Save the Date: 29th Annual Convention
Embassy Suites by Hilton O'Hare Rosemont · Chicago, IL · July 23-25, 2026Meet the Facilitators and Speakers
Friends is powered by an extraordinary community of leaders and visionaries. Our speakers and facilitators include renowned researchers, therapists, artists, educators, parents, writers, musicians, activists, and scientists, many of whom wear multiple hats. This accomplished group of individuals is shaping the future of stuttering advocacy, education, and empowerment.
Throughout the convention, they’ll lead workshops, cultivate understanding, and foster connection. Their deep knowledge, lived experience, and bold ideas will shape not only the conversations we have, but the way we listen, connect, and grow together.
Nic Brow
Nic Brow M.A., CCC-SLP works as a speech language pathologist at the Sisskin Stuttering Center, as an Adjunct Faculty at George Washington University, and as the Friends One-Day Conferences Director. 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 playing board games with family and friends.
Adannaya Brown
Adannaya Brown is a spiritual practitioner, wellness and reframing coach, and death doula with over two decades of experience. She is also a wife and mother of four, with two children who stutter. Deeply passionate about supporting the parents of people who stutter, she facilitates virtual parent groups and cultivates safe spaces for the complex emotions often associated with stuttering. A bibliophile and a dancer, she finds sanctuary in libraries and on dance floors.
Mike Caggiano
Michael Caggiano is an adult who stutters. He is a fire scientist who lives in Fort Collins Colorado with his wife and two children. He was introduced to the stuttering support world as a teenager, and his mother, Lee Caggiano co-founded Friends. Mike is passionate about helping people live well with and despite of their stutter.
Jason Cassell
Jason Cassell, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist, currently practicing in New York City where he treats adults, adolescents, and couples, including many clients who stutter. In the past he has conducted workshops for FRIENDS, the National Stuttering Association, the American Institute for Stuttering, and New York University. He is married to Kristel, a lovely speech therapist who stutters.
Christopher Constantino
Christopher Constantino lives in Tallahassee with his wife, Megan, and sons, Augustine and Sebastian. He is a speech-language pathologist at Florida State University. He clinically supervises graduate students and researches how to improve the experience of stuttering. He teaches graduate classes on stuttering and counseling. Chris enjoys riding his bicycle.
Catey Easters
Catey Easters is a wife and mother of two teenage girls named Lauren (18) and Mackenzie (16). Mackenzie is a person who stutters. Catey worked in Human Resources for over 20 years until recently retiring. In her free time she likes to hang out with family and friends, travel, go on long walks, play pickleball and watch college basketball. This is her fourth Friends Convention.
Mackenzie Easters
Mackenzie Easters is a teen who stutters. She likes rap music and playing the drums. She enjoys art, traveling and running cross country. This year will be her 4th convention.
Phoenix Garcia-Ramos
Phoenix Garcia-Ramos is a 23-year-old person who stutters from Philadelphia, recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and currently working as a clinical research coordinator in neurogenetics.
Julie Gasway
Julie Gasway is a speech language pathologist and an ASHA Board Certified Specialist in Fluency and Fluency Disorders. She has a passion for working with people who stutter and their families and friends. She has a private practice specializing in fluency and fluency disorders. She had the pleasure of working with Lee Caggiano at several Friends conferences and U of Iowa Speaks Camps. Julie is a mother of four and grandmother of three, and she loves to cook Sunday dinners for them!
Hope Gerlach-Houck
Dr. Gerlach-Houck is an Associate Professor at Western Michigan University. Her research examines the intersections of ableism and stuttering, with a focus on how discrimination manifests both in daily interactions and through emerging voice technologies. She is dedicated to enhancing participation, accessibility, and quality of life for people who stutter. Her research has been funded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the National Science Foundation.
Adam Giannelli
Adam Giannelli is a person who stutters; the author of Tremulous Hinge (University of Iowa Press, 2017), winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize; and an Assistant Professor of English at the United States Naval Academy. He deeply values his involvement in stuttering communities.
Ben Goldstein
Ben Goldstein is a person who stutters, speech-language therapist and stuttering consultant for Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, and an associate clinician at the Sisskin Stuttering Center in the Washington D.C. area. He is also an adjunct professor at Gallaudet University, teaching the graduate level stuttering course. Ben has presented on Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering (ARTS®) at international and national conferences, speech therapy graduate school programs, and to school-based speech therapists in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Chaya Goldstein-Schuff
Chaya Goldstein-Schuff, MA, CCC-SLP, is a person who stutters and a speech-language pathologist at the Sisskin Stuttering Center, specializing in trauma-informed stuttering therapy across the lifespan. Chaya is passionate about educating speech therapists about trauma-informed principles and practices. She is researching stuttering as a complex trauma to illuminate the lived experiences of those who stutter. Chaya lives on the Space Coast in Florida with her husband and baby boy.
