Staff

Andrea Pham, M.A., CCC-SLP, Research Coordinator, Myo/Feeding Specialist, received her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland, is a Maryland State-Licensed speech-language Pathologist, and is nationally certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). She completed her graduate thesis in voice disorders at the University of Maryland and is published for her research (e.g., Solomon, N. et al. (2022)). Resting Respiratory Resistance I’m Female Teenage Athletes With and Without Exercise-Induced Laryngeal Obstruction. Journal of Voice, 36(5), 734.e1-734.e6). Andrea has evaluated and treated both adults and children with a range of speech, pediatric feeding disorders (e.g., dysphagia), gestalt language processing, vocal cord dysfunction (e.g., EILO), receptive/expressive language, articulation, voice, transgender voice, fluency (stuttering), auditory processing disorders, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), augmentative-alternative communication (AAC) evaluations/treatment, aphasia, executive functioning, cognitive-linguistic disorders, and more in clinical and school settings. 

Andrea’s practices are informed from a variety of experiences. For example, her passion for trauma-informed care comes from her experiences as a foster parent. She also draws from her experience with Montgomery County Schools, where she has experience with all ages in a variety of programs including the Preschool Education Program (PEP), Homeschool Model, Private-Religious, Bridge Program, Autism Program, Learning and Academic Program, Autism Resources Program, etc. Her clinical philosophy is also informed from her experience serving in the medical field for over 10 years in the United States Navy and at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as a medic (Hospital Corpsman) in various areas of healthcare including Internal Medicine, Immunization, Emergency Medicine, Neurology, and Sleep Medicine. This included provision of healthcare to The White House! 

Her passions have led to the initiation and implementation of sub-specialty clinics at Metro Therapy Center: 1. Feeding Clinic 2. AAC and 3. Myofunctional Therapy Clinics to meet the demand within the community. She cares deeply about these areas of need due to her experiences as a mother with a child with needs (we all have needs!) and as a professional to fill a gap needed in the DMV area. Andrea currently resides in North Bethesda, MD with her husband and son, Rowan. She looks forward to growing professionally by seeing the unique needs of her clients as an opportunity to help others and to challenge herself to grow a deeper practice. 

Abbi Shepherd, M.S., CCC-SLP, CDP, CLC, MEDICAL TEAM LEAD, Feeding/Myo Clinic Coordinator, Research Coordinator, received her BA degree from the University of Central Florida and her MS degree in Speech Language Pathology from Florida State University. She is a board-certified clinician through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She is a graduate of the ASHA Mentorship Program, where she learned about advocacy and leadership. Abbi started the Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) clinic at Metro Speech Therapy. She is our resident endoscopist for adults, trains other therapists, and loves the position that she is in. Abbi has worked to expand the feeding and myo clinics and community outreach. She has experience in all of the ASHA Big 9 working with adults and pediatrics including: Autism, developmental delay, voice (pediatric and adult), dysphagia (pediatric and adult), myofunctional therapy, breastfeeding, etc. When it comes to treating voice and dysphagia, Abbi is trained in Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) that has evidence to improve quality of life in these areas. 

Abbi is also a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) specializing in pre/postnatal care, breastfeeding, and counseling. She is a certified provider from Feed the Peds (FTP), Healthy Children’s Project, and Supporting Oral Feeds in Fragile Infants (SOFFI). 

Abbi is passionate about individualized care, building relationships with clients and families, using a practical therapy approach, and neurodiversity affirming practice. She is passionate about using evidence-based practice to foster independence, holistic care, and comprehensive evaluations and treatment. Outside of work, Abbi enjoys hiking with her husband and dog, reading, and going to the gym.

Madeline Swerdlow, M.A. CCC-SLP, AAC Clinic Coordinator received her B.S. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan and her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland. She has worked with children and adults in school, tele-therapy, and private practice settings. 

She has specific experience working with Autistic individuals and has received training in Simon Says myofunctional therapy, the Get Permission Approach to responsive feeding therapy, gestalt language processing, dynamic tactile and temporal cueing (DTTC) for Childhood Apraxia of Speech, and alternative and augmentative communication (AAC), specifically AAC for gestalt language processors. Madeline has knowledge of many AAC systems and is passionate about using multi-modal communication to enhance client outcomes. 

Madeline aims to provide therapy that is child-led, play-based, and neurodiversity affirming. In her free time, Madeline enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her friends, family, and dog.

Julia Sultana, M.S., CCC-SLP, Volunteer Coordinator, Continued Education Coordinator, received her B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the Pennsylvania State University and her M.S. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Julia is nationally certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). 

Julia has experience providing clinical services to children and adults within the areas of expressive, receptive, and pragmatic language, speech sound disorders, feeding, cognition, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Additionally, she has pursued training and mentorship within gestalt language processing, presented two posters at ASHA conventions on her research in AAC, and is certified in the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding. Julia is passionate about developing therapeutic connections, collaborating with her clients and families, adapting herself and her clinical skills to best fit each unique client she serves, and facilitating client-led play-based neurodiversity-affirming services. Outside of work, Julia enjoys yoga, hiking, drinking tea, and spending time with her friends and family!

Jordan Eaton, M.S., CF-SLP is a recent graduate of the Master of Science in speech language pathology at the University of the District of Columbia. She completed her undergraduate Bachelors of the Arts degree in communication disorders at California State University Los Angeles and holds an associate degree in social sciences. Prior to beginning her career in speech pathology, she worked as a registered behavioral technician in California from 2018-2022. She moved to Virginia and began working as a speech language pathology assistant in the Prince William county school district from 2022-2025 while completing her master’s coursework to be a speech pathologist. She completed her past externship at Children’s National Hospital and has a passion for serving families and clients of all ages and needs. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports, crafting, reading anything she can get her hands on and baking.

Sydney Anshel, M.S. CCC-SLP, Social Media Coordinator, Speech Sound Disorder Specialist, received her B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 2018 and completed her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology at Loyola University Maryland in 2021. She maintains active certification and membership with ASHA (the American Speech and Hearing Association) and full licensure to practice in the state of Maryland. Additionally, she is a member of Sigma Alpha Nu, the Jesuit honor society and holds a current certification in Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT). 

Sydney has prior professional experience using evidence-based practice to holistically and comprehensively evaluate and treat individuals with a variety of diagnoses in school, telehealth, clinic, and private practice settings. Her experience includes clinical work serving clients with speech sound disorders, language disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, aphasia, voice disorders, cognitive communication disorders, literacy needs, and apraxia of speech. Sydney’s approach to therapy is both communication focused and neurodiversity affirming, with an emphasis on collaboration and flexibility. She is also trained in the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding, and values a responsive and holistic approach to feeding. In her free time, Sydney enjoys spending time researching topics of personal and professional interest, hiking, writing fiction, and taking too many pictures of her cat, Marvin.

Laura Morgan, M.S., CCC-SLP, CBIS, received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology with a concentration in Aural Habilitation from the University of Tennessee. She started her clinical fellowship in Frederick, Maryland, but was a passenger in a motor vehicle accident. Despite wearing a seatbelt, Laura sustained serious injuries that delayed her return to work. This gave Laura a unique perspective as both a provider and recipient of cognitive therapy.

Once able to work again, Laura had to repeat her clinical fellowship and retake the SLP licensing exam. For more than six years she served as a speech and language pathologist at Head Injury Rehabilitation and Referral Services, Inc. in Rockville, MD. Inspired by a passion for cognitive rehabilitation, Laura passed the exam to become a Certified Brain Injury Specialist for the field of Speech Pathology. She has shared her clinical reflections as both a provider and a recipient of this discipline in many articles and dozens of multimedia presentations. Laura is certified to provide Interactive Metronome Training to address communication and cognitive goals, and integrates this technology into her sessions when appropriate.

When Laura was growing up, her parents provided foster care for scores of infants awaiting adoption in Maryland. Laura learned early how to care for young children. In her free time, Laura loves working out on her stationary bike, learning to play hammer dulcimer, and spending time with her young nieces.

Erika Harmon, M.S., CCC-SLP, received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Texas Women’s University (TWU) and is nationally certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). She has worked with the pediatric population for over 10 years and has worked in clinical, private, daycare, and home settings. Erika has experience in evaluating and treating bilingual (Spanish) children with a range of speech and language disorders. Treatment should be fun, functional, and tailor made to fit the needs of every client and their families. Play-based therapy, is an approach Erika likes to implement as it helps with maintaining attention in order to help build positive interactions between client and clinician. Erika believes that providing families with the proper tools and strategies for the home environment is extremely important for carryover of skills learned in therapy. Erika is fluent in English and Spanish. In her free time she enjoys exploring Maryland and spending time with her husband and two boys (2 & 7). She currently resides in Germantown, MD.

