Our Purpose
Children with disabilities can be commonly defined by what they can't do—milestones unmet, and benchmarks unchecked. These children and their caregivers are among our most vulnerable population, especially if they reside in a disadvantaged community. Smiles for Speech (SFS) is committed to empowering caregivers by providing access to developmentally appropriate resources to support children with disabilities and ensure long-term sustainable solutions given by expert professional volunteers from all around the world.
Project Ghana
Our Objectives
Increase global awareness and provide education on the importance of therapeutic services for children with disabilities around the world to build an inclusive society.
Offer intensive training and education for professionals and for families without any access to speech therapy to help their children at home.
Remodel attitudes and beliefs surrounding speech and language disorders by providing support and resources to families and their communities.
Distribute materials such as therapy materials, books, toys and games to expose children to new experiences, stimulate language development, and self-expression.
Professional development through training and creating libraries as a resource for students studying speech-language pathology
Support increased cultural awareness in our collective society by learning and understanding various cultures through giving.
Connect and collaborate with other nonprofits with similar objectives to expand knowledge and resources.
Our Global Ambassador, Regina Hall
The challenges are great, with some children in developing countries seen as cursed or a product of witchcraft. Smiles for Speech has made inroads into making change. Within seven years, we have been able to offer training and direct therapeutic services for children in communities of Ghana, Kenya, Peru, Rwanda, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.
300+
children receive
direct consultative speech therapy services every year
1000+
professionals and families
received training to support functional communication skills
17+
countries were reached
in our virtual workshops globally
Global Teletherapy Hubs
Giving children with communication disorders access to speech therapy so they can live up to their full potential.
The Team Behind Smiles for Speech
Sandy Dorsey, MA, CCC-SLP, TSHH
founder/CEO
Sandy Dorsey, is a speech-language pathologist, educator, and nonprofit leader dedicated to advancing communication equity for children with disabilities worldwide. With decades of experience serving individuals in underresourced communities, through her private practice, All About Speech, as well as her work as a lecturer and global advocate. She founded Smiles for Speech in 2017—an international nonprofit that delivers therapy services, professional training, and sustainable programs across Africa and the Caribbean. Sandy continues to champion inclusion, empowerment, and access to quality speech and language services for all children, regardless of geography or circumstance.
Executive Board Members
+ Kimberly Formby
Vice President
Kim Formby is a US- and UK-qualified occupational therapist with more than 30 years of experience supporting children and families across hospitals, schools, and clinics worldwide. She currently lives and works in Orkney, Scotland, as a Highly Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist for NHS Orkney. Before moving to Scotland, Kim was Clinical Supervisor for a sensory integration private practice with four clinics in London and was a Clinical Supervisor at a local hospital and private practice owner in rural Maine. Passionate about empowering others through education and collaboration, she has trained teachers and parents in Ghana and Kenya and presented internationally on pediatric feeding and sensory integration. She is an active member of both the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT).
+ Amanda Schaumburg
Secretary
Amanda Schaumburg M.S., CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist, public speaker, and children's book author. She is the founder and owner of Panda Speech Educational Consultants, a private practice that provides speech, occupational, and physical therapy services to local school districts and families in the Texas Panhandle. In addition to her clinical work, Amanda is a sought-after speaker who travels nationwide, training educators on special education services and workplace boundaries. She is the founder of Panda Speech Publishing, where she has authored and published 13 children's books. She has a passion for writing children’s books that spark imagination and promote literacy and communication. Beyond her professional endeavors, Amanda is deeply committed to community service. She is a Special Olympics coach for track and swimming, and a Kids Inclusion coach for softball. Amanda’s passion for helping others through her clinical expertise, educational outreach, and writing makes a lasting impact on families and professionals locally and worldwide.
+ Herbert Harriott
Treasurer
Herbert Harriott is an Associate Director on the Ernst & Young (EY) Global Talent Team based in New York, where he is a Strategic Talent Consultant focused on talent initiatives for Consulting professionals across the Americas, EMEIA, and Asia-Pacific geographic areas. He has worked in the professional services industry for 30+ years in leadership and senior human resources roles for global and US-based companies. Herbert has extensive experience in leading all functional areas of human resources including human capital management strategies, organizational design, culture transformation, talent development, and HR operations and administration to position businesses for growth. Herbert has seen up close and personal the power of speech therapy services. He is committed to supporting Smiles for Speech and contributing to improving the trajectory of the lives of children with special needs and their families for the better. Herbert has prior board experience as development chair for the Black Ivy Alumni League. In addition to work and non-profit activities, Herbert is an avid learner pursuing foreign language fluency in French and beginning Arabic. He is a photographer and painter.
+ Nicole Pounds
Board Member
Nicole Pounds, M.S., MBA, CCC-SLP is a pediatric speech-language pathologist with 10+ years of clinical experience, in addition to professional background leading cross functional teams in program development, content, and marketing. She holds her Master's in Speech Language Pathology from Missouri State University and Master's of Business Administration from Pittsburg State. Over the years, Nicole has been heavily involved in leadership for clinical education and support programming to provide information to families, clinicians, and educators. This includes the creation of a 10-week, international training program for educators on communication strategies in the classroom, leadership of an online support community for parents of children with special needs, and the creation of more than 350 clinical resources and online courses for families, students, and parents. Nicole is excited to be part of the important work that Smiles for Speech is doing around the world to provide support for children, families, and clinicians.
