Support and empower young people who stutter — Donate today!

Who We Are

Friends is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support and education to young people who stutter, their families, and professionals, through annual conferences, one-day workshops, and outreach. Friends events provide workshops for children, adolescents, parents and adults who stutter. Some topics addressed during our workshops include self-advocacy, self-disclosure, navigating middle school, navigating high school and college, bullying, teasing, successful academic outcomes, successful career outcomes, navigating employment issues, interviewing skills, diversity in the workplace, educating our peers in academic and employment environments. Workshops for parents include discussing how best to support your child, advocating for your child, working with schools to ensure academic success, how to talk about stuttering with your child, family, school and extended families. Our vision is to help build a world in which all young people who stutter feel empowered to communicate whenever, wherever, and however they want to. 

Our Story

In 1997, Friends was founded by John Ahlbach and Lee to meet the need for organized support and education for young people who stutter and their families. Over the years, we have expanded into a national organization that hosts a large annual convention each July and many regional one-day conferences around the country throughout the year. We primarily serve young people and their families, but also provide invaluable education to SLPs and graduate students and welcome adults who stutter into our community as volunteers.

Co-Founder

Lee Caggiano, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-F

Lee passed away on November 11th, 2023. Lee was the Director of Stuttering Therapy and Resources of Northern Colorado and treated children, adolescents, and adults who stutter. Lee was the mother of a son who stutters and was co-founder and Executive Director of Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter. She was committed to providing a high level of parent education and training and developed and coordinated workshops for children who stutter, families and professionals for 30 years. She presented at local and national conferences regarding the needs of young people who stutter and their families. Lee served as a consultant to many school districts and taught the graduate level fluency courses at New York University, Queens College, and Long Island University-Post.

Co-Founder

John Ahlbach

I co-founded Friends in 1997 with Lee to provide young people and their families with their own space, their own identity within the stuttering community. I have loved every minute of it with all my heart!

Executive Director

Caryn Herring, PhD, CCC-SLP

Caryn Herring is a person who stutters and a speech-language pathologist. Caryn met Lee in 2010 and has been involved with Friends ever since. Caryn served as the Chairperson on the Friends Board of Directors for 5 years and is proud to follow in Lee’s footsteps as the current Executive Director of Friends. She graduated with her PhD from Michigan State University, her MS from Purdue University, and her BA from the University of Pittsburgh. Caryn’s research interests include the process of desensitization, reducing adverse impact, and enhancing accessibility for people who stutter. Caryn has presented at conferences and Universities across the country as well as taught and clinically supervised undergraduate and graduate students at Michigan State University, The University of Pittsburgh, Gannon University, and Duquesne University.   

Board Members

Roisin McManus

Roisin McManus

Chairperson of the Board

Róisín McManus is stutterer, nurse practitioner and mother. She has been involved with Friends since 2010, and still gets chills witnessing its impact on kids, families, adults and therapists. She works as a nurse practitioner specializing in palliative care, and lives in Providence, RI with her husband, daughter and extended family. 

Arin Sheeler

Arin Sheeler

Secretary

Arin Sheeler is a proud parent of a young boy who stutters. Her family found Friends through The Ohio State University One-Day Conference in 2018, and attended their first Annual Convention in Chicago in 2019. Her husband and 3 children live in Columbus, Ohio, and both Arin and her husband work for The Ohio State University. She is a Speech

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Language Pathologist specializing in adults with acquired neurogenic communication disorders. Arin works part time as a Clinical Supervisor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in the Rehabilitation Hospital. Her family fell in love with FRIENDS because of the fantastic people that we have met and the welcoming community. Her son especially has felt a real sense of belonging in the Friends family, and she is excited to be a part of helping Friends continue to flourish!

Rick Arenas

Rick Arenas

Treasurer

Rick Arenas is a person who stutters and a parent of a child who stutters.  He works at the University of New Mexico as an associate professor where he teaches and conducts research in the area of stuttering.  He is honored to be able to be part of Friends.  The organization does an amazing job supporting young people who stutter and their families.  

Adannaya Brown

Adannaya Brown

Adannaya Brown (she/her) is a parent of a person who stutters, dedicated advocate, friend, and student of the stuttering community. A relentless chaser of joy, her favorite pastimes are reading, dancing, and staring at the sky. She lives with her husband, four children, and two dogs in Aurora, Colorado.

Eric Jackson

Eric Jackson

Eric Jackson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a person who stutters, speech-language pathologist, and Assistant Professor at NYU, where he conducts research on stuttering. He is a long-time supporter and volunteer for Friends.

Evan Kestenbaum

Evan Kestenbaum

Evan is a lifelong entrepreneur, data geek, and person who stutters who has co-founded and led several successful businesses, primarily within the eyecare industry. Evan now supports a broad range of mission-driven businesses, including Friends, and aims to help other entrepreneurs who stutter. After years in New York, Evan now lives in

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Washington State with his wife Paula, where they both serve in their most fulfilling roles yet: parents to three adventurous daughters.
 

Joel Korte

Joel Korte

Joel Korte is a person who stutters and the owner of Chase Bliss, a Minneapolis based company that designs and manufactures guitar pedals.

Sara MacIntyre

Sara MacIntyre

Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP is the director of YouSpeak, a private practice in Philadelphia, where she works with individuals of all ages who stutter. She is also the Director of Programs and Education for The Stuttering Foundation and an Adjunct instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Sara previously served as the Friends

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One-Day Conference Director and is passionate about continuing to grow access to local support opportunities. Sara is a person who stutters herself and has the support community to thank for shifting her thoughts, creating hope, and showing her that you can succeed, and be someone who stutters. 

Mark O'Malia

Mark O'Malia

Mark O’Malia, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and person who stutters. He is a full-time clinician at The American Institute for Stuttering (AIS) in NYC, working with people who stutter across the lifespan. 

Ryan Pollard

Ryan Pollard

Ryan Pollard, Ph.D. CCC-SLP BCS-F is a stutterer, speech-language pathologist, and clinical professor at the University of Colorado Boulder where he trains graduate students and teaches courses in stuttering, disability studies, counseling and other areas. Over the past several years he’s volunteered or worked for Friends, the Stuttering

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Association for the Young (SAY), the Stuttering Foundation, and the American Institute for Stuttering (AIS).

Anthony Saleh

Anthony Saleh

I am the proud parent of a daughter who stutters and eternally grateful to the entire Friends organization for providing so much support, knowledge, and comfort to our entire family. Friends has been life changing for us and we are so privileged to be part of this phenomenal organization!

Tricia Zebrowski

Tricia Zebrowski

Tricia Zebrowski is a long-time volunteer with Friends and has been a presenter and facilitator for many annual conventions, one-day workshops and virtual parent groups. In recent years she organized the Graduate Student Training Program at the annual convention. Tricia is a speech-language therapist and Professor

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Emerita in Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Iowa. Her research, teaching and clinical work focused on the nature and treatment of stuttering across the lifespan, particularly stuttering in adolescence. From over 20 years Tricia directed UISPEAKS for Teens, a summer residential program for teenagers who stutter, held at The University of Iowa.

Development and Advancement Board

Haley Warner

Haley Warner

Co-Chair

Haley Warner, M.S. CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and currently pursuing her PhD in the stuttering and vvariability (savvy) lab at New York University. She attended her first Friends Annual Convention in Chicago in 2019 and is passionate about the important work Friends does.

Jackie Winter

Jackie Winter

Co-Chair

Jackie Winter is a long-time member and supporter of the Friends community. She and her husband, Paul, are the proud parents to Ray, a 20-year-old adult who stutters, and to Lily, a 23-year-old and an amazing sibling to her baby brother. Jackie is a VP and Senior Operations Manager at First American Title Insurance Company.

Ernie Canadeo

Ernie Canadeo

Kate Popovich-Gargiulo

Kate Popovich-Gargiulo

Kate has been involved with Friends since 2005. After her first 3 day conference which she attended with her family, she was inspired and knew immediately Friends would always be a part of her life. She is the proud mom of three children, two of whom stutter. All of her children have remained active in the organization and have made lifelong friendships.