Tamar Affner, M.A., CF-SLP graduated from the Speech-Language Pathology program at George Washington University. She received a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders from Ono Academic College in Israel, where she is certified as a speech-language pathologist and audiologist. Tamar has experience working with individuals with apraxia and autism, as well as serving adult and pediatric patients at the GWU Speech & Hearing Center. She is fluent in English and Hebrew. In her free time, she enjoys crafts, spending time with her family, and traveling.

Ellen Greenblatt, M.A., CCC-SLP received her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Kean University in Union, New Jersey.  Ellen has provided evaluation and treatment for articulation, language, and social skills in school settings with both typically developing and multiply disabled students.  She has worked with adults in developmental and psychiatric settings addressing language, cognition, and swallowing disorders and has also worked with children and teens in private practice for many years.  Ellen has extensive experience working with patients who have undergone frenectomies and those with literacy challenges. In all settings, she believes in using a multi-modal approach to therapy including visual and auditory input, gesture, sign and augmentative communication to help students achieve their speech and language goals.  Ellen moved from New Jersey to Maryland to be near her children and grandchildren.

Peter Stoll, M.S., CCC-SLP received his Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Long Island University–Brooklyn. He is a Maryland State-Licensed Speech Language Pathologist and is nationally certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). In Maryland, Peter has evaluated and treated clients/patients in public schools, nursing homes, and private practice. In NY he has evaluated and treated clients in hospitals, public schools, and a private school for children with TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injuries). He has also worked abroad in Navan, Ireland in the hospital and pediatric settings where he provided speech and language services and co-presented at the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) conference. Peter has extensive experience in the evaluation and treatment of voice disorders, fluency, cognitive linguistic challenges, speech sound disorders, language disorders (e.g., receptive, expressive, and pragmatic) and swallowing disorders. Peter also has a strong interest in using music as a tool for applicable clients to build upon their language skills. He and Anat Sohn have co-created Melodic Connections ©, a unique program that targets speech-language objectives through melodic and rhythmic arrangements. Peter considers therapy tailored to the individual’s interests and functional needs to be the most effective approach in helping clients to improve their speech and language skills. Peter is certified to provide Interactive Metronome Training Therapy to address communication, auditory processing, and cognitive goals, and he integrates this technology into his sessions when appropriate. Peter is also a songwriter and musician and resides in Rockville, MD with his wife, son, and dog.

Adrianna Leith, M.S., CCC-SLP, received her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and her master’s degree from University of Tennessee.

Adrianna grew up in Germantown, MD and moved to Rockville after graduate school. Adrianna was a part of a grant that focused on language and literacy for AAC users. Adrianna is very passionate about teaching and advocating for literacy skills for AAC users! Adrianna currently works full-time at the Kennedy Krieger Institute with students with varying developmental disabilities and loves to share her talents with Metro in an outpatient setting. Adrianna’s specific areas of interest include autism spectrum disorder, gestalt language processing, social skills, and AAC. Adrianna believes that no one therapy approach works for all clients and takes a child-led approach in order to promote authentic, functional communication.

Outside of work, you can find Adrianna reading a book, traveling, going on walks, or spending time with friends and family.

Rebecca Eisen, M.A. CCC-SLP, received her Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland and is nationally certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) with full licensure in Maryland. Rebecca gained clinical externship experience treating both children and adults when she worked at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (in the pediatric outpatient unit) and at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (in the adult inpatient unit). Her Clinical Fellowship at Sheppard Pratt Schools led to a full-time position at Sheppard Pratt where she empowers students with autism and other disabilities to communicate verbally and with communication devices. Rebecca’s top priority is maximizing her clients’ communication abilities through personalized sessions focusing on clients’ interests, family collaboration, and the ability for generalized skills in household and school/work settings. Rebecca uses diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for goals in social-pragmatics, expressive/receptive language, AAC implementation, articulation, fluency, cognition, Traumatic Brain Injury, Aphasia and Gender Affirming Voice Therapy. In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys jogging, cooking and reading. You might even see her outside walking dogs as a “Wag! Walker” because she loves all types of dogs.

