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Founder: Maria Fanning M.S. CCC-SLP/L
Maria is a bilingual speech language pathologist who graduated from Northern Illinois University with her Bachelor of Science degree, and then graduated from Rush University Medical Center with her Master of Science degree. She is in the process of completing her second Master's degree in Educational Leadership. She started out her career as a contracted therapist. She has traveled across country helping districts, students, and families. Through all of those experiences, she ended up coming back to Illinois working as a contracted SLP and occasionally as a district based SLP. She has been an SLP for 17 years and has been in positions of leadership for five years.
She started her own company in 2015 for many reasons. First and foremost, she wanted to create a company she would like to work for. In her years as a contract SLP, she had to push for salary increases and was not paid a fair wage in exchange for services provided from other larger contract agencies. Maria would like to start a new path, a path where professionals know their value and are compensated appropriately. "Many of us have heavy student loans to pay, families to feed, etc. We deserve a fair and comparable wage for all the work we do and the lives we touch. Know your worth my friends, know your worth" With that being said, we fully believe in treating our district partners with the same level of dignity and respect. There is so much need out there. We are here to help and support all stake holders: our staff, our district partners, students, and families. "What makes us different than other companies is that we have some of the highest industry standards. I personally observe all of our team members. We support each other, have excellent communication, and we strive to be life long learners. We have monthly trainings and platforms where we can share materials, ask questions, and have needed collegiate relationships and conversations. You are never alone here at Agape because we are a family, and you have a support system here with us."
~Maria Fanning M.S. CCC-SLP/L
Ilda Castaneda - As Agape’s Administrative Assistant and Lead District Recruiter, Ilda plays a key role in supporting leadership and building relationships with school districts to connect them with our exceptional providers. Her experience across various medical field environments has strengthened her administrative skills and deepened her passion for helping others!
Outside of work, Ilda loves savoring a great cup of coffee—whether discovered at a local café or crafted at home—while creating sweet, meaningful moments with her growing family.
Sarah Baily received her Master’s in Speech and Language Pathology from SUNY Plattsburgh. She is currently living in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Sarah has experience working in a variety of educational settings. She has provided speech and language therapy for children with various diagnoses including receptive and expressive language delays and disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, fluency disorders, pragmatic language disorders, and autism spectrum disorders.
In her spare time, Sarah loves to spend time outside with her dog, Izzie, attend concerts, travel, and spend time with family and friends.
Milly Espinoza is a bilingual speech language pathologist in her clincal fellowship year who is originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador and a native Spanish speaker who has lived in Texas for the past 14 years. Milly began her career working with children at 19 years old as a preschool teacher, where she met a young boy with Angelman Syndrome who inspired her to begin her journey in helping children with special needs. After researching careers related to the special needs population, she fell in love with speech and language pathology.
Upon finishing her first degree in mass communication, she switched fields and began her studies in communication disorders and deaf education. Through her time as a graduate student, Milly realized the need for bilingual speech therapists and, as a bilingual person herself, quickly decided to specialize in this area. She also has a special interest in alternative and assistive communication for bilingual children and the ever-growing field of teletherapy.
Wendy Goltz is a speech-language pathologist
in Avon, Minnesota. In 2012 she earned her M.S. Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. Since then, she provided therapy in an educational setting in person and through teletherapy to students ages 4-21 years old with a variety of disorders. For nine of the years since graduation, she worked in a Level IV behavioral setting,
which included elementary, middle, and high school students. Additionally, during this placement, she provided services to students attending private schools, an Autism program, and an 18-21 transition program. While she enjoyed the variety and challenges of that position, this year she is working with first and second graders and is loving focusing on this fun age group.
On a personal note, Wendy has been married to her husband Pat since 2007. She loves exploring and enjoying life with him, family, friends, and her two cats, Simon and Sasha. She can be found fishing, swimming, playing games, pellet grilling, and doing many other activities, but she is rarely found “being bored.”
