Donna Schulman
MS, OTR/L
Owner/Director
Donna received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy in 1991 from the University of Texas Medical Branch and has been an occupational therapist for twenty years. She has worked with special needs children in public school classrooms and has experience working in rehabilitation hospitals and hand clinics. Donna has experience in directly working with children with a variety of disabilities including autism, developmental delay, cerebral palsy and language disorder. She has also provided educational inservices related to developmental disabilities to parents and teachers. In addition, Donna received a Master of Science degree in Psychology from California Coast University in 2008. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the Georgia Occupational Therapy Association (GOTA). Donna is married to Alan, has two children, Karleigh and Sam and is a member of Due West United Methodist Church where she sings in the contemporary church band. She and her husband can be heard around town performing in their duo, Too Smooth.
Tammy Wissing,
Office Manager/Billing
Tammy is the office manager. She lives in Acworth with her husband and 3 children. She enjoys watching her boys play baseball and Lacrosse and her daughter do flips in gymnastics. Tammy grew up in the Kennesaw/Acworth area and has seen a lot of change and growth. Tammy states that “It is so nice to have a therapy clinic in the area to help such amazing kids and I am so grateful to be a part of it. I am here to help the therapists, office staff and parents in whatever way I can.”
Diane Coker
Administrative Assistant
Diane has over 35 years of clerical experience. She retired from the City of Kennesaw where she was the former City Clerk from 1997 through 2004. Diane does a little bit of everything in the office assisting everyone from the office staff, the therapists, the patients and the parents/grandparents. In addition, she keeps the patient files updated and assists with insurance billing. Diane is married to O’Neal Coker and has three grown children, one being Tammy Wissing, the clinic office manager. She enjoys gardening, knitting, reading and hanging out with her seven grandchildren.
Holly Arko
Appointments/Scheduling
Holly is our part time scheduler and front office administrator. In this role Holly looks after/coordinates/manages all aspects of the schedule and front office responsibilities. She’s a big believer in charities, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Make A Wish, ASPCA, Humane Society and Breast Cancer Awareness.
Holly’s experience includes more than 10 years of similar office work and also a background in finance. Before joining The Pediatric Therapy Clinic, Holly was a stay at home Mom for eight years, and also worked for a diverse range of organizations, including UBS, Scott & Stringfellow, and other doctor’s offices. Holly is married and has one daughter. She enjoys reading, exercising, and hanging out with family and friends.
Lane Parker
MCD,CCC/SLP
Lane received her Master of Science Degree in Communications Disorders from Auburn University in 2003. She currently works with children in the classroom and has experience in hospital rehab clinics as a speech language pathologist. Lane’s experience working with developmentally delayed children, ages 3 to 18, makes her an invaluable asset to The Pediatric Therapy Clinic. She is involved with a literacy program called “Reading HERO”, which encourages underprivileged children to learn to read. Lane is involved with the Young Survival Coalition for Breast Cancer and walks the 60 mile Breast Cancer 3-Day each year. She is also an active member of the Junior League of Cobb-Marietta.
Somer Smith
MS, CCC/SLP
Somer received her Bachelor of Science Education in Communication Disorders from the University of Georgia in 1999 and her Master of Science in Communication Disorders from Western Carolina University in 2002. In addition to The Pediatric Therapy Clinic, Somer works for a local school system as a Speech Language Pathologist and Diagnostician. She has experience treating children with a variety of diagnoses including autism, developmental delay, and various communication disorders in multiple settings. Somer is licensed by the state of Georgia and holds board certification from the American Speech Language Hearing Association. She is currently enrolled in Lincoln Memorial University to obtain an Educational Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Somer is married and has two beautiful children.
Pat Phillips
Ed.S, CCC-SLP
Pat received her Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology from San Jose State University in California in 1980, and her Specialist degree in Leadership & Supervision from the University of West Georgia. She has worked with children at all levels from preschool to high school, as well as adults in the private therapy setting. Her clinical experiences have included a wide range of communicative disorders – fluency, voice, articulation, language, and pragmatics. Pat has expertise and a special interest in augmentative and alternative communication, as well as written language skills in adolescents. In her free time, she enjoys her grandchildren, gardening and singing in her church choir.