Heather Grossman
Dr. Heather Grossman is the Executive Director of the American Institute for Stuttering where she is proud to lead a talented team of stutter-affirming therapists. She has extensive experience in graduate teaching and clinical supervision and frequently presents at professional conferences for speech therapists. Passionate about supporting the stuttering self-help community and fortunate to have been inspired by Lee Caggiano early in her career, she has been actively involved in Friends for over 25 years.
John Hendrickson
John Hendrickson is the author of Life on Delay: Making Peace With a Stutter and a staff writer at The Atlantic. He lives in New York City with his wife, Liz Rawson. Both are loyal supporters of Friends!
Caryn Herring
Caryn Herring, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a person who stutters, a speech-language pathologist, and the Executive Director of Friends. Caryn first became involved with Friends in 2010, serving as the Board Chairperson for 5 years. Outside of Friends, Caryn is a co-PI on the HeardAI research project, making voice AI accessible to all, and has taught/clinically supervised undergraduate and graduate students at numerous universities including Michigan State University and The University of Pittsburgh.
Anna Hertsberg
Anna Hertsberg is a retired cardiologist from the Chicagoland area and the parent of an adult who stutters. Through witnessing her daughter’s journey—and her work as a speech-language pathologist and stuttering researcher—I have come to deeply appreciate the strength and potential of people who stutter. Volunteering with Friends allows me to support other families, share what I have learned, and affirm that stuttering should not limit a child’s opportunities or sense of belonging.
Doreen (Dori) Lenz Holte
Doreen (Dori) Lenz Holte authored two books on the topic of childhood intervention including Voice Unearthed: Hope, Help, and a Wake-Up Call for the Parents of Children Who Stutter (2011) and VoiceS Unearthed: The Impact of Childhood Intervention on Those Who Continue to Stutter (2023). Dori advocates through university presentations, guest podcasts and blogs. She founded the Voice Unearthed Facebook group which has 4,200+ members. Most importantly, Dori is Mom to 29-year-old Elias who stutters.
Eric S. Jackson
Dr. Eric S. Jackson is a speech scientist, speech-language pathologist, and associate professor at NYU. Broadly, he studies the variability of stuttering, or why people stutter sometimes in certain situations but not other times. Dr. Jackson’s team has recently started focusing on using neuromodulation and classic psychedelics to improve therapy outcomes for stutterers. Dr. Jackson draws on his experience as a person who stutters to inform and inspire his research, practice, and teaching. IG: @dctrfancy
Cole Johnson
Cole Johnson is a PWS based in Brooklyn, originally hailing from Alaska. He currently works as a Product Design Manager at The New York Times, supporting designers in making tools and software for one of the biggest newsrooms in the world.
Elizabeth Kapstein
Elizabeth Kapstein is a person who stutters and a clinical social worker who co-founded Passing Twice, a network of LGBTQIA people who stutter, and Manhattan Stuttering Group, NYC’s first self-help stuttering community. She presented at the International Fluency Association conference in San Francisco, “Can You Hear Us Beyond Our Stutter?” Elizabeth works as a psychotherapist specializing in trauma- and addictions-informed therapy using expressive therapies in NYC at www.ektherapy.com.
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 Washington State with his wife Paula, where they both serve in their most fulfilling roles yet: parents to three adventurous daughters.
Kristel Kubart
Kristel Kubart, M.A., CCC-SLP is a SLP who stutters and has cerebral palsy. Her goal is to help people who stutter embrace their stuttering and learn to trust their voice. Kristel has worked as a school-based speech therapist for 14 years. She has presented on neurodiversity and stuttering therapy both nationally and internationally, published research on stuttering, has a chapter published in the book Stammering Pride & Prejudice: Difference, not Defect, and developed a disability pride club in her school.
Allison Ladavat
Allison Ladavat is a person who stutters, a former SLP, and a mom of 3. She lives in Pittsburgh, where she works as a student accessibilities coordinator at Point Park University. Through Friends, Allison helped develop a partnership with the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, coordinating unique experiences at each Penguins home game for children who stutter. She enjoys biking around the city with her boyfriend, watching hockey, going to comedy shows, and picking up whatever new hobbies find her.
Stavros Ladeas
Stavros Ladeas is a PWS, a proud father and software engineer based in Providence, RI. He spent a decade in NYC where he met his amazing wife and became involved in the stuttering advocacy community. His work challenges him and helps him grow, and he enjoys being a new parent in his free time.
Dylan Laube
Dylan Laube was born and raised in Westhampton Beach, NY. A small town kid who stuttered his whole life, he followed his dream and became a running back and return specialist for the Las Vegas Raiders. As a standout at New Hampshire, he totaled over 7,000 all-purpose yards and was a two-time FCS All-American. Drafted in the 6th round in 2024, he is known for his versatility and impact on special teams.
