Natalia Lopez is a Russian-English bilingual speech-language pathologist, and the founder of Empower Speech Therapy and Life Skills Center. She obtained her Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees from Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, which was rated one of the top Graduate Programs in Speech-Language Pathology in the nation at the time of her graduation. Natalia holds a Speech Pathology license in the state of California, as well as a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She is a member of the special interest groups for Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC), Language Learning and Education, as well as Administration and Supervision. Additionally, Natalia is a certified Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (CPI) instructor, and she enjoys providing CPI trainings to the Empower team.

Natalia believes that communication is a human right, and is core to one's ability to feel understood. Empower is the vessel for the greater mission of empowering and supporting the community at large. Natalia is passionate about helping people with complex communication needs, people with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, as well as those who have been disillusioned with therapy. She strongly believes that the supportive and positive environment at Empower can facilitate communication for all who walk through our doors.

Natalia enjoys providing assessments, consultations, direct treatment, as well as supervision for Speech Pathology Assistants, Clinical Fellows, and students completing their externship hours. She honors the opportunity to contribute to new generations of therapists, and appreciates the ongoing opportunities for self-growth and reflection that supervision offers.

Natalia emigrated from Moscow, Russia to Brooklyn, NY at the age of eight. She had first-hand experience of having to navigate the world with limited communication while learning English. She grew up among a very wide range of cultures, ethnicities, and religions, which she feels makes her a stronger and more well-rounded therapist. Outside of work, Natalia enjoys spending time with her husband Robert and daughter Alia, traveling all around the beautiful state of CA, enjoying live music and food trucks, and occasionally checking her horoscope!

Melissa returns to us as a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) after completing her Master’s Degree at Idaho State University. Originally, Melissa joined us as a Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant after completing her Bachelor’s Degree at Sacramento State University. She is a native of Northern California but has enjoyed calling Clovis home!

Melissa has experienced a variety of settings and populations that included both adults and pediatric disorders. Melissa is driven to empower her clients and their families with their communication needs. She is passionate about advocating for her patients and providing them with resources they need to feel empowered.

Melissa enjoys working with children with a variety of communication profiles and disorders, as this is where her initial spark came from for the field of speech-language pathology. What really makes Melissa's day is when she can see it "click" with a child and how quickly communication is enhanced with their communication partners. Additionally, she is absolutely inspired by seeing the growth in communication between her client and their care-givers. It's truly amazing.

Melissa also discovered a new love for the adult population during her clinical experience at Idaho State. She enjoyed working with patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries, strokes, and more and advocating for services to assist in regaining swallowing function, cognitive deficits, and expressive and receptive language.

Melissa is excited to rejoin the Empower team as she knows the supportive environment with the staff creates a positive environment for clients to make growth, develop new skills, and/or regain skills that may have been lost. She is happy to be able to support the Central Valley community!

Shonda is a skilled Healthcare Administrator with a passion for delivering high-quality service. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Colorado Technical University, with a focus on Healthcare Management.

Shonda's commitment to quality assurance has enabled her to identify opportunities for improvement in customer service and implement corrective actions to ensure client satisfaction. Shonda's strong communication and interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously have made her a valuable asset to Empower. She enjoys and takes pride in using her skills to support the Empower community and further the mission of providing high quality services to all who walk through Empower's doors.

Outside of her professional life, Shonda is also a dedicated mother. She takes great pride in spending quality time with her children and family during her free time. Shonda's commitment to balancing her personal and professional life is a testament to her strong work ethic and ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.

Evie is a Speech Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA), licensed in California. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from California State University, Fresno, and her SLPA license from California State University, Northridge. Evie is thrilled to be a part of the Empower team, as she is passionate about serving children and their families by helping them find their voice, so they can then in return make a difference in the lives of others.

Evie’s passion for the well being and quality of life of her clients drives her to work hard and to keep the mindset of a lifelong student, always learning and growing, as she continues to hone her skills. 

In her off time, she has worked many years as a camp counselor in the summers at Hume Lake with Jr. High and High school aged kids, and also worked at an entertainment company for children dressing up as Disney Princess acting in character at birthday parties. Evie enjoys a good book, her favorite coffee, and time with loved ones.

