Portland State professor Shelly Chabon named president of ASHA

At the the beginning of 2012, Shelly Chabon, professor and chair of the Portland State University Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences took office as the new president for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Chabon will serve as president for one year.

Chabon has taught at PSU since 2007, and became chair of the speech and hearing sciences department in 2010. According to her curriculum vitae, Chabon has more than 38 years’ experience working in the area of speech and language communication.

She began her academic career at Brooklyn College, where she received her BA, followed by master’s degrees from Penn State University and Towson State University, and a doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. She has written and co-written more than 40 published works, has received numerous awards and honors, and has presented at more than 100 professional meetings throughout her career.

ASHA is an organization devoted to promoting the success of professionals in the fields of speech, language and hearing. ASHA specializes in assisting those who provide aid to individuals with communications disorders, such as swallowing disorders or hearing disorders.

Chabon’s involvement with ASHA goes back to 1973, and since then Chabon has served in various positions and on various projects. Her service with the organization, in addition to her educational experience contributed to her successful campaign.

Joseph Cerquone, press contact for the ASHA, said that “the ASHA presidency is an elected position that reflects the vote of the ASHA membership. Dr. Chabon’s successful candidacy noted her many years of leadership, service and experience in a variety of professional and volunteer roles.”

“When she ran for the ASHA presidency, Dr. Chabon’s role as chair of the PSU Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences was an important example of her leadership in her professional life. In that role, she has her ‘finger on the pulse’ of the future of the speech and hearing sciences professions, namely the students who will be the speech language pathologists and audiologists of tomorrow,” Cherquone said.

In a press release issued by ASHA, Chabon said, “I feel honored and excited to have the opportunity to lead an organization that represents professionals whose work makes such great positive differences in so many lives.”

While a good deal of Chabon’s viability for candidacy came from her previous ASHA service, her experience with PSU factored in greatly as well. Under Chabon, the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences has seen its graduate enrollment increase by 66 percent, and the amount of faculty in the department also has increased. Students are also being encouraged to do more clinical work, thus gaining valuable experience themselves.

The Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences aims to teach its students skills that are applicable to professional programs. It encourages life-long learning as well as innovative research to discover new knowledge. Aiding the scientific community with this knowledge and research is a goal of the department.

“I am honored to have faculty in CLAS of the caliber and dedication professor Chabon exemplifies. Not only is she an outstanding teacher and researcher, but she clearly has attained the national and international recognition necessary to be elected to this critical position for her discipline,” said Sue Beatty, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“Her achievement reflects well on PSU and what we accomplish here, and celebrates professor Chabon’s career contributions to her profession,” Beatty said.

ASHA is confident that Chabon will succeed in her new role.

“The key point here is that ASHA members felt she would bring a lot to the table and they voted accordingly. It’s reasonable to speculate that they understood that she would bring tremendous accomplishment and experience to the role, as well as a strong commitment,” Cerquone said. “Her long and extensive record of success in a wide variety of roles and endeavors bodes well for her term as ASHA president.”

“I welcome the challenges for I see my ASHA presidency as a way to give back to the very rewarding career that I have enjoyed,” Chabon said in an ASHA press release.