Allegra Ludwig
Allegra Ludwig is a speech-language pathologist and performing artist based in Boulder, Colorado. She specializes in stuttering therapy through her private practice, Cadence Speech Therapy, and as a clinical supervisor at CU-Boulder. She also authors the Cadence Speech blog, sharing the stories and experiences of people who stutter. As an actor, writer, and musician, she regularly performs on camera and on stage. She believes in the power of storytelling and the arts as a path to personal transformation.
Tim McCarren
Tim McCarren, MA, CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist for Hopkins Public Schools in Hopkins, MN. With a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts, Tim has a special interest in blending stuttering acceptance with elements of theatre. Tim is a chapter leader for the National Stuttering Association. He also co-leads two summer camps for kids who stutter, Star Lake Out Loud and the Sioris Family University of Minnesota Camp for Kids Who Stutter.
Jenny McGuire
Jenny is a PWS and an art therapist turned stuttering community advocate. She lives in Lafayette, CO, and unlike literally everyone around her, she is not an avid skier. When not working and volunteering with stuttering non-profits, Jenny can be found hanging out with her wonderful husband Seth and two amazing daughters, Danby and Grace. She also enjoys playing with her dog Pancakes, getting together with extended family, and laughing her head off with dear friends.
Róisín McManus
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.
Margaret Miller
Margaret Miller, MA, CCC-SLP, is a speech therapist at the American Institute for Stuttering, where she works with people who stutter of all ages. She lives in Decatur, Georgia.
Hallie Mintz
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. She is also the social media coordinator for Friends! Hallie has a passion for supporting children and adolescents who stutter to be confident communicators. In her free time, Hallie enjoys yoga, skiing, tennis, crafting, cooking new recipes, and spending time outdoors with her husband and dog.
Nora O’Connor
Nora O’Connor, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and person who stutter. Based in Los Angeles, Nora, has a long-standing career in addiction treatment and trauma recovery, integrating somatic, trauma-informed, and CBT approaches. She also works with PWS, providing treatment for their mental health and emotional well-being. Nora’s upcoming publication, A Comprehensive Workbook for People Who Stutter: Navigating the Emotional Landscape, reflects her commitment to emotional healing and mental health awareness in people who stutter.
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 in NYC, working with people who stutter across the lifespan. Mark is actively involved in the stuttering self-help community, frequently facilitating and presenting workshops at national conferences for both Friends and the National Stuttering Association (NSA).
Lauren Plemmons
Hello everyone! My name is Lauren and I’m a person who stutters. I am 19 and going to college to study forensics or speech pathology. I’m excited for this year’s convention and can’t wait to see everyone!
Shelby Potts
Shelby Potts M.S. CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF is a speech-language pathologist working in private practice in Raleigh, NC. She is a person who stutters. Her practice, Oak City Speech and Language Therapy, focuses on the holistic evaluation and treatment of children, teens, and adults who stutter, clutter, and/or have other fluency differences. In addition to her clinical work, Shelby is passionate about reading, needlepointing, and fostering dogs for a local rescue organization.
Liz Rawson
Liz Rawson is head of ad data and measurement partnerships at Samsung. She serves on the board of the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation and lives in New York City with her husband, John Hendrickson. Both are loyal supporters of Friends!
Morgan Roberts
My name is Morgan Roberts and I’m an upcoming sophomore who stutters from Kansas. I enjoy the performing arts like theatre and choir, 4-H, reading, and really anything to do with leadership and helping people. Right now I’m in Shrek Jr. as Dragon! I’ve stuttered since around the 4th grade but had a speech impediment since Pre-K. This will be my 4th time attending the annual convention and I am so excited!
Naomi H. Rodgers • Keynote Speaker
Naomi H. Rodgers, PhD, CCC-SLP is an assistant professor at the University Iowa. She directs the Iowa Stuttering Lab examining the psychological and social aspects of stuttering. She teaches courses in stuttering, counseling, and clinical methods. Her work is inspired by her experiences as a pws, clinician, and advocate in the stuttering community. She is deeply committed to the mission of Friends and is honored to be working towards greater understanding and acceptance of stuttering.
Mandy Rodstrom
Mandy Rodstrom is a person who stutters and a former school-based speech-language pathologist of 19 years. After 30+ years as a covert stutterer, she embraced her stutter and the stuttering community. She is a Spero Ally of Stuttering and has experience in clinical supervision and teaching at Western Michigan and James Madison universities. She LOVES volunteering for various stuttering support groups and enjoys traveling, cooking, and family time with her husband and three children.
