ISHA Member Carey Payne Receives First Legacy Mentor Award from ASHA

Carey Payne of Elk Grove Village, IL, has received the first LEGACY MENTOR AWARD from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, at its recent annual convention in Orlando, FL. The award was given for Payne’s participation in the association’s STEP (Student to Empowered Professional) mentoring program, for the entirety of its 10-year history.

As a practicing speech-language pathologist, Payne has volunteered to mentor speech-language pathologists in training each year to help meet their career goals. The mentor provides resources, encouragement and guidance as needed through largely online contacts. STEP gives special attention to the needs of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) students from racial/ethnic backgrounds historically underrepresented in the field. Payne has more than ten year’s additional experience with mentoring CSD students from graduate schools in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.

Payne has been nationally certified in speech-language pathology since 1983, and is currently licensed to practice speech-language pathology in Illinois. He is employed by Rehab Care as a speech-language pathologist. He also co-owns with his wife, Mary Pat Payne, Payne Wellness Center (PWC) in Schaumburg, IL. PWC offers services in both massage therapy and speech-language pathology to the community.