OUR MISSION
We are a client and family-centered practice, grateful for the opportunity to make meaningful differences in the lives of the families we serve.
Administration Department
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.
Speech-Language Pathology Department
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!
Early Intervention Department
Elizabeth was born and raised in Los Angeles where she completed her Master's degrees in Special Education and Advanced Studies in Child Life. She worked for several years as a Certified Child Life Specialist before becoming our Director of Early Intervention Services! Elizabeth has a passion for providing relationship-based family-centered care to families of all kinds, with a special emphasis on those with extra medical needs. When she isn't building our program, she spends her time with her family, her animals, and her garden.
Empower Speech Therapy & Life Skills Center PC
7170 N Financial Dr. #101
Fresno, CA 93720
Call (559) 801-2626
Fax (559) 314-6166