Nura Husein is a multilingual speech language pathology assistant (SLPA) who resides in Illinois. Her family is originally from Jordan, but she grew up in Brazil where she learned Spanish, Portuguese, and English. She is also proficient in Arabic. She worked for many years as an interpreter, but she loves working as an SLPA and helping children with a variety of needs. She is always learning new things, and she is always willing to help those around her. Her favorite place to visit is Thailand and she loves Thai food!
Ivonne Mendoza-Virgen is a bilingual speech language pathologist who is originally from Colombia. She attended Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology and Elmhurst University in Elmhurst, Illinois where she earned her Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology. Ivonne holds her national certification from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, as well as her license to practice speech-language pathology in Illinois. She holds a bilingual endorsement. She is bilingual in English and Spanish. Ivonne’s clinical experiences include working with children in early childhood centers and elementary schools. Ivonne has served children with a variety of articulation and phonological processing disorders, expressive and receptive language delays and disorders.
Ivonne believes it is essential to collaborate with all members of the care team and wants to actively engage teachers and caregivers in children’s treatment plans. Outside of work Ivonne loves doing Yoga, taking long walks with her dog, cooking Columbian food, and painting.
Ben Norrell is a bilingual speech language pathologist in his clinical fellowship year. He grew up in the Dominican Republic. Growing up as a third-culture kid was a beautiful and unique experience. When he moved to the US, he studied to be an educator during his undergraduate degree and then taught English to Language Learners for 6 years in the US public school system. During that time, he noticed the unmet needs within the Spanish-speaking community for bilingual Speech Therapists, which led him to shift careers and become a bilingual SLP!
Laura B. Palait is a Speech-Language Pathologist in Clifton Park, New York. She graduated with her MS in Communication Disorders from SUNY New Paltz in 2018 and has since worked with children of all ages in schools. Her favorite part of being an SLP is fostering relationships with her students. She is a wife to husband Aaron and a mother to one daughter and 2 French Bulldogs. She likes to sing, read, and bake when she has the time. She is an animal lover and has not one, but three fish tanks!
Maggie Potter has been a Speech Language Pathologist since 2016. She has served as an SLP in both the medical field and in the public schools. She feesl honored to have received her bachelor's degree at Elmhurst University and continued on to earn her master's degree at Midwestern University. Her free time is saturated with growing her Ghirardelli Chocolate Covered Strawberry business at local Farmer’s Markets and by catering special events, spending quality time with the special people in her life, taking care of her two cats, trying new recipes, and getting outside for a hike or bike ride whenever possible. She also enjoys community service, going to church, and volunteering. She feels blessed to be able to serve children and families as a new member of the Agape team!
Angela Reif is a speech language pathologist who lives on Long Island in New York with her husband and 2 kids. She loves boating, camping and sports! She graduated with her Masters in 2014 from Molloy College and then completed her clinical fellowship working for City of Philadelphia schools. Since then she has been back in NY working primarily with the 3-5 age population. She loves the enthusiasm and excitement that the younger children bring to the sessions!
Molly is a speech language pathologist who graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with her Bachelor of Art degree, and then graduated from Governor State University with her Master of Science degree. Since then, Molly has provided therapy in educational settings in-person and through tele-therapy with children of all abilities from ages 3-21. Molly loves building rapport with her students and seeing them progress in therapy while having fun! In her spare time, Molly enjoys spending time with her husband and their 2 dogs, hiking, reading, and binging the latest shows.
Holly Magdalin is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor from the Chicagoland area and has been working in the field of adult mental health and substance use disorders for over 10 years. Holly obtained two Bachelors of Science Degrees in Communicative Disorders and Health Sciences in addition to her Master of Arts Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling all at Northern Illinois University. On a personal note, Holly has been married to her husband Nick since 2012 and is a mother of two. In her free time, Holly enjoys reading, spending time outdoors with her family, and is a self-proclaimed foodie.
Rosalyn is a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist passionate about advocacy, AAC, literacy and language interventions. Before earning her graduate degree from California State University, East Bay Rosalyn worked developing curricula for women’s literacy programs and international development. After graduate school, Rosalyn worked for 4 years in a school district’s education preschool program collaborating with special education teachers, vision specialists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists to best serve her students and their families. Rosalyn values the role of families in children’s communication development. She believes that therapy works best when it is fun, natural, and incorporated into everyday interactions with important people in their lives. Kids learn to communicate best when they are regulated and happy! Each year, she heads a volunteer program to assist hopeful first-generation college graduates with their speech pathology graduate school applications to increase the number of diverse, bilingual therapists in the profession. Giving back to her community is an important part of her life. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors, reading, and spending time with her family
Crista Crawford received her B.A. and M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and M.A. in Education Studies with an emphasis in reading from McKendree University. Crista has been a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist for 26 years and has worked within the school system from Pre-K through High School. She loves building skills that students can apply in the classroom including articulation, phonology, expressive and receptive language skills, and fluency. Crista has two wonderful daughters in college, and she enjoys reading, writing, planting flowers, and spoiling her fluffy cat Sir Lancelot.
Linda went back to school when her daughters were 2 1/2 and 5. Her oldest was sick her 2nd year in college so it delayed her education another semester. Then she had her 3rd daughter during her junior year of college. She received her masters at 34 and moved to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. She worked 5 years for McHenry County in Illinois, then worked 17 for Harvard in Illinois, where she met and worked with Maria. She is not bilingual, but received an endorsement in ESL. This year she did an online training to become a certified Autism specialist. She was married last year and moved up to Chilton, Wisconsin. She currently works in Kiel, 15 minutes away. She loves kayaking, gardening, reading, bicycling, riding her hubby’s Harley, and being outside. She also is addicted to flowers—love planting them! She also enjoys helping with middle school kids at the girls and boys club.
Dr. Jenna Luque, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with over 15 years of experience. She received her MA in Speech-Language Pathology from University of Florida, her MA in Linguistics from Northwestern University, and her PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders from University of South Florida. For the past 10 years, she has been teaching at University of South Florida as an Assistant and then Associate Professor of Instruction. Her pediatric experience has ranged from ages 3-21 in both the school and private practice settings. She is also the owner of Dr. Luque English Communication, a practice that focuses on accent enhancement. When not working, you can find her hanging out with her kids, reading, or taking a nap!
Jenee Brown is Speech-Language Pathologist located in Southern Illinois; holding ASHA CCC-SLP, as well as licensure in IL and MO. She received her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2018, and is currently in her 6th year as an SLP. She has experience serving students from Pre-K through high school, as well as older students within vocational settings. She has been afforded a great variety of opportunities to work with students with a wide range of abilities and challenges. One of her favorite things is building rapport with each student she meets, and creatively working to meet them where they are at, so that they can grow and reach their full potential. Related areas of interest include: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Gestalt Language Processing, and Natural Language Acquisition.
In her freetime, you can find her spending quality time with her daughter and family, tending to her beloved pets, or dabbling in one of many creative outlets, such as sewing, photography/photo editing, learning new languages, or calligraphy! Fun fact: She has just begun learning to play violin!
Jasmine Castaneda is a bilingual speech language pathologist in Illinois. She received her Bachelors and Masters degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Elmhurst University. Outside of doing speech therapy, she has a bit of a green thumb. She can’t resist bringing home new indoor plants! She enjoys visiting the local farmers market and spending quality time with her daughter and family.
Jenny grew up and studied in the beautiful town of Woodstock, IL where she served her community as an Insurance Advisor. There she discovered a passion for helping those around her. Looking to extend her desire to serve others, Jenny volunteers as a Sunday school teacher where she found joy working with children. She is caring and motivated to continue to grow and develop her professional life.
When not at work you will find her spending time with family at Baseball games and volleyball tournaments. She is her young family’s biggest cheerleader.
Audrey Hermsmeier has been a speech-language pathologist since 2006. She has worked in a variety of settings, including skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and schools (pre-k through Jr high). She has also worked in specialized schools based on ABA and RAD, both therapeutic schooling for children with behaviors and social emotional difficulties. Audrey graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Western Illinois University.
Audrey is a wife and a mom to 4 children. She stays very busy with her kids’ activities. When she can find free time, she loves to garden and do yard work. If she could, she would spend her entire day outside!
Katelyn Ortega is a dedicated speech-language pathologist with a Master of Science from Carlos Albizu University. From Miami, Florida, she has experience in private practice, Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) centers, and school settings. Passionate about helping children strengthen their communication skills, she currently serves as a remote school-based SLP in Illinois, providing personalized interventions that foster confidence and independence. Katelyn values family, faith, friendship, and laughter. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, embracing the outdoors through boating, fishing, and hunting, or unwinding with a good book.
My name is Mariah Wall, and I love a good adventure. And, as we all know, being an educator brings its own kind of adventure each and every day. As a School Psychologist, I earned my Specialist degree in School Psychology from Nova Southeastern University in Tampa, Florida. With 8 years of experience in the field, I'm passionate about supporting students and their families. Outside of being a school psychologist, you can find me with my pup, Tanner, doing hot yoga and CrossFit, making attempts to keep all of my plants alive, or traveling to a new destination. Cheers to new adventures!
Marina Couch, M.S., CCC-SLP is a Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist based out of Milwaukee, WI. She has been certified and licensed as an SLP for over 12 years. She attended Davidson College in North Carolina where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish Language and Literature and a concentration in Education. Marina continued on to Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI where she earned her Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology and was a graduate assistant for the Wisconsin Reading Acquisition Program (WRAP). In addition to her Masters, she holds a Bilingual Certificate from Marquette University, specializing in assessment and intervention of bilingual populations.
Marina has worked in a variety of settings including public and charter schools (in person and virtually) as well as early intervention for Milwaukee County. She gained additional experience in craniofacial disorders through the Craniofacial Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Inpatient Rehab at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center while a student at Marquette.
In her time outside of work, Marina enjoys cooking, reading, spending time outside, working out, traveling, singing, and playing the piano. She is a mom to 2 young boys who keep her on her toes!
Currently a faclitor looking to become SLP. I love working with people I have 20 years experience in healthcare.
Hello! I'm Jenny Guth, a passionate Speech-Language Pathologist with over 17 years of experience. I believe that communication is all about celebrating the unique perspectives of each individual, ensuring that everyone feels heard and understood. My expertise includes augmentative alternative communication (AAC), autism spectrum disorder, and literacy, and I love empowering people to express themselves confidently.
When I'm not working, you can find me diving into new topics—I'm a lifelong learner who thrives on exploring subjects like Egyptology and astronomy. I share my home with my adorable 7-year-old Italian Greyhound, Luna, who keeps me on my toes and fills my days with joy. I also have a soft spot for dogs and enjoy spending time outdoors, soaking in the beauty of nature.
I strive to bring empathy and inclusivity to my practice, and I want to support my students every step of the way on their communication journey!
Patty Kolesa has been a Speech Language Pathologist for 31 years. She was born in Missouri and attended SEMO for undergrad and Fontbonne University for her Master's in Speech Pathology. Patty began her career at the Illinois Center for Autism in Fairview Heights IL for several years, before moving on to the public schools for Special School District of St. Louis County. There she served both the South County area and rounded out her career in the North region at Hazelwood Schools for the last 15 years. She loved working online with students and their families during Covid, and finally made the leap to pursue teletherapy full time this last school year. She also spent several years as an Early Intervention provider for Illinois before returning to the public schools for the last 15 years. Patty really thrived working with families during home visits and online during Covid. She actually felt teleservices at those times was a blessing to get families more involved and gain more insight into the students' functioning in their home environments.
Patty lives in Alton, IL not too far from St. Louis, along wiith her husband, 20 year old son, and dog. She enjoys watching movies, chatting it up with friends, walking at the Nature Institute, driving up the Great River Road, studying genealogy, trying to relearn Spanish and ASL she learned in high school, singing along to Joy FM, playing cards with family, playing the piano and dabbling with other instruments, and laughing with her son watching "fail" videos. Teletherapy is rewarding and a great option for both students AND therapists!
Hannah Sheppard is a speech-language pathologist from southwestern Illinois who has been practicing within the school system since 2019. She began providing services at a therapeutic day school for students on the autism spectrum. Beginning in 2022, Hannah has been providing teletherapy to school districts around Illinois, and she has learned so much valuable information about the process. Hannah enjoys working with all of her students in whatever area is needed, but her specialty is providing neurodiversity-affirming services, including those that target pragmatic language, executive functioning, and self-determination/advocacy skills.
In her free time, Hannah enjoys reading, spending time with friends, family, and her two dogs, Sif and Buckley, and info-dumping about her favorite birds, bugs, and fungi.
Rachael McKenzie is a Tech Facilitator & IT support assistant for the Agape team at RPS 205. She has a strong desire to see children grow, learn how to express themselves, and feel valued just as they are. In her free time she loves to listen to or learn to play songs on her guitar, watch a new movie in theaters (or at home), and spend time with family playing video games or exploring.
"Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people." Mr. Rogers
Hello My name is Melissa I am pleased to be here for this year and hope to be for many more, I have held many titles in my life, I have been in healthcare for almost 30 years, to CNC to CDL and behavioral technician to mention some, but again I'm looking for this to be my last stop to developing and incorporate into more career development
This is my third year working for Agape. I began my career as a Speech Language Pathologist in my thirties when I had three children. While in graduate school, I was a speech assistant at a brain injury rehabilitation clinic and was fascinated with neurology. I chose to work in the schools so I could spend the time I could in the summer with my kids. I've volunteered at a camp for kids who stutter (ages 8-18) approximately 10 or more different summers and was also a facilitator there training other SLPs and graduate students.
Over the span of my 25 year career I have played many roles and while I've attended continuing education in several areas of our vast field of study, I've focused most on Stuttering, Autism, and earlier in my career, ADHD. I received a certified autism expert certificate in an online program. I also have an endorsement in teaching English as a second language.
I've learned over the years to communicate frequently and honestly with parents of the students I see and I am not afraid to admit when I don't know something, nor am I afraid to share what I do know!
Personally, my husband, my 3 daughters and my twin grandsons are the joys of my life and I look forward to the day when I can devote more time to them after my career winds down.
Becca has been working as a speech-language pathologist since she graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2021. She has worked in the elementary school setting with birth-3, early childhood, and young elementary aged students. Becca's favorite part of her job is seeing the progress her students make and empowering them to use their voice to be an advocate for themselves. She enjoys small town living in southeast Minnesota with her husband, Ethan, two daughters, Wren and Greta, and dog, Bodie. You can often find her spending time with family and friends, running, reading, baking, crocheting, or trying coffee from coffee shops near and far.
Kelly Smith-Vernon, M.A., Ed., M.A., CCC-SLP is a dedicated educational professional with dual master’s degrees in Educational Administration and Speech-Language Pathology. She holds national certification through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and brings more than 27 years of extensive clinical experience to her work.
Mrs. Smith-Vernon’s areas of expertise include literacy, special education and related services, autism, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), speech sound disorders, child language disorders, fluency disorders, multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS), telepractice, and supervision/mentoring. Throughout her career, she has served as a speech language pathologist, supervisor and mentor, and most recently, as a digital content creator and educational consultant.
As a young child, Kelly struggled with speech clarity and developed selective mutism in many social settings. Beginning speech therapy at the age of three profoundly changed the trajectory of her life. She remains deeply grateful for those early interventions and is passionately committed to helping children, families, and professionals achieve improved communication outcomes in efficient, meaningful ways.
Mrs. Smith-Vernon strongly believes in the power of a collaborative, team based approach and actively empowers families and educational staff to support children’s communication growth. She has been invited to speak at numerous professional events, sharing her expertise on building effective multi-tiered systems of support and leveraging teamwork to improve student outcomes.
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