Hill Country Summer Institute

• Beyond the Numbers: Evaluating Low Incidence Disabilities with Equity and Insight with Ashley Arnold, 2.75 NASP CPD, 2.5 TSHA CEU
• Intersection of Mental Health and Special Education with Elvin Houston, Attorney at Law, 2.75 NASP CPD
• From Techniques to Beyond: Advanced CBT for School-Based Counseling with Ray Christner, 2.75 NASP CPD
• Empowering Multilingual Clients and Families through Multilingual Assessments and Treatment with Chelsea Cornejo, 2.5 TSHA CEU
• Collaborative Assessment within a Science of Reading Framework: Identification and Intervention for EL and Monolingual Children with Andrew Shanock, 2.75 NASP CPD, 2.5 TSHA CEU

• AI-assisted Work Sample Analysis: Translating Student Performance into Student Success with Edward Schultz, 2.75 NASP CPD
• BASC-4: A Comprehensive System of Behavioral and Emotional Assessment with Cecil Reynolds and Kathleen Woodward, 2.75 NASP CPD
• Best Practices in Counseling as a Related Service for Students Who are Emergent Bilingual: Considerations, resources and culturally responsive practices with Ivonne Estrella, 2.75 NASP CPD
• Understanding Central Auditory Processing Disorders: Differential Diagnosis, Treatment, and Educational Implications with Lori Stiritz, 2.75 NASP CPD, 2.5 TSHA CEU
• A Critical Analysis of Gestalt Language Processing: Implications for Assessment and Intervention including AAC with Cheryl Fletcher and Sophie Knox, 2.5 TSHA CEU

• Developmental Delay & Early Childhood Evaluation with Rachel Stein, 2.75 NASP CPD, 2.5 TSHA CEU
• Stepping Up, Not Stressing Out: Resources for Confident School Psychology Supervision with Lisa Hewitt, 2.75 NASP CPD
• Working with Anxious Youth with Phil Kendall, 2.75 NASP CPD
• Beyond Monolingual AAC: Best Practices for Bilingual Users and Caregiver Training with Laura Gamez, 2.5 TSHA CEU
• The Association Between Language and Behavior: Supporting Youth with Language Disorders and Behaviors in the School Setting with Erin S. Wallace, 2.75 NASP CPD, 2.5 TSHA CEU

Ashley Arnold, MA, LSSP, NCSP

Ashley Arnold, M.A., NCSP is the Assessment Consultant Manager with Western Psychological Services (WPS). She has nearly two decades of experience working in the public schools of Texas in a variety of roles from school psychologist to Evaluation Coordinator to Special Education Director. Ashley is a former President of the Texas Association of School Psychologists and served on their Executive Board in a variety of roles for over 20 years. Ashley has served on numerous national committees for the National Association of School Psychologists, including a term on the Board of Directors. Her passions are assessment, supervision and advocating for school psychological services.

Ray W. Christner, Psy.D., NCSP, ABPP

Dr. Ray W. Christner, Psy.D., NCSP, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist and a certified school psychologist, a nationally certified school psychologist, and a nationally registered health service psychologist. He has expertise in both clinical and school psychology. He holds a board certification in behavioral and cognitive psychology and has been named a Fellow of the Association of Behavior and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). Dr. Christner provides psychological/neuropsychological assessments, psychotherapy, and consultative services for children to adults across various psychological, developmental, behavioral, and educational continuums. As an internationally renowned author and speaker, Dr. Christner has contributed extensively to his field through numerous books, book chapters, articles, and presentations. He has been featured in prominent media outlets such as Today, Parents, Newsweek, Lifehacker, ABC, Fox, Special Education Connection, and Authority Magazine, to name a few.

Chelsea Cornejo, M.S. CCC-SLP

Chelsea Cornejo, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Bilingual Program Co-Director in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Mrs. Cornejo received her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Baylor University and earned her Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from New York University (NYU).

Chelsea is a first-generation Mexican American and a proud bilingual- bicultural (Spanish/English) Speech Language Pathologist. She is passionate about empowering clients and families to embrace their heritage language(s). She is also interested in early intervention, utilizing sensory integration strategies to promote clinical outcomes, and in supporting clients who develop language through Gestalt Language Processing. Chelsea has experience working with the pediatric population in both the school and the clinic setting.

Ivonne Estrella, Ph.D.

E. Cheryl Fletcher, M.S. CCC-SLP, BCBA

E. Cheryl Fletcher MA CCC BCBA is a licensed speech language pathologist in private practice in Camarillo, California, who has presented at local, national and international meetings on autism spectrum disorder and AAC. She has also coauthored a book chapter on language and autism with Adriana Schuler and was a coauthor of the Hutchins et al 2024 article on Natural Language Acquisition and Gestalt Language Processing. She has an extensive practice focusing on the assessment and treatment of the young children with the autism spectrum disorder.

Laura Gamez M.S., CCC-SLP

Laura Gamez, M.S. CCC-SLP works as a contractor for a Texas staffing agency, serving as a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist, providing speech-language services in school-based settings. Her experience spans across school-based therapy, private clinic speech-language pathology for children with speech and language disorders, and working with adults in assisted and independent living facilities who have speech, language, and swallowing disorders. She earned her M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Florida State University. Her professional interests focus on AAC and caregiver education.

Lisa Hewitt, Ph.D.

Lisa Hewitt is a school psychologist with many years of experience practicing, as well as supervising practicum students and interns. Most of her work experience has been at Bastrop ISD, where she served as the Evaluation Supervisor for nine years before pursuing work in higher education. Lisa recently began teaching full-time in the School Psychology program at Texas State University.

Elvin Houston, Attorney at Law

Elvin W. Houston advises school board members and school personnel in all aspects of federal and state special education and disability law, including student discipline, placement, programming, accommodations, and policies affecting students with disabilities.

He represents public school districts in Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee meetings, in mediation, and in matters before the Texas Education Agency and the Office of Civil Rights. His practice also extends to representation in special education due process hearings and in federal court.

Elvin is a native of the Texas panhandle, where he was born, raised, and educated in public schools. During law school, he interned at the First Court of Appeals. After graduating from the University of Houston Law Center, he joined Walsh Gallegos in 2004.

Elvin is a member of the National School Boards Association's Council of School Attorneys, the Texas Association of School Boards' Council of School Attorneys, and the School Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. He is a frequent speaker on legal issues related to public schools, disabilities, and special education.

Philip C. Kendall, PhD, ABPP

Sophie Knox, M.S. CCC-SLP

Sophie Knox, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist based in San Diego, California. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Vermont and her Certification in Assistive Technology Applications from the University of California, Northridge. Sophie specializes in supporting children with autism and complex communication needs with a focus on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Cecil R. Reynolds, MEd, EdS, PhD, ABPP (Ret), ABN, ABPdN

Cecil R. Reynolds, BA, PhD, ABN, ABPdN earned his Doctoral Degree from the University of Georgia in 1978. He is the author of more than 300 scholarly publications and author or editor of over 50 books including The Energetic Brain and the Handbook of Clinical Child Neuropsychology. He is the author of more than 50 commercially published tests including the Behavior Assessment System for Children (the most widely used measure of its kind in the English-speaking world), the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, and the Test of Memory and Learning. His work in psychological testing has the unusual distinction of having been awarded 3 US Patents. Dr. Reynolds holds diplomate in Clinical Neuropsychology and in Pediatric Neuropsychology. He was elected a Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow of the National Academies of Practice in 2012. He maintained a clinical practice treating trauma victims and individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury for 25 years and served as Chief of the Neuropsychology Service at Sandstone Psychiatric Hospital.