Zach Roth
Zach Roth is CFO of a real estate investment firm in Washington, DC. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina studying international business and real estate. In his free time, Zach enjoys scuba diving in the Caribbean and playing with his dog, Cayman. A lifelong stutterer, he’s honored to speak at this conference and share his experience.
Aidan Sank
Aidan is the co-Founder and Executive Director of SPACE, a Canadian nonprofit creating more space for stuttering (spacetostutter.org). As an ally, he has worked with the stuttering community for over a decade, and he is particularly interested in the intersections between stuttering and the arts. A native of Vancouver, BC, he loves the rain, gardening and sushi. Attending Friends is his favorite weekend of the year.
Reuben Schuff • Keynote Speaker
Reuben Schuff, MS, P.E. is an aerospace engineer, space exploration enthusiast, traveler, speaker, author, juggler, parent, and person who stutters. He contributes to the stuttering community in a variety of ways as an advocate and volunteer, including Friends, NSA, Stuttertalk, CampSay, Sisskin Stuttering Center, and ASHA. Reuben, his wife, and their baby son live in Florida on the Space Coast. Reuben’s long-term vision is to start a school on the moon.
Jeff Shames
Jeff Shames is a psychotherapist who has been active in the stuttering support world since the early 1990’s, mainly with Friends. Jeff co-founded the Manhattan Stuttering Group in 1994, and later co-produced the award winning personal documentary film Spit It Out. He is a big-time baseball fan and has coordinated outings to ballgames at a number of Friends conferences. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jeff lives in New York City with his wife, Elisa DeCarlo.
Arin Sheeler
I am the proud parent of a young boy who stutters. Our family found Friends in 2018 and attended our first annual convention in 2019. My husband, 3 children, and I live in Columbus, Ohio, and both my husband and I work at Ohio State University. I am a SLP specializing in adults with acquired neurogenic communication disorders. We love Friends and I am excited to be a part of helping Friends continue to flourish!
Bennie Storey
My name is Bennie Storey, and I am a person who stutters. I am 17 years old, and I am from Washington state. I have been to a few local one-day conventions, and this will be my fifth national annual convention.
Dougie Storey
Dougie Storey is 17 years old and is going into his senior year of high school. He has stuttered nearly his whole life and hopes to have a positive impact on the lives of other people who stutter by being open about his experiences and letting people know that they are not alone. In his free time, Dougie likes to play and write music.
Ava Towvim
Ava Towvim is a person who stutters and this is her 9th Friends Convention. She’s 18, just graduated high school, and she’s going to University of Pittsburgh next year. Ava loves thrifting, going to concerts, and reading. She feels so lucky to have a wonderful support group at Friends and will continue being an active part of the stuttering community in college and beyond.
Kendra Wagner
Kendra Wagner, M.S., CCC-SLP is a parent to a son who stutters and a school-based speech-language pathologist passionate about supporting and advocating with and for children who stutter. She and her son attended their first annual convention in 2023 and have loved being part of the Friends community ever since. In her free time, Kendra enjoys spending time with her family, running, and traveling.
Marc Winski
Marc is a professional actor/singer/dancer in NYC and a person who stutters. Recently, he was the voice consultant on HBO’s THE PENGUIN. He is striving to give a voice and be an advocate for people who stutter in theatre/film/media/television. Using a large social media following (400k), he continues creating content and spreading awareness with wit and creativity for the stuttering community, a group of people who often go (quite literally) unheard and unseen in our culture. Follow for more @marcwinski
Luke Wyland
Luke Wyland is a Portland, OR based interdisciplinary artist, musician, and cultural organizer. As a person who stutters, his work centers disability justice and speech diversity. In collaboration with SPACE, he curates the Library of Dysfluent Voices, a living archive that reimagines stuttering as an expressive, generative form. Through live performances, immersive installations, and community exchange, he explores the textures of voice and the politics of fluency, inviting new ways of listening. lukewyland.com
Barry Yeoman
Barry Yeoman is a person who stutters and the co-founder of Passing Twice, a network of LGBTQ+ people who stutter and their allies. He’s an award-winning freelance journalist and teaches journalism at Duke University and Wake Forest University.
Tricia M. 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. She also organizes the Friends Graduate Student Training Program. She is a speech-language therapist and Professor Emerita at The University of Iowa, where she focused on the nature and treatment of stuttering, particularly in adolescence. For over 20 years Tricia directed UISPEAKS, a summer residential program for teens who stutter.
Emily Zimmer
Emily Zimmer is a speech-language therapist with a background in the performing arts. She studied improvisation at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade in New York City and attended clown school in Locarno Switzerland. Currently, she works in early intervention with a public school system and runs a small private speech-language therapy practice that specializes in neurodiversity affirming supports and gender affirming voice services. She lives in Minneapolis and tends a small urban jungle of a garden.