MEET THE BOARD

Brenda Robertson    Del Monte

Brenda Del Monte is a speech language pathologist and an assistive technology evaluator and facilitator. She worked as an SLP in Washington State public schools for 7 years. She is currently a private practitioner in Arizona at Advanced Therapy Solutions, where she does home based therapy, as well as AAC evaluations and trainings. Brenda has presented her knowledge at Closing the Gap (2016, 2017), her collaborative research on accessing AAC at ATIA 2019) and a variety of topics at AZTAP over the years. Brenda Del Monte is a co-founder of Believe Beyond Ability, a non-profit organization that evaluates, determines, provides and trains those with multiple disabilities on assistive technology to increase independence.
Brenda is also an author of the newly published book, "I See You In There," a collection of stories from her 20+ years of experience working with children and adults with disabilities. 

Melanie Thompson 

Melanie [Conatser] Thompson has been an OT in Arizona for over 18 years as a private practitioner. She works for Advanced Therapy Solutions and provides service both in-home and clinic based. Melanie has a unique skill set in training very young children to operate powered wheelchairs as she helps all her clients work toward independent mobility. Melanie has presented her knowledge at Closing the Gap (2016), her collaborative research on accessing AAC at ATIA 2019) and a variety of topics at AZTAP over the years. She is also the Co-Founder of Believe Beyond Ability, which is a non-profit organization that evaluates and facilitates the acquisition of assistive equipment for those with multiple disabilities. Melanie also helped begin, Gye Di, a non-profit organization that aims to change the world through play by creating an environment without limitations for children with and without disabilities to learn, grow, and play together.
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Elizabeth Freund

Elizabeth Freund is a Speech Language Pathologist and an Arizona local. She has a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University as well as her Masters in Communication Disorders from Arizona State.  She specializes in working with  children who use communication devices in the home and clinic settings, as well as providing AAC trainings. Elizabeth is passionate about early access to language and working from a team-based, child-centered approach. She is also currently a board member for Believe Beyond Ability, a non profit helping those with disabilities increase independence through assistive technology. 

Kate Oeser

Kate Oeser is a speech-language pathologist and AAC device trainer. Kate worked as an SLP in the public education/ therapeutic day school setting in the Chicagoland area for three years before moving out to Arizona. She is currently a private practitioner with Advanced Therapy Solutions, where she does clinic-based and home-based speech therapy, as well as AAC device trainings. Kate has presented at AZTAP on AAC implementation for emergent and intermediate AAC users. She has been providing services to children with complex communication needs for the past eight years. She is the newest board member of Believe Beyond Ability, joining the team in 2021.