Melanie Meeker graduated from Harding University in 1995 and from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1997. She joined the Harding faculty in 2008 with a background in medical speech pathology. Her expertise is in adult neurogenic communication disorders, dysphagia, and interprofessional education and practice. She completed her Ph.D. from the University of Central Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and University of Arkansas Medical Sciences consortium in 2012. She was presented with the Distinguished Teacher Award in 2017 and assumed the role of department Chair in 2018.
Melanie is certified in LSVT LOUD treatment for individuals with Parkinson's and related disorders and in the McNeil Dysphagia Treatment Program for individuals with swallowing disorders. She serves as the CSD representative to the Interprofessional Education Steering Committee at Harding and is a site visitor for the Council of Academic Accreditation in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
Jennifer Fisher joined the Harding University faculty in 2007. She has extensive experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist, having served in various settings, including public schools (where she worked with students from kindergarten through 12th grade), preschool, rehabilitation, and home health. Jennifer holds a B.A. from Harding University, and a M.S. from the University of Central Arkansas, and in 2022, she earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Harding University. Her doctoral research focused on students' perceived value of peer feedback within a Team-Based Learning pedagogy.
In addition, Jennifer serves as the President of the Board for Stirrups and Smiles, a local non-profit organization offering equine-assisted therapy, and is a member of the American Hippotherapy Association.
April Watson graduated from Harding University with her B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 1999 and earned her M.A. in Communication Disorders at Southeast Missouri State University in 2001. Her background is in medical speech pathology, with most of her career spent working in hospitals, rehabilitation, and home health. She also spent five years serving adults with disabilities in a developmental day treatment program before joining the Harding faculty in 2014.
April holds the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) certification and is an ACUE-trained educator. She is trained in the flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and performs nasendoscopy/video stroboscopy exams in the speech clinic. She is also a trained co-facilitator for Verdi, the speech clinic's facility dog. Her professional interests include swallowing disorders, adult language, voice, and cognitive disorders.
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