all the individual parts (stems/ trunks). This tree is known as “Pando” and it is one giant root that support all the individual tree branches.
The “Aspen Tree” is our inspiration/emblem because it reminds us that we are a part of an interconnected tree root, and by working together we provide the best support to all the children and families we encounter.
Founder & CEO
Lisa has been a working SLP for over 20 years and has a true passion for early intervention. Lisa graduated with her master’s degree from the University of Buffalo and relocated to the Raleigh area in 1998. Lisa started Aspen in 2004 and is the creator of the Aspen’s preschool programs. She now leads a wonderful staff in carrying out Aspen’s mission. Lisa’s experiences go beyond preschool to include medical settings such as the ICU and various school systems. Despite working in these amazing settings; Early Intervention continues to be her true love. Lisa’s time and education in Speech Pathology has lead her to become a skillful practitioner for Apraxia, Autism, Sensory Integration, Feeding Issues, and Developmental Delays that effect speech and language. Lisa has been trained in PROMPT therapy and utilizes this approach with many of her clients. Lisa has worked in interdisciplinary teams for years and has gained experience from teachers, occupational and physical therapists to better serve the whole child and family. Lisa is married to her husband Jeff, she has a 15 year old daughter and 1 VERY spoiled dog!
Clinical Supervisor-Apex Clinic
Maggie relocated to Raleigh with her husband and daughter from the Chicago area. She is originally from Kansas and has been living in many parts of the US due to her husband’s career as a professional soccer player. Maggie received her Masters in Occupational Therapy in May 2013 from the University of Kansas Medical Center. She has experience in a variety of settings working with adults and children across the lifespan. Through her experiences, she has developed a love for working with children focusing on learning through play in early intervention, home based, and clinic based environments. Her areas of expertise include sensory related concerns, motor development, and supporting independence with a focus on self care. Maggie is passionate about supporting the unique strengths of each individual child while working toward family goals.
Clinical Supervisor- Cary Clinic
Mary Beth has been a team member at Aspen going on 3 years and continues to be a wonderful and energetic member of our team. She received her Master’s degree from ECU and has a strong passion for pediatrics. Mary Beth is an advocate for early intervention where children can learn through play in the home, clinic and in the community. Mary Beth serves children with a variety of challenges including sensory processing issues, fine motor delays, motor development & coordination and self care skills. Mary Beth enjoys a multidisciplinary team approach and feels that parents are the biggest team members for a child. Mary Beth lives in Apex with her husband Jacob.
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Joy is originally from Greenville, SC and is so happy to make Raleigh her home with her fiancé and pup. She graduated in 2021 in Charleston, SC with an Associates in Applied Science to be an Occupational Therapy Assistant. She found her love of OT through working in childcare for years and as administrative staff at a pediatric outpatient clinic in her hometown. Joy has had the opportunity to serve a wide range of diagnoses in the geriatric, pediatric, and adult population in home and clinic settings. She is passionate about patient advocacy and focusing on client interests to achieve goals. In her free time, Joy loves hiking, traveling, taking walks with her pup, and trying out new coffee shops.
Occupational Therapist
Occupational Therapist
Amber is a North Carolina native as she was born and raised in the Raleigh area. She currently lives in Apex with her dog Dakota. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and biological sciences from North Carolina State University (Go Pack!) and her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Lenoir-Rhyne University. Amber fell in love with occupational therapy, specifically related to the pediatric population, ever since completing an internship at an outpatient pediatric clinic while attending high school. Amber has experience working with children with a variety of diagnoses and needs including, but not limited to autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, sensory processing disorders, gross motor and fine motor delays, generalized weakness, and global developmental delays. Amber is passionate about utilizing a holistic approach to therapy services and values teamwork and collaboration between all members of a child’s support team.
Lead Speech Language Pathologist and Feeding Specialist
Ashley Gyori earned her masters of science in speech and hearing sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During her time there she focused on the pediatric population with an emphasis on pediatric feeding and the medically complex child. Since graduating she has spent most of her time working in the homes with families, focusing her time on collaborating with the caregiver and empowering them to implement the treatment goals daily. Ashley has assisted many children progress from a feeding tube to oral nutrition. She has a special love for infants and toddlers, medically complex children and parent support and education for pediatric feeding therapy. Ashley loves coaching and educating caregivers as they are the most important team member in a child’s development and provides training programs for parents of newborns. Ashley lives in Cary with her husband and 2 sons.
Speech-Language Pathologist
Sarah relocated to Raleigh from Pennsylvania in August of 2022 with her boyfriend. She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Throughout her time at Duquesne, she gained clinical experience with a variety of populations, including individuals with aphasia, dysphagia, autism spectrum disorder, fluency disorders, feeding disorders, traumatic brain injuries, mixed expressive receptive language disorders, and sound production disorders. Sarah’s interests in pediatrics include targeting feeding and swallowing disorders within the infant/toddler population, as well as improving residual speech sound errors and social skills with adolescents. Her interests in sound production led to her publication in an ASHA journal, as she co-wrote a peer-reviewed article surrounding clinicians’ perspectives of lateralization errors. Additionally, with her interest in dysphagia, Sarah is trained in the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile. As a speech-language pathologist, Sarah’s ultimate goal is to engage in clinical practice with a whole-person approach, focusing on life participation, greater wellbeing, and independence. When she is not at the clinic, Sarah enjoys listening to live music, reading, taking long-walks, and binging TV shows.
Speech-Language Pathologist
Speech-Language Pathologist
Bethany has called North Carolina home since 2013. She received her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The University of Georgia. She then went on to obtain a Master of Science in Communication Disorders from Marshall University. She has clinical experience working with pediatrics in early intervention, preschool and elementary school. Bethany has also worked as a preschool teacher bringing wonderful experience to our preschool aged groups as both a teacher and an SLP. She has pediatric experience in the evaluation and treatment of sound production disorders, receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language disorders, fluency disorders, and autism spectrum disorder. She received training in the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). Bethany has a passion to advocate for and support children and their caregivers and Aspen is lucky to have her positivity and creativity! Bethany lives in Raleigh with her husband, three children, and two dogs. She enjoys cheering her children on in sports and theater events, spending time with her friends and family, singing, serving with her church, being outdoors, and drinking coffee.
info@aspencenter.net| © 2022 All rights reserved | aspencenter.net | Design by WEB & SEO