Christina Yin is a Speech-Language Pathologist from Texas. She grew up singing in church, choir, and musical events, and studied choral music education and music therapy before switching majors to pursue a career in Speech-Language Pathology, using her voice in a different way—to help others learn and connect.

She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at The University of Texas at Dallas, and began working as a Speech-Language Pathologist for the Garland Independent School District, and also the Round Rock Independent School District upon moving to Austin, TX. She worked with preschool through high school-aged students with a wide range of disabilities during her time in the public schools. She has experience with interventions based on the SCERTS model, the DIR/Floortime model, and the ABA model. She loves working with toddler, preschool, and elementary-aged children—making connections with them, facilitating growth in their speech and language skills, and helping them make connections with their family and friends.

During her free time she enjoys spending time with her friends, her two dogs, and her family. She and her husband relocated to Fresno in spring of 2020. She is grateful for the opportunity to connect with the families and staff at Empower, and seeks to make speech and language learning a worthwhile and enjoyable experience!

Emily Martinez-Figueroa returns to Empower after completing her graduate internship with us. She is a Central Valley native and a Spanish-English bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist Clinical Fellow (CF-SLP) who recently graduated from Emerson College.

Emily now looks forward to serving diverse and dynamic populations within her community and prioritizes personal connections, collaboration, and transparency.  She believes that patient and family centered care are critical for engagement of patients. Emily has found that she loves working with toddler, preschool, and elementary-aged students in providing intervention and assessment.

During her free time, Emily enjoys hiking and looks forward to spending time with family and friends.

Idsel's brother is autistic, and she developed an interest for the field of Speech Pathology from joining her brother's speech therapy sessions, and seeing the importance of communication. She chose this field with the excitement and knowledge that speech-language therapy can be incredibly impactful, as it was for her family.

Prior to receiving her SLPA license, Idsel previously worked as a behavioral therapist in ABA with Autistic children, further solidifying her passion for this population. She saw the power of working *with* her clients versus doing therapy "to", as well as the importance of ongoing collaboration and open communication with caregivers. Idsel also had experience as a Certified Nurse Assistant, where she enjoyed providing care to a variety of cultural and SES background patients.  Idsel is passionate about working with children and always finds a way to make every session fun and exciting, while working toward goals. Her favorite aspects of therapy is seeing the excitement and joy in children when coming to session, and the joy in caregivers when seeing their children make progress and demonstrate skills that was previously challenging.

Priscilla is an licensed Occupational Therapist who is a transplant from San Jose. She earned a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child and Adolescent Development with a minor in Atypical Child Studies, both, from San José State University (Go Spartans!).

She primarily works with children with neurodevelopmental disorders including learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADD/ADHD, Dyspraxia, and developmental delays. She also works with children with physical disabilities, cerebellar ataxia, and rare genetic syndromes (including Cardiofaciocutaneous Syndrome (CFC)).

Her approach to treatment is based on the tenets of Sensory Integration and the ability of sensory input to change a child’s ability to be attentive, interact, be purposeful, and learn new skills in multiple environments. Additional specialty practice areas include brain-based treatment under Harper’s Optimal Protocol for Enrichment (the H.O.P.E. Method), feeding, under the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding, Therapeutic Listening (TL) Program, and a large emphasis on parent education/participation—the true change agents .

She is looking forward to always learning more about the complex field of OT and serving her clients with a whole-heart and consistency.  When she is not working or taking a continuing education class, Priscilla loves to spend time with her husband chasing and wrangling her twin boys Arlo and Conor, lift weights, and explore delectable delights of different food cultures!

Born and raised in the great state of Texas, Erica is now calling Fresno home! After graduating with her BA in Healthcare and Business Administration from University of Texas at Arlington, Erica worked in higher education administration for five years, and is now thrilled to be a part of the Empower family. She is passionate about making sure all the “behind the scenes” processes at Empower run smoothly, and loves connecting and forming relationships with each and every family she works with. Erica understands the importance of imbuing each and every client/family interaction with care, empathy, and compassion, and thoroughly enjoys the professional growth this position offers.

Outside of work, Erica enjoys traveling around California, exploring the Fresno/Clovis area and attending/being involved in church activities. She is also part of the Zipper Club since 2016, as she is an open heart survivor. Serving the community is a passion and she is grateful that Empower also shares that value.

Make sure to stop by and say hello!