Occupational Therapy Department

Veronica, B.S. OTR/L, President

Veronica attended college at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy.  She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Minnesota Occupational Therapy Association (MOTA), and theWashington County Childrens Mental Health Partnership. Her specialties include Auditory Integration Training (AIT); understanding the role of the OT in the school; and  dealing with feeding issues.  She has a special interest in developing and implementing parent training opportunities and communicating to various organizations about FAC’s mission.  She works closely with clients diagnosed with autism and sensory integration disorders.  In her free time, Veronica enjoys traveling, in-line skating, biking, and reading.

 

Theresa, B.A., OTR/L

Theresa graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in occupational therapy from the College of St. Catherine.  She has worked in various practice settings, including hand therapy and chronic pain rehab.  She loves working with kids best of all.  Theresa has recently taken a course on sensory integration as well as a course on the Handwriting Without Tears program.  Her area of interest is sensory integration, because she has a child who has had difficulties with sensory processing.

 

Lola, M.S., OTR/L

Lola graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Early Childhood Education from the University of Central Missouri and continued to complete her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. She has experience with both inpatient and outpatient pediatrics, as well as adult inpatient acute care. She has more fun working with children as they develop best through play experiences, helping put a smile on her face each day. She enjoys the opportunity to work with families and as a part of a team in helping children achieve their goals.Outside of work, Lola loves spending time with her husband and friends, traveling, reading, and scrapbooking.

 

Shawna, M.A., OTR/L

Shawna graduated with a Masters of Arts degree in occupational therapy from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN. She has experience with outpatient pediatric therapy, as well as geriatrics and long-term care. Shawna's interests include sensory integration, reflex integration, and feeding. Shawna has recently taken a course on Integrated Listening Systems and hopes to incorporate this into her therapy sessions. At FAC, she enjoys working with children and their families and finds it rewarding to help children acquire new skills, master emerging skills, and become more independent and confident in their environments. Away from work, Shawna enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, swimming, being outdoors, and on the boat.

 

Jill, M.A., OTR/L

Jill received a degree in Biology with a minor in Psychology from the College of St. Benedict/St. Johns University. She continued her education at the College of St. Catherine where she received a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy. Jill brings to FAC her experience in adult acute care from the University of Minnesota Medical Center Fairview. At FAC, she enjoys working with children and their families to increase functional abilities in activities of daily living. She also enjoys helping children who are challenged by sensory integration dysfunction, autism and neurological disorders. In her free time, Jill likes spending time with family and friends, traveling and enjoying outdoor activities, especially, hiking, kayaking and walking her dog, Lucy Lu.

 

Leah, B.S., OTR/L

Leah received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at Hamline University.  From there, she continued her education at the College of St. Catherine where she earned her Bachelor of Science inOccupational Therapy.  Leah has experience in a range of practice settings, including mental health, long-term and acute care, and pediatrics.   A long-time member of the FAC team, she has developed the curriculum and leads FAC’s Play Skills Groups for 4 to 6 year olds.  An Interactive Metronome practitioner, Leah also has training in Craniosacral, Sensory Integration, Animal-Assisted and Aquatic Therapies.  At FAC, she truly enjoys the energy that children bring to their treatment sessions and working closely with these children and families to achieve the best possible outcomes in therapy. Away from work, you might find Leah on the golf course, traveling or spending time with her family.

 

Christine, M.A., OTR/L

Christine received a bachelor degree in Psychology at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She continued her education at the College of St. Catherine's where she obtained a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy. Christine has 5 years of experience working with children with autism and their families. She also works casually at a transitional care setting with older adults with physical disabilities. She enjoys working in the pediatric settingbest because the children are always full of laughter and surprises. In her free time, Christine enjoys spending time with family and friends, going on bike rides and walks, and baking

 

Shelly, B.A., OTR/L

Shelly attended both the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the College of St. Catherine where she received her B.A. in Occupational Therapy. She brings to FAC clients her extensive experience working as an OT in the public schools, with special expertise in early childhood education and sensory integration. Away from work, Shelly enjoys flying single-engine airplanes and also belongs to a local Search and Rescue team.

 

Karen, M.S., OTR/L
Karen received her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ.  She went on to receive her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Minnesota.  Karen has a special interest in pediatric therapy and also works in the schools.  She says that she loves being able to provide intense one on one therapy in a “state-of-the-art” setting and working with caregivers and team members who are highly motivated to achieve improved functional outcomes for the clients we serve. In her free time, Karen enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, food, exercise and outdoor activities, including leisure boating.

 

Susie, COTA/L
Susie graduated with an Associate’s degree in applied sciences from the College of St. Catherine Minneapolis Campus. She is licensed in the state of MN and nationally certified. She has worked in a variety of settings spanning from elementary schools, nursing homes, home care, and transitional care. Susie currently works full time for a local rehab company and part time for Family Achievement Center. In her spare time, Susie enjoys spending time boating on the St. Croix River, shopping and spending time with family and friends.

 

Nancy, OTR/L
Nancy graduated from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN with a
Post-Baccalaureate major in Occupational Therapy. She is beginning her
14th year as an Occupational Therapist all of those years working in pediatrics, except the past 2 3/4 years where she worked with the geriatric population in the rehab units in Long Term Care Centers and with elderly in assisted living apartments. Nancy brings to the clinic years of school-based experience and will be providing services to the Charter public schools through Family Achievement Center. Nancy has also worked in pediatric outpatient clinics where she has a special interest in hand skills development, visual and visual-motor development, handwriting and feeding development. Nancy enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors.

 

Michelle, B.S.,OTR/L
Michelle graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor of science degree in Occupational Therapy. She has worked with adults and children over her years of experience in a variety of settings both in the USA and abroad including an international NGO in southwestern China and an orphanage in Hong Kong. She has experience in clinic, developmental preschool and home health settings providing early intervention to at-risk infants and children with neurological conditions and developmental delays. She has a desire to serve children and their families and enjoys the rich rewards of watching children develop and reach their full potential through therapeutic interventions. In her free time, Michelle enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, cooking and reading.

 

 

Physical Therapy Department

Katy, PT, DPT

Katy received both her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  She specialized in pediatrics and completed an internship working with young children-- birth to three years old.  Previously, Katy has worked in a rehabilitation center in Savannah, GA where she worked with patients of all ages with orthopedic, neurological, women's health and general diagnoses as well as treated patients using aquatic physical therapy.  Katy also enjoys working with children with autism and worked extensively with this population for five years while pursuing her degrees.  Katy enjoys exercising, traveling, reading and spending time with her family, friends and dog.

 

Jane, PT

Jane received in degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities.  She shares her many years of work experience with the children she treats in a local school district (birth to three program) as well as with the clients she sees at Family Achievement Center.  The favorite part of her job at FAC is working directly with children and their families.  In her free time, Jane enjoys gardening and spending time with her family.

 

Mihaela, PT

Mihaela graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from University of Oradea, Romania. Previously, Mihaela has worked in a variety of rehabilitation centers in Minnesota where she worked with patients of all ages with orthopedic and neurological conditions. Mihaela loves working with patients of all ages and since she has been here at FAC she developed a strong passion for pediatrics. In her free time Mihaela enjoys exercising, fishing with her husband, reading, and chatting on line with her family and friends from Romania.

 

Speech Department

 

Erin, M.S., CCC-SLP

Erin attended college at Illinois State University where she earned her Master of Science degree in speech language pathology and audiology.  Her specialties are with fluency, apraxia, brain injury, and stroke patients.  Erin enjoys scrap booking, going on vacations, and participating in competitive sporting events.

 

 

 

Kenda, M.A., CCC-SLP

Kenda attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and her Master of Arts degree in Speech Language Hearing Sciences. Before joining Family Achievement Center, she worked at a non-profit organization in St. Paul, primarily servicing a therapeutic preschool for at-risk children. In her free time, Kenda enjoys traveling, camping, spending time with her family and friends, and walking her dogs, Remmie and KC.

 

Elizabeth, M.S., CCC-SLP

Elizabeth received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin in River Falls.  She especially enjoys working and providing support to children who have articulation disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders and children who are on the autism spectrum.  In her free time, Elizabeth likes to read, walk her dog and spend time with family and friends

 

Lindsey, M.A., CCC-SLP

Lindsey attended the University of Minnesota where she earned her Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. She continued her education there where she also earned her Master of Arts degree in Spe›ech Pathology. Lindsey has had experience in both educational and medical settings, where she worked with clients with cleft lip/palate, autism, phonological disorder, receptive and expressive language disorders, fluency disorders, apraxia, aphasia, and traumatic brain injury. In her free time, Lindsey enjoys spending time with her husband and her dogs, going camping, playing softball, taking karate, and reading.

 

Rachel, M.S, CCC-SLP

Rachel attended college at Northern Illinois University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Language Pathology. She earned her Master’s of Science degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Before joining Family Achievement Center, she worked at a small clinic in Northern California, specializing in early intervention and social skills groups for children on the Autism Spectrum. In her free time, Rachel enjoys spending time with family
and friends, reading, baking, working out, and traveling.

 

Meijie, M.S., CCC-SLP

Meijie received her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Purdue University and B.S. in Psychology from Singapore. Before joining Family Achievement Center, she worked in a pediatric clinic in Minneapolis and several Twin Cities schools and preschools. Meijie is bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese, and enjoys working with diverse families, as well as in�the areas of articulation, language, and fluency. In her free time, Meijie enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

 

Angela, M.A., CCC-SLP

Angela attended the University of Iowa, where she received her BA in Speech and Hearing Sciences, and received her MA in Speech-Language Pathology from New York University. Angela and her family moved to Minnesota from the Chicago area, where she previously worked in a hospital, several multi-disciplinary clinics, and had a private practice. She specializes in Early Intervention and servicing children with apraxia, hearing impairment, autism spectrum disorders, and providing parent education. Angela is currently servicing the schools for FAC. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, 3 kids, and 2 dogs; participating in and volunteering with the MOMS Club of Woodbury; taking Zumba classes; travelling; and building her health and wellness business.

 

Business Office

 

Deb, Senior Patient Care Coordinator/Scheduler

Deb attended college at the University of Wisconsin where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Preschool Teaching and Child Development.  She enjoys working with and getting to know patients and their families.  In her free time, she enjoys reading, being outdoors, and spending time with family including her two golden retrievers.

 

 

Sarah, Business Office Supervisor

Sarah attended Metropolitan State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree. She enjoys working with children and their families to answer any questions they may have regarding their insurance coverage and claims. In her free time, Sarah enjoys traveling, camping, reading, and spending time with family.