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She is a retired registered nurse who is passionate about the support and empowerment Friends provides for not only children who stutter but their families as well. Kate is also an active board member of SAY. ( The Stuttering Association for the Young). She is honored to be on the board of Friends to help this truly one of a kind organization continue to thrive and spread support to more children, their families, teachers, therapists and the general public.
 

Anthony Saleh

Anthony Saleh

I am the proud parent of a daughter who stutters and eternally grateful to the entire Friends organization for providing so much support, knowledge, and comfort to our entire family. Friends has been life changing for us and we are so privileged to be part of this phenomenal organization!

Friends Committees

Nic Brow

Nic Brow

One Day Conference Director

Nic Brow M.A., CCC-SLP works as a speech language pathologist at the Sisskin Stuttering Center and as an Adjunct Faculty at George Washington University. He has worked as a speech therapist within multiple public schools with students from the preschool to high school level.

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Nic frequently presents on stuttering affirming therapy both nationally and internationally. He predominantly works with youth who stutter and their families, within the framework of Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering (ARTS®). In his free time, Nic enjoys surfing, pickleball, and spending time with family and friends. 

Noura Embabi

Noura Embabi

Administrative Assistant & Bookkeeper

Noura Embabi is a PhD student in sociology and a former speech-language pathologist passionate about stuttering support and advocacy. She attended her first Friends conference in 2014 and feels proud to be a part of the wonderful Friends community.

Jenny McGuire

Jenny McGuire

Annual Convention Manager

Jenny McGuire is a person who stutters and a vociferous advocate for the stuttering community. Jenny worked as an art therapist with pediatric hematology and oncology patients and their families. She found deep gratification in this work for innumerable reasons, the main

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one being: Bringing patients and families together in the art studio–which doubled as the waiting room–and thus creating community in the most unlikely of settings. The magic of these connections reinforced her long held belief that community is a powerful agent of both comfort and transformation.

Jenny has brought that spirit of community healing to her own stuttering journey, and has transformed from being deeply shameful and covert (masking her stutter) to a proud PWS. She finds great joy in working with various stuttering organizations to help others find wholeness and embrace their stutter as part of their identity. Jenny is thrilled to join the Friends family as the Annual Convention Manager, as she has experienced first hand the transformative power of the Friends community.

Jenny lives in Colorado with her husband, two children and dog named Pancakes. 
Hallie Mintz

Hallie Mintz

Social Media Coordinator

Hallie Mintz, M.S. CCC-SLP is the owner of Philly Speech Services, a private practice in the greater Philadelphia area, where she works with children of all ages and abilities. Hallie has a passion for supporting children and adolescents who stutter by encouraging confident

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communication. She has attended several Friends one-day conferences and is excited to be more involved with this amazing organization! In her free time, Hallie enjoys yoga, crafting, cooking new recipes, and spending time outdoors with her husband and dog. 
 

Mark O’Malia

Mark O’Malia

Stepping Up Program Coordinator

Mark O’Malia, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and person who stutters. He is a full-time clinician at The American Institute for Stuttering in NYC, working with people who stutter across the lifespan. Mark is actively involved in the stuttering self-help community, frequently

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facilitating and presenting workshops at national conferences for both Friends and the National Stuttering Association (NSA).
 

Ed Samp

Ed Samp

Convention Scholarship

My son Eddie is a stutterer. Our family attended the 2nd annual Friends convention in 1999 in Boston when Eddie was 9. It changed our lives. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed staying connected with our Friends family through the annual conference. Our Scholarship Program helps others

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afford the expense involved in attending our annual convention and conferences.

Amanda Shapiro

Amanda Shapiro

Event Planner

Amanda is a proud parent to a son who stutters. Based in the Washington, DC area, she has been a professional Meeting and Event planner for two decades. She brings together both her passion for events and the love for the Friends community.

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