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YOUR CHILD’S SUPPORT TEAM
office team | speech-language + feeding | social/emotional | audiology | motor
Office Team
Sarah Myers, MA, CCC-SLP/L
POSITION: Founder, Executive Director + Speech Language Pathologist/Feeding Therapist
SPECIALTIES: Apraxia of speech, speech articulation deficits, phonological deficits, expressive and receptive language disorders, literacy disorders, social-pragmatic deficits, autism spectrum disorder, stuttering/fluency, global developmental delays, auditory processing disorder, various genetic/chromosomal disorders, dysphagia, and feeding deficits
EDUCATION & TRAINING: Master’s of Arts in Communication Sciences & Disorders with Honors from Indiana University; Extensive training in feeding and swallowing therapy, apraxia of speech, and motor speech disorders
WHAT’S YOUR WHY? Growing up with a family member with cerebral palsy, Sarah has always been a natural when it comes to working with individuals with disabilities. This special relationship shaped her childhood in many ways and likely explains her intuitive nature for quickly building meaningful connections with her clients and their families.
FUN FACT: Sarah is quite the singer---she studied vocal performance in college and has even sang on the stage at Carnegie Hall! Did you know that music can even be incorporated into speech therapy sessions? Growing up practically attached to her toy karaoke machine and Fisher Price cassette player, it is not surprising that Sarah found her passion in a career rooted in communication!
IN YOUR FREE TIME: When Sarah isn’t running the show at Way to Grow, you might find her spending time with her husband, toddler, and newborn twins, listening to podcasts, traveling around the Midwest, and spoiling her nieces and nephews!
RANKINGS:
Speech Therapy ★★★★★
Athletic ability ★☆☆☆☆
Laughing louder than anyone else ★★★★☆
CONTACT: Contact Sarah directly at smyers@WaytoGrowPediatrics.com.
LaCreasha "Cre" Griffin
POSITION: Administrative Director
SPECIALTIES: Medical/Office Assistant (i.e.- answering 1,001 questions about insurance!)
EDUCATION & TRAINING: Completed Medical Assistant program at Midwest Technical Institute in 2010
WHAT’S YOUR WHY? Although Cre primarily focuses on keeping the behind-the-scenes of the business running smoothly, she has an undeniable passion for supporting families and serving children. For Cre, this isn’t just work; it is personal. First hand, she watched her niece get diagnosed with hearing impairments and benefit from therapy. Also, her youngest son, Bryston, struggles with letter sounds and dyslexia. He is currently receiving speech therapy support.
FUN FACT: Dedicated and persistent (and maybe a little crazy?!) would be a few good words to describe Cre! A few years ago, she participated in a 7 mile long obstacle course to test her strength and challenge her stamina. It took hours to complete in miserable weather conditions. She was even close to hypothermia, but crossed the finish line with a proud smile on her face!
IN YOUR FREE TIME: Outside of work, Cre spends most of her time with her family, often showcasing her famous cooking skills. She likes to be involved in the community by volunteering at the Midwest Food Bank...and also goes Salsa dancing for fun!
RANKINGS:
All things office ★★★★★
Sleep ★☆☆☆☆
Customer Service ★★★★★
CONTACT: Contact Cre directly at lgriffin@WaytoGrowPediatrics.com.
Paula Patty
POSITION: Administrative Assistant
SPECIALTIES: Customer Service/ Scheduling
EDUCATION & TRAINING: Over 30 years office experience! Most recently in the dental field, licensed insurance agent, numerous coaching and continuing education opportunities.
WHAT’S YOUR WHY? Paula and her husband have 4 grandchildren and 2 of them are receiving speech therapy. She has seen the joy that finally being understood brings. She finds it amazing to see the progress each time she visits them in Wisconsin or they come to Grandma and Papa’s house.
FUN FACT: Paula and her twin sister are published authors of “The Most Amazing Harvest- The Man Behind The Story.” They have also started speaking to groups about the journey and all the God-incidences they had along the way.