Dr. Reynolds is a past president of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, APA Divisions 5 (Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics), 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology), and 16 (School Psychology). He served as Editor in Chief of Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology (1990-2002), Applied Neuropsychology (2004-2008), the prestigious APA journal Psychological Assessment (2009-2015), and APA’s open access journal, Archives of Scientific Psychology from 2015-2020, and is now Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Neuropsychology. Dr. Reynolds has received multiple national awards recognizing him for excellence in research and for service to the profession, including the Lightner Witmer Award, the Jack Bardon, Award, and the Nadine Murphy Lambert Award (“given only periodically for distinguished contributions to the profession that are of unusual depth and breadth”), along with the APA Division 16 Senior Scientist Award, the Samuel A. Messick Award for Distinguished Contributions to Measurement Science, and the Distinguished Clinical Neuropsychologist as well as the President’s Gold Medal Award both from the National Academy of Neuropsychology. He received the 50th anniversary Razor Walker Award from the U. of NC-Wilmington for Distinguished Service to the Youth of America. He is an Alumnus of the Year at both UNCW and the U. of Georgia, where he was also elected to the Academic Hall of Fame. A 2020 quantitative review of impact on the field of clinical neuropsychology published in the Oxford Handbook of the History of Clinical Neuropsychology ranked Dr. Reynolds as the 7th most influential person in the history of the field. In 2021, he was noted to be in the top half of the Stanford list of the top 2% of scientists in the world. He is Emeritus Professor of Educational Psychology, Professor of Neuroscience, and Distinguished Research Scholar at Texas A & M University. He continues to write and practices Forensic Neuroscience in Austin Texas.

Dr. Edward Schultz

Dr. Edward Schultz is a full professor at Midwestern State University, training special educators and educational diagnosticians for twenty years. He provides professional development and consultations to school districts and state departments. He is the current co-chair of the Learning Disabilities Association's Professional Advisory Board. He developed the Core-Selective Evaluation Process (CSEP) for SLD identification, with interests including SLD/Dyslexia identification, multi-tiered systems of support, and school improvement.

Andrew Shanock, PhD, NCSP

Dr. Andrew Shanock, is a Professor of School Psychology. Dr. Shanock specializes in cognitive and academic assessment. He has served as President of the Trainers of School Psychologists (TSP), NY Association of School Psychologists (NYASP), and the Trainers of School Psychologists: New York (TSPNY). Dr. Shanock is the chair of the NASP Bilingual Interest Group (BIG). Dr. Shanock has been a featured speaker at the national and state level for a variety of educational professionals, including school psychologists, speech language pathologists, and administrators. He consults with school districts around the country to promote issues such as collaborative assessment, MTSS/RtI, and instructional support team building. Dr. Shanock’s presentations are informative, entertaining, and interactive.

Dr. Rachel Stein

Rachel Stein, PhD. is an assistant professor in the School Psychology PsyD program at the University of Colorado Denver. Prior to joining the university, she was a Harris Fellow in infant and early childhood mental health. She is a Licensed Psychologist, credentialed school psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist. Her scholarly work focuses on prevention and early intervention to support mental health, identifying mental health needs in early childhood, and early childhood workforce development.

Lori Stiritz, M.A./CCC-A

Lori L. Stiritz is a Professor of Instruction in Communication Disorders at Texas State University. Her professional interests over the past 40 years center on improving diagnostic clarity for CAPD and strengthening the connection between assessment findings, intervention planning, and educational outcomes.

Her work integrates clinical foundations in auditory processing with higher education teaching, emphasizing differential diagnosis, functional implications for learning, and evidence based intervention and accommodation planning.

She teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework in hearing science, diagnostic audiology, and neuroanatomy, and regularly translates research and clinical guidelines into practical, school-based strategies for clinicians and educators.

Erin S. Wallace PhD, CCC-SLP

Erin Stehle Wallace is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director at Longwood University in Communication Sciences and Disorders. In 2014, Erin received her Master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Old Dominion University and in 2020, she received her doctoral degree in Special Education from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Before completing her doctorate, Erin worked as a speech-language pathologist in a variety of settings including public and private elementary and high schools, private clinics, an audiology clinic, school for children with autism, and home-based therapy. Her passion lies in early childhood and elementary age youth with language delay and her favorite class to teach is baby language. Erin’s research interests include the use of language-supportive strategies and their association with child language outcomes, children and youth with language delay and challenging behaviors, and collaboration amongst speech-language pathologists and educators.

Erin has two young kids and loves to spend her free time playing outside and going on adventures with her family. If she’s not out on an adventure you can find her listening to an audiobook while out on a run around Richmond or Farmville.

Kathleen Woodward, Ed.S., NCSP