Brianna Fernandez-Calienes, M.A. CCC-SLP, received her undergraduate degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences from the University of Maryland in 2022. She then completed her Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Montclair State University in 2025. Brianna is nationally certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and holds a full license to practice in the state of Maryland. Brianna is a bilingual Spanish-English SLP whose approach to therapy is evidence-based, culturally competent, and holistic. She believes in tailoring sessions to each patient’s individual needs and using their strengths to facilitate growth. Brianna has a strong passion for helping patients across the lifespan. Brianna recently completed her Clinical Fellowship and continues to work in Assisted Living Facilities and Adult Medical Day Centers in Montgomery County, with intervention focusing on those with dementia, progressive neurological disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s), aphasia as a result of CVA, and dysphagia. She has also gained clinical experience in the assessment and treatment of both children and adults in various settings, including public schools, outpatient, and inpatient hospitals. In her free time, Brianna loves to dance, spend time outside in the warm weather, and cuddle with her two cats. Brianna is thrilled to continue developing her clinical skills at Metro Therapy Center!

Erin Thomas, M.A. CCC-SLP, received her B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the Pennsylvania State University in 2017, and her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2020. She holds active licensure to practice in the states of Maryland and Virginia and certification and membership with the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA).

Over the past 6 years, Erin has provided diagnostic and therapeutic services to both children and adults in the school, private practice and tele-therapy settings. She previously worked for Montgomery County Public Schools at a separate, public special education day school for 4 years. At MCPS, Erin gained experience working with children with complex communication needs and utilizing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) supports and a multi-modal communication approach to promote independence.  She currently works for Loudoun County Public Schools at three different schools (elementary, middle and high school) servicing students with a wide variety of goals (e.g., speech sounds, expressive language, receptive language, fluency, AAC, etc.). Erin has received training in AAC (e.g., PRC Advanced Course on Access Methods, Tobii Dynavox Eye Gaze Access, AAC assessment courses), Dynamic Tactile and Temporal Cueing (DTTC) for Childhood Apraxia of Speech, and gestalt language processing. Erin is dedicated to providing functional and meaningful therapy that is oriented to the specific needs of children and their families to improve their overall quality of life. She recently moved from Gaithersburg, MD and currently lives in Fairfax, VA. She enjoys spending time with her loved ones, playing flag football, reading, watching the Philadelphia Eagles or Penn State football, and hanging with her pup, Fletcher! 

Stacey Dermady, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a Maryland State-Licensed Speech Language Pathologist and is nationally certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA).  After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University in 2000, Stacey did not immediately go to graduate school wanting to gain experience in the field before studying for her Master’s Degree.  Stacey worked as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) in California where she found a passion for Communication Disorders.  She moved back to the east coast, and completed her Master’s Degree from University of Virginia in 2004.  Over the past 20 years, Stacey has worked with many different ages and populations of clients including pediatric clients through Montgomery County Public Schools (PK through 5^th Grade), Montgomery County Infants and Toddlers Program (birth to 4), and Frederick County Public School (3 to 21 years old students with moderate to severe disabilities in a separate public day school).  Stacey also has extensive experience working with adults in Sub-Acute Rehab, Outpatient, Assisted Living Facilities, and Long Term Care settings.  Not only has she worked as an SLP over her career, but Stacey also has a wealth of leadership experience having worked as a Director of Rehabilitation for at least 8 years.  Most recently, Stacey received her Educational Leadership certificate through Hood College in 2023, and holds an Administrator I certificate.

Stacey has vast experience in evaluating and treating a variety speech and language disorders to include, but not limited to: articulation/phonology, receptive and expressive language disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) systems, and dysphagia.   She is a strong defender of play, and supports a play-based approach to learning and intervention for her youngest clients.  Stacey maintains certification by the Hanen Center to lead and provide support to parents and caregivers in the following programs:  It Takes Two to Talk, More Than Words, and Target Word.  She has also taken Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention continuing education course.

Stacey currently resides in Frederick with her husband, son, and cats.  In her free time, you can find her on the baseball field cheering on her son’s team.