IN YOUR FREE TIME: Paula spends most of her free time with family and friends. She has 2 grown children (daughter and son) and a daughter at home in college.- She has a close group of 12 friends from High School that take girls trips each year. She has recently learned to play Mah Jong.
RANKINGS:
Prayer Warrior ★★★★★
Arts & Crafts ★★☆☆☆
Task master of all things office ★★★★★
CONTACT: Contact Paula directly at ppatty@WaytoGrowPediatrics.com.
Angela “Angie” Anderson
POSITION: Office Manager
SPECIALTIES: Customer Service
EDUCATION & TRAINING: BS in Education WIU, Macomb, IL; MA Counselling in Education NAU Flagstaff, AZ
WHAT’S YOUR WHY? Angie has always been, at heart, a teacher. She spent several years teaching both remedial and regular education in Arizona before emigrating to the UK. In the UK Angie found her way back into teaching by opening her own fabric retail business and teaching sewing classes. Angie is happiest when she can be of service to others...with a smile!
FUN FACT: Angie is the youngest child of 7 and proud Aunt to 18 nieces and nephews and Great Aunt to 20, and Great Great Aunt to one and counting. She spent half her life living in England. She has just returned to her home area in the states this year.
IN YOUR FREE TIME: At the top of Angie's list is spending time with family and friends. She also loves creating and crafting with textiles; embroidery, quilting and sewing. Currently she's rebuilding a floor loom that was gifted to her and is excited to take on this new rug making challenge.
RANKINGS:
Organization ★★★★★
Excercising ★☆☆☆☆
Cheerfulness ★★★★★
CONTACT: Contact Angie directly at aanderson@WaytoGrowPediatrics.com.
Natalie Waugh
POSITION: Office Assistant
SPECIALTIES: Customer Service, Personal Training, Nutrition
EDUCATION & TRAINING: Personal Training certifications (CPT, Speed Agility Quickness, Performance Exercise Science) & Nutrition certifications (CNC and Sports Nutrition Coach)
WHAT’S YOUR WHY? Natalie's "why" is rooted in helping others unlock their full potential and her love for kids. She has been empowering her clients to reach their goals as a personal trainer and nutrition coach for almost 4 years now. Whether being a welcoming face in the office or coaching clients in the gym, she is driven by the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people's lives!
FUN FACT: Natalie did dance and tumbling from the ages of 2 to18 and even had the opportunity to perform at Disney World!
IN YOUR FREE TIME: When Natalie is not at the office or the gym training, you can find her doing something active (especially outdoors) or grabbing coffee with her friends!
RANKINGS:
Exercise + Nutrition ★★★★★
Ability to go without coffee ☆☆☆☆☆
Most likely to laugh at anything ★★★★☆
CONTACT: Contact Natalie directly at NWaugh@waytogrowpediatrics.com
Kianna Lovingood CPC-A
POSITION: Billing Specialist
SPECIALTIES: Certified Medical Coder
EDUCATION & TRAINING: Studied one year at Midwest Technical Institute for medical coding and billing, graduated as an ambassador with a professional coding certification.
WHAT’S YOUR WHY? As a young woman adventuring into adulthood, Kianna is looking for something family oriented ,where she can pursue her interest in becoming a medical coding educator in the future! Kianna has always been about family and keeping everyone together! She grew up taking care of some of her younger cousins , she also has a few nieces and even a nephew on the way! She enjoys meeting new people and creating relationships with everyone she meets! She feels Way To Grow will be a great opportunity to build and create the pathway into her new career and education.
FUN FACT: Kianna has always been a child at heart and enjoys many activities that a child would enjoy, such as board games or video games , coloring and painting or something as simple as watching some of her favorite cartoons!
IN YOUR FREE TIME: When Kianna isn't glued to the computer screen ,you can find her baking a delicious treat for the week , taking walks or going to the gym. She also enjoys listening to podcasts and journaling while drinking tea to relax. Something she enjoys most of all is spending lots of time with her family , having family dinners and family game nights. If you catch her on the right night you might catch her in the isles of target!