+ Iris Kimberg
Board Member
Iris Kimberg, M.S., PT, OTR brings over three decades of healthcare entrepreneurship and consulting expertise to the Smiles for Speech board. As founder of HTA of New York, Inc., she built the company from inception into a $14 million enterprise with 700 affiliated therapists across three offices. Since selling in 1996, Iris has consulted with over 1,800 physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy practices nationwide, assisting with business development, growth strategies, practice transitions and exits, which includes facilitating over 300 practice sales. Iris is also deeply committed to her therapy community and industry; she served as Professor of Columbia University's DPT program for 12 years, and, in the aftermath of 9/11, helped to rebuild 14 destroyed therapy practices in New York City. Iris has authored over 70 business columns for Advance Magazine, been a featured speaker for APTA and AOTA conferences, and has presented over 50 webinars on educational topics to practice owners. Her deep understanding of therapy services make her uniquely qualified to advance Smiles for Speech's mission of supporting therapy accessibility and excellence.
+ Stephen Konde
Board Member
Stephen Konde is a Social Development Professional with over two decades of experience in project management, safeguarding and strategic development in the NGO sector. He holds a Diploma in Social Work, a degree in Business Administration, and a master’s in project management. He is analytical, innovative and uses a participatory approach to enhance operational efficiency. He has a proven track record of managing and leading cross-functional projects and teams to execute complex projects in challenging circumstances. Some of which include HIV among Key populations, PLWDs, and out-of- school children in far-to-reach communities. He is passionate about leveraging technology to drive business growth and is committed to fostering collaborative team environments. In addition to his professional work, Stephen is an active member of his community, volunteering for local initiatives and mentoring young professionals. His dedication to excellence and continuous learning make him a valuable asset.
+ Tonee Burley
Board Member
Tonee Burley, M.S., CCC-SLP, is an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) Consultant with Speak for Yourself. She is a proud graduate of William Paterson University’s BA/MS program, Class of 2018, and has dedicated more than four years to serving underrepresented children in the Camden City School District. Grounded in a neurodiversity-affirming and child-led approach, Tonee collaborates closely with school teams, students, and families to ensure every child has access to meaningful communication. AAC is her passion, and she believes that everyone deserves a voice—no matter the modality. Outside of her professional work, Tonee enjoys drinking bubble tea, watching Korean dramas, and spending time with her young autistic son, Kalvyn, who lights up her world.
+ Karen H. Brown
Board Member
Karen H. Brown, Ph.D., MPH, CCC-SLP serves as Dean of Education in the U.S. Virgin Islands and brings over two decades of experience as a licensed and nationally certified speech-language pathologist, educator, and researcher. Currently, she chairs the International Issues Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Her work focuses on inclusive learning environments and educational equity for children with developmental disabilities. Karen’s academic leadership and strategic insight will shape the ELCC’s curriculum, educator and related service personnel training, and community engagement strategies.
Supporting Team
+ Amanda Forgit
Team Coordinator
Amanda Forgit is a trilingual, school-based speech- language pathologist (SLP) holding a Bilingual Extension from Columbia University. Amanda currently serves school age, autistic children, and others with various developmental disabilities in the New York City public schools. She specializes in topics surrounding bilingualism and the SLP, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and feeding disorders.
Although Amanda is fluent in English and Italian, her clinical area of interest lies in Spanish. Amanda enjoys connecting with speech-language pathologists and student interns to help support children without access to speech- therapy services.
+ Crystal Neil-Patterson
Events Coordinator
Crystal Neil Patterson is an experienced registered Speech-Language Pathologist who provides teletherapy services to students in both British Columbia and Ontario, Canada. She has experience working with children of all ages in a number of settings to include: private practice, private schools, and neurodevelopmental clinics. The majority of her experience has been in private practice where she worked extensively with the pediatric population ranging from 18 months to 16 years.
Crystal is Hanen certified in both It Takes Two To Talk® (ITTT) and More Than Words ® (MTW) programs, and was most recently involved in providing More Than Words teletherapy programs to families in Ontario in collaboration with the Ontario Autism Program initiative. In addition, Crystal is PROMPT trained and has received her Level 3 certification in Talk Tools. Crystal is passionate about educating and empowering parents about their child’s cognitive, speech and language, and play development through workshops and presentations.
+ Deborah Brooks
Fundraising Events Coordinator
Deborah Brooks is a speech- language pathologist, providing speech therapy to individuals of all ages and levels of need from early intervention to skilled nursing throughout New York City. She earned her B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2010 and M.A. in Speech Language Pathology in 2012, both from St. John’s University in Queens. She is currently an adjunct professor at St John’s University and works at an New York City based private practice. Deborah is the author and illustrator of the speech therapy coloring book series, Color in Speech.
Deborah has supported SFS since 2018 promoting awareness, shared culturally responsive resources, and offered virtual parent trainings in the communities Smiles for Speech serves.
In The News
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