Amy Scholl
Amy Scholl was raised in the small town of Swainsboro, Georgia. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Georgia with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Her undergraduate education was enriched by a study abroad program in London, England, focused in Audiology and the provision of speech services to children with hearing impairments. She received a graduate degree in Speech and Langauge Pathology from Marquette University, a program unique in its partnership with the Marquette University College of Dentistry. She has experience working in medical, educational, and clinical settings and brings more than ten years of experience in the field of Speech Language Pathology to her current position at the Pediatric Therapy Clinic. She is highly skilled in providing intervention to children with articulation, voice, language and fluency disorders and has experience working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, pragmatic and semantic language disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, and Specific Learning Disabilities. Feeling a strong sense of community, Amy serves as the leader of an inclusive Girl Scout troop, actively volunteers at her church, and serves in leadership roles within professional organizations. She lives in Cobb County with her two children, Chloe and Lawson.
Katie Keel
OTR/L
Katie graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in O.T. in 2002 from The Medical College of Georgia. She has broad experience working with patients with a variety of needs, both in the hospital setting as well as in the classroom. Katie has worked with children from pre-k to 21 years with a wide range of disabilities including Autism, Developmental Delays, Learning Disabilities, ADHD, CP, Downs Syndrome, Behavior Disorders, and many more. She is also currently in the process of becoming certified in personal training as well as nutrition consultation. In her off time, she enjoys spending time with her husband Chad, two daughters Chloe and Campbell, along with working out.
Karen Parris
CCC-SLP
Karen Parris earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Speech Pathology from the University of West Georgia and graduated Summa cum Laude with two Associate’s degrees from Floyd College. The University of West Georgia conferred the “Outstanding Field Service” award to Karen in 2006. In addition, Karen was recommended for “Teacher of the Year” in 2008, 2009, and 2010 from Shelton Elementary school in Paulding County.
Karen has 6 plus years experience as a speech-language pathologist working with mainly preschool and elementary-aged children along with some middle school and high-school students in the school systems as well as privately. She is a certified member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensed to practice speech-language therapy with the State of Georgia.
Karen is a lifelong learner in the field, completing many continuing education workshops and courses each year. She has experience working with a wide range of clients including, but not limited to, children with articulation, language, phonological, fluency, voice, auditory processing, and pragmatic/social skill delays. She has served children in many arenas including special needs preschool, special needs kindergarten, mild to moderately intellectually disabled, and severe to profound classes. In addition, Karen has experience with children who have augmentative communication needs, hearing impairments, and Autism.
Karen lives in Acworth and is happily married with two wonderful teenage sons. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and researching new techniques in the field of speech-language pathology.
Lisa Kovitch
Behavior Specialist
Lisa received her B.A. at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA and her Master’s Degree in Community Psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Lisa has completed all Behavior Analyst coursework with Florida Institute of Technology and will soon be eligible to take the certification exam to be a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has extensive experience working with children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with a variety of developmental disorders including those on the Autism Spectrum. She uses the Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) curriculum, designs token economy systems, and conducts functional behavioral analyses (FBA’s) when setting up and working with clients. Lisa believes that working with the client in their natural environments and providing support to the patient’s family are very important. Although there is no resemblance to the famed reality TV star, Jo, Lisa is known as “The Nanny” amongst those who work with her. Lisa is new to Georgia from Pennsylvania, has published several articles and books regarding Jewish history and has three wonderful children.
Jill R. Alford
MBA
The Learning Garden
Jill is a Special Education teacher, Georgia Certified and Highly Qualified to teach k through 5 grades. Jill is currently seeking a Master of Science in Elementary Reading and Math from Walden University. Her anticipation graduation date is December 2010. Jill has worked with children with developmental disabilities for over 8 years. She has designed and implemented classroom intervention and skill acquisition programs for elementary children of varying abilities. Currently, Jill enjoys tutoring students in reading and mathematics to unlock their academic potential. Additionally, Jill has a MBA from Brenau University, 1989, and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from Georgia Southern University, 1980. Earlier in life, she worked as a Quality Engineer at Lockheed-Martin for 15 years before making a career change to teaching. It is interesting to note, that Jill wanted to be a special education teacher as a child and education was her first major at school. She has now come full circle to teach and perform the work with children that she loves.