RANKINGS:
Finding Things ★★★★★
Keeping Gas in the Car ★☆☆☆☆
Impulsive Shopping ★★★★★
CONTACT: Contact Kianna directly at klovingood@waytogrowpediatrics.com.
Brianne “Brie” Jacob
POSITION: Office Assistant
SPECIALTIES: Organizational guru. Loves to laminate, color coordinate, and label all the things. She is always looking for the next best way to improve protocols and life tasks.
EDUCATION & TRAINING: Background in communications. Life long learner. Mama to a neurodivergent daughter who teaches her look at the world in different colors.
WHAT’S YOUR WHY? Her amazing daughter Isla. After learning of her neurodivergence and letting the diagnosis sink in, she has embraced this culture and advocates for her fiercely as well as for others on the same journey.
FUN FACT: Foodie. Loves to discover the hidden gems wherever she travels. She has a zest for life and doesn’t know a stranger, especially when surrounded with sumptuous cuisine and bold red wine.
IN YOUR FREE TIME: Avid book lover, specifically non fiction. Entertaining friends with good food and drinks. Finding new and creative ways to teach her daughter as they explore the unschool curriculum.
RANKINGS:
Organizing ★★★★★
Baking ★★☆☆☆
PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) Pro ★★★★★
CONTACT: Contact Brie directly at bjacob@waytogrowpediatrics.com.
Holly Rockey
POSITION: Billing Team Manager
SPECIALTIES: Full cycle revenue experience, problem solving, creating systems, and patient care.
EDUCATION & TRAINING: Holly has 22 years of medical billing experience, receiving a Medical Billing certification and Coding certification from AMS Medical Billing School in 2003. Holly also studied physical therapy at Morton College, and in 2006 was on the President's Academic List.
WHAT’S YOUR WHY? Having a son who was on the spectrum as a young child, Holly has seen the transformation that ECI, therapy, and faith can have on a child's progress. Everyone deserves to be seen and loved for their uniqueness. She loves knowing that her work is truly making a difference.
FUN FACT: Holly is always up for an adventure from zip lining down a mountain, to swimming with dolphins, manta ray, and tiger sharks, and one days wants to skydive. She is also currently studying to be a wrestling referee.
IN YOUR FREE TIME: Holly loves being a mom and her son's paparazzi at all of his sporting, music, and theater events. She loves decorating, singing, art and craft projects, gardening, football, wrestling. She also loves spending time with her chow chow and best friend Ruby, who loves to go everywhere with her. Holly loves a good adventure but also loves staying at home working on a project with Taylor Swift playing in the background. She also enjoys teaching sunday school and women's bible studies.
RANKINGS:
Loudest Mom Cheering ★★★★★
Medical Billing ★★★★★
Cheering the right kid’s name ★★★☆☆
Josie DeBord
POSITION: Fall Intern 2024 ; Student Employee
SPECIALTIES: Organization, color coding, labeling, cleaning, finding new ways to complete tasks that work for an individual
EDUCATION & TRAINING: Josie is currently finishing her undergraduate degree at Bradley University. In December she plans to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology & Health Science with a double minor in Health + Family Consumer Science. She will attend the OTD program at St. Ambrose in the fall in hopes to pursue a career in pediatric occupational therapy.
WHAT’S YOUR WHY? Josie has always loved working with kids. She feels that she is able to quickly bond with new individuals and create a comfortable environment for the children to be themselves and feel safe. Her engagement with her church’s Vacation Bible School program in the summer along with volunteering her time to help with the Sunday school program has opened her eyes to a whole new world of occupational therapy.
FUN FACT: Josie has been to Disney World 6 times and is planning to go back in the next few years!
IN YOUR FREE TIME: When Josie isn’t at work or school, you can find her snuggling her French bulldogs on the couch, watching new shows with her roommates, going for walks outside, or listening to audiobooks. She likes to see how long she can go without shopping for clothes or new shows, but she always seems to end up at her favorite stores.
RANKINGS: