Board of Directors

    Board of Directors

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Meet Our Board of Directors

The Selective Mutism Association’s Board of Directors is dedicated to providing our community with the latest information and resources on SM.

Christie YoungSmith

Director

Christie YoungSmith is a K-12 educator, researcher, and advocate passionate about elevating marginalized voices in educational spaces. She has worked on school-based interventions for a student experiencing SM, and has volunteered as Counselor for Freedom Camp founded by Dr. Catherine Eckel. At a young age, Christie also experienced undiagnosed SM …

Megan Carlson

Director

Meg is absolutely honored to be part of the mission to rid the silence. With the consistent support of SMA, therapists, educators and doctors her family is in a marathon to overcome SM. They are working hard incorporating brave work/exposures and social emotional learning into daily life in order to …

Audrey E. Boggs, PsyD

Director

Dr. Audrey E. Boggs is pleased to return to the SMA Board of Directors in 2022 after being one of the organization’s earliest board members between 2005-2008. Dr. Boggs first got involved with SMA (formerly, Selective Mutism Group ~ Child Anxiety Network) in 2002 when she traveled to Pennsylvania for …

Rupal Upadhyay, MD, FAAP

Director

Dr. Rupal is a Board-Certified Pediatrician in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago where she lives with her husband, 3 children, and adorable puppy. She completed her undergraduate studies at The University of Chicago, in Chicago, IL. She then went on to The University of Illinois in Chicago for medical school. …

Eleanor Ezell, LCSW

Director

Eleanor Ezell, LCSW, is a licensed therapist in Tennessee and is the Founder and Clinical Director at Child and Family Therapy Collective based in Nashville, TN. She has extensive experience providing evidence-based therapy to children and young teens who struggle with selective mutism, anxiety, ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders, and …

Lisa Kovac, PhD, BCBA

Executive Director

Lisa Kovac is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and certified school psychologist in Orlando, FL. Lisa got involved with the selective mutism population after one of her children was diagnosed with selective mutism in 2007. Frustrated with the lack of resources, knowledge and awareness of selective mutism in the local …

Jami Furr, Ph.D.

Past President

Dr. Jami Furr is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Senior Psychologist in the Mental Health Interventions and Technology Program, and Developer of the Selective Mutism Program at Florida International University Center for Children and Families. She is the President of the Selective Mutism Association and has served on their Board …

Rachel Busman, PsyD, ABPP

Director

Rachel Busman, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in the evaluation and treatment of anxiety and mood disorders in children and adolescents. She is the Senior Director of the Child & Adolescent Anxiety & Related Disorders Program at Cognitive Behavioral Consultants (CBC), where she runs Voices Rising, an intensive group …

Pamela Martis Zambriski

Treasurer

Pamela resides in Redondo Beach, California with her husband. Pamela began her career in accounting serving as a controller for a medium sized public company specializing in financial services. After raising two children Pamela joined the Cancer Support Community Redondo Beach’s accounting and development departments where she oversees the day-to-day …

Emily Laracy, M.A., M.S., CCC-SLP

Secretary

Emily Laracy is a licensed speech-language pathologist who currently works in an elementary school in Eastern PA. Her caseload includes students in grades K-5 with a variety of social, emotional, cognitive, and academic needs, including students with selective mutism. Emily also participates as a counselor at the Child Mind Institute’s …

Kristin Carey Leos

Director of Membership and Special Initiatives

As a parent of a child with Selective Mutism, Kristin has experienced firsthand the challenges that accompany this condition; including identifying the problem, finding knowledgeable therapists and educating her child’s school, family and friends. Because of this experience, she has developed a passion for helping newly diagnosed children and their …

Aileen Herrera, M.S., LMHC

Director

Aileen Herrera is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the Director of the Selective Mutism Program for the Mental Health Interventions and Technology (MINT) Anxiety program at Florida International University. She supervises student trainees and provides weekly and intensive treatment for children and teens with anxiety and directs specialty programs …

Taylor Hicks-Hoste, LP, NCSP

Director

Taylor Hicks-Hoste is a licensed psychologist (LP) in the states of Michigan and California, as well as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). She received her Ph.D. in school psychology from Michigan State University. Her professional experiences span across both school and clinic settings. As a school psychologist, she has …

Brittany Bice-Urbach, PhD

Director

Dr. Bice-Urbach is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin and has been working as a clinical psychologist at the Child Development Center, a developmental clinic through Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, in the School Performance Program. She completed her graduate training at the …

Jonathan Kohlmeier

Director

Jonathan Kohlmeier is from upstate New York and graduated from Babson College with a B.S. in Business Administration concentrating in Finance and Technology. He was diagnosed with selective mutism at age five and is passionate about helping the countless individuals and caregivers that face similar challenges. He has volunteered at …

Rebecca Laptook, Ph.D.

Director

Dr. Laptook is a licensed clinical child psychologist who specializes in the treatment of childhood anxiety. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the State University of NY at Stony Brook and completed her clinical internship at NY Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical School and subsequent child postdoctoral fellowship at North …

Chelsea Ricker M.S., BCBA

Director

Chelsea Ricker is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in Southern NH. She was diagnosed with Selective Mutism at age five and is passionate about sharing her experience, raising awareness and helping others who are struggling with Selective Mutism and anxiety. Chelsea hosts Outloud the Selective Mutism Podcast which aims to spread …

Rachel A. Merson, PsyD

President

Rachel Merson, Psy.D. is the Clinical Director of the Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program at the Boston University Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (Child CARD). Dr. Merson has extensive experience providing evidence-based treatment to children and adolescents with a range of anxiety disorders and co-occurring emotional and …

Katelyn Reed, M.S., LLP

President-Elect

Katelyn Reed, M.S. is a Limited Licensed Psychologist at Thriving Minds Family Services, located in Chelsea, MI. She completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Behavioral Psychology at Eastern Michigan University where she focused on evidence-based behavioral and cognitive behavioral interventions for children and adolescents. Through her work at Thriving Minds, …

Jenny Foster

Director

Jenny Foster resides in Arizona with her husband and two children. Her daughter was diagnosed with selective mutism at the age of four and has worked hard to overcome it. Jenny has a B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Family Services from Eastern Illinois University. She …

Elisa Shipon-Blum, D.O.

Director Emeritus

Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum (“Dr. E”) is the President and Director of the Selective Mutism Anxiety Research and Treatment Center (Smart Center) located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a Director of the Selective Mutism Research Institute (SMRI), which is a foundation started to study her theories and treatment methodologies on Selective …