President: K. Terese Grimmett, ClinScD, CCC-SLP, CAS
Dr. K. Terese Grimmett resides in Camp Springs, Maryland, and works in Washington, DC. She was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Grimmett earned her bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Tennessee State University, her Master’s in Communication Disorders from North Carolina Central University, and her Doctorate of clinical science in Speech-Language Pathology (ClinScD) at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. She’s been an SLP for over 13 years and has served the communities in which has lived as a speech-language pathologist and certified autism specialist in a number of settings and across the lifespan. Dr. Grimmett has worked in schools, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient pediatric and outpatient adult rehab, private practice, and teletherapy. Currently, she works in a school setting in Washington, DC. Dr. Grimmett serves as President-elect of the District of Columbia Speech and Hearing Association (DCSHA) and as the ASHA SEAL for the District of Columbia. She is also a very proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
President-Elect: Vacant
Past President: Brett Radosti, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA
Brett Radosti is an Audiologist at the Feldman ENT Group. He finds working in the field of hearing and speech to be incredibly rewarding and challenging. He is a nationally certified audiologist with professional associations including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) as well as the American Academy of Audiology (AAA). He is excited to be the President of DCSHA and hopes to create a multidisciplinary dialogue moving forward. He currently lives in SE DC with his wife, Brianna, and dog, Neville.
Secretary: Tamika LeRay, M.S., CCC-SLP
Tamika “Ms. T” LeRay was introduced to the field of Speech and Language Pathology in 2004 while serving as a Paraprofessional within a New York state regional school for children with severe disabilities. Her desire to improve socio-academic outcomes for children of color with special needs (as well as her interest in AAC), blossomed in that role. That year, she began full-time studies (while also working) with the goal of becoming a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP). A year later, she was promoted to the role of Founding Assistive Technology Aide. She served in this role for three years before relocating to Boston, MA. In 2009, while Ms. T was a graduate student at Emerson College in Boston, MA, she expanded her clinical knowledge and leadership skills. She participated in the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA)’s Minority Student Leadership Program (MSLP) cohort, where she learned the importance of advocacy for clients from multicultural backgrounds. That same year, she grew interested in socio-linguistics as a participant in the Summer Dialect Research (SDRP) program within the Center for the study of African American Language at UMASS Amherst. In that program, she learned contrastive feature analysis from renowned sociolinguist Dr. Lisa Green. She was also honored to contribute to the preliminary research of Jill diVilliers and Thom Roeper on their development of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation (DELV). In 2010, Ms. T participated in ASHA’s Student’s Preparing for Academic and Research (SPARC) program where she received mentored teaching and research activities to cultivate a professional profile for research. She was also the recipient of the NBASLH/Person Student Research Award that year. In 2011, she graduate Summa Cum Laude with a Master’s of Science in Communication Disorders. She was also honored to represent the entire graduating class that year as the Commencement Speaker.
In 2020, Ms. T is celebrating ten years of service to the field as an SLP. While the bulk of her experience has been working in urban schools, she also has worked with adult clients in the clinic and home care setting. Throughout her tenure within the field, she has facilitated school-based professional developments, guest lectures at universities, as well as curated national presentations for ASHA and NBASLH on cultural competence and socio-linguistic diversity. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D in Special Education., and is honored to serve as DCSHA Secretary. Lastly, in her spare time she enjoys dancing, brunch, and spending time outdoors with her dog, Reese.
Treasurer: Darius Thomas, M.S., CCC-SLP
Darius Thomas is the founder & chief executive officer of Dynamic Therapy, LLC, a speech-language pathologist, mentor, and supervisor. Darius holds a unique background in evaluating and treating clients in schools, daycares, clinics, homes, and via telepractice.
Darius has extensive volunteer experience including the District of Columbia Speech-Language-Hearing Association: treasurer (2018 – present), secretary (2016 – 2018), and student liaison (2015) and the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (NBASLH): board member (2019 – present), convention co-chair (2018 – 2020), and student representative (2016 – 2018). As student representative of NBASLH, Darius championed the initiative to give the role voting rights on the board. In 2014, he was selected to participate in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Minority Student Leadership Program. Finally, Darius received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the Howard University Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. He also holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from ASHA and state licensures with Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland.