Meet Audiologist Cheryl Lokanis
Cheryl Lokanis, Au.D. CCC-A, ABA was born in the Philippines and moved to Olympia with her family when she was three years old. When she was younger she wanted to be a garbage collector because she was fascinated with the giant trucks that drove around her neighborhood. While she attended the University of Washington she had a wide variety of interests for her future including geology, psychology, physiotherapy, social work and even statistics. She settled on audiology after taking a speech and hearing sciences course and received her bachelors degree in speech communication. After that she took several years off to travel the world, and then went to Western Washington University and received her masters degree in audiology, and immediately following that she received her doctorate from the University of Florida.
She started as an intern for ESHC in 1997, which eventually turned into a full time position. Her favorite things about working for the clinic are the fast-paced environment, the diverse patient load and providing high quality care to our patients. She also enjoys establishing relationships with our patients, as well as working with audiology student interns. She loves being able to pass along clinical knowledge to the interns, as well as being challenged by their questions and research, which she says is a great way to keep her on her toes.
In Cheryl’s spare time she lives vicariously through her twin girls Sarah and Alex who are in kindergarten. Her family often enjoys hiking, ski trips, camping and traveling. You can also find Cheryl hosting dinner parties where she gets to show off her cooking skills, and you can even find her posting food blogs on Facebook.
Meet Accountant Sherry Toussi
Accountant Sherry Stoussi is one of the newest additions to our ESHC family, and she has been working in our Redmond office for the past seven months. Sherry grew up in Tehran, Iran, and when she was younger she had dreams of becoming a lawyer because she loved to read. Her family moved to the United States when she was 16, and she attended the University of Minnesota where she studied sociology.
Her favorite thing about working at ESHC are all of her co-workers, and being able to learn new things everyday. In her spare time Sherry likes to read, play computers games, as well as challenge her brain with Kakuro, which are mathematical logic puzzles.
Meet Marketing Director Jody Norwood
Jody Norwood grew up in Kirkland, and starting in high school she developed a dream of working in public relations and advertising. She was intrigued by the creativity, innovation and constant changes of the field that still fascinate her today. She received her bachelors degree in public relations and advertising from Chapman University in Southern California, and went on to work part-time for ESHC in the marketing department in 2004. While at the clinic she worked other marketing jobs including marketing manager at Bold Hat Productions and the Kid’s Parade Chair for the Redmond Medical Center. Overtime however, her role at ESHC developed into additional responsibilities including human resources, program development and other administrative duties.
It was later in life that Jody decided to take a different path. She recently received her post baccalaureate degree in speech and hearing sciences from the University of Washington, and is currently enrolled in the masters program for medical speech-language pathology at the University of Washington. She was captured by the communication field, and the impact that audiologists and speech-language pathologists have on the lives of their patients, and that is what is driving her to become a speech therapist.
Her favorite things about working at ESHC are the amazing people and everyone’s dedication to our patients. She likes sharing the common goal with all of her co-workers to bring the best service, products and programs to the patients. In her spare time Jody likes to run, hang out with friends, go out to eat and participate in the Bar Method.
Meet Speech Coordinator Amanda Cendoya
Amanda Cendoya grew up in Woodinville, and as a child she had dreams of becoming a teacher or a marine biologist. She attended Western Washington University, and there she found her passion for writing. Amanda received her bachelor of arts degree in Journalism-Public Relations in 2009.
Amanda has been with ESHC for almost two years now, and one of her favorite things about working at the clinic are all of the wonderful speech patients she gets to interact with on a daily basis. She also enjoys working for a company that provides the community with such wonderful care, and learning all there is to know about the audiology and speech worlds.
In her spare time Amanda enjoys being a newlywed, as well as playing volleyball, reading, baking and spending time with her friends and family, especially her one year old niece Mia.
Meet Audiologist Terry Limb
Terry Limb, AuD grew up in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. As a child he knew he wanted to be a professional of some sort, but didn’t discover audiology until his college years. He attended the University of Washington where he received his bachelors and maters degrees, and then went on to receive his doctorate from the University of Florida. Terry knew audiology was the right route for him because of the opportunity he got to help people. He also enjoys the profession because it is very evidenced based, and he likes the vast amount of technology he gets to explore in the world of personal listening devices.
One of his favorite things about working at ESHC is being a “people focused” clinic both with patients as well as staff. He also enjoys how the clinic pushes the boundaries of technology, and the ability we have to offer patients innovations that you can’t find anywhere else. You can also find Terry working on national technology panels to help spearhead the future of innovation with personal listening devices.
In his spare time Terry likes boating, spending time with his family, working on projects around the house, as well as participating in international Missions trips.
Meet Clinic Director Ruth Norwood
Clinic Director Ruth Norwood, BSN, M.M. grew up in Bellevue, WA. Early on in life Ruth knew that she wanted to become a nurse. Both her mother and grandmother were in the profession and she wanted to follow in their footsteps. Ruth attended Seattle University for her nursing degree and years later went on to receive her masters degree in management from the University of Phoenix. Ruth has been an integral part of ESHC since the start. Her husband, and audiologist, Thomas Norwood, had the idea of starting ESHC in 1979. When the clinic opened Ruth not only worked her “9-5″ as a nurse, but also managed the day-to-day operations and the billing for the clinic. As the clinic continued to grow, Ruth left her position as a nurse and took on the management of ESHC full-time.
One thing she loves about working at ESHC is running into patients while out in the community and hearing positive feedback from them about their experience. Ruth also mentioned how rewarding it is to have a small business that allows others to make a living and also helps people communicate, especially in the current economy.
In her spare time, Ruth enjoys walking 2.2 miles each morning with her cousin on Finn Hill, doing the “Bar Method” exercise classes, as well as spending time at her church and taking care of her 81 year old mother.
Meet Audiologist Thomas Norwood
Thomas Norwood, Au. D. has lived in Portland, Los Angeles and Buffalo, New York, but his family settled in Seattle in the early 1960s. As a child he wanted to be a variety of things including a garbage man, an architect and a graphic designer. As an adult he went on to pursue a career as an audiologist starting at the University of Washington where he obtained his bachelor of science degree in communication disorders as well as his masters in speech pathology and audiology. He then received his doctor of audiology degree from the University of Florida. Tom is one of the founders of our clinic and has been here since we opened in 1979. In his years at ESHC he has most enjoyed all of his interactions and memories with patients and staff.
In his spare time Tom likes to travel, listen to music, jog, read biographies, and enjoy the successes of his talented children. He also likes to take advantage of the sunny weather in Palm Springs where his other home is located.
Meet Front Office Manager Tyla Martens
Redmond front office manager Tyla Martens grew up in Lake City, Minnesota and lived there until the fourth grade, when her family moved to Washington. Growing up she had dreams of being a librarian, teacher or working with animals. After attending college back in Minnesota, Tyla found herself in Washington again, and has been working for ESHC since April 2009. Her favorite thing about working for the clinic is the opportunity she gets to help people on a daily basis.
In her spare time Tyla and her husband love being outdoors by camping, hiking and taking their dog Oskar for walks.
Meet SLP Beth Kuehn
Beth Kuehn, M.S., CF-SLP grew up in the Seattle area. She attended Washington State University as an undergrad, and then went on to receive her masters in speech-language pathology from the University of Washington. When she was younger, Beth had dreams of becoming a school teacher. She became interested in speech therapy while in college when she took a neuropsychology class about language processing in the brain. She admits that she is still fascinated by the brain even today.
In her spare time you can find her cheering on the Cougars, chasing after her daughter Jillian and “experimenting” with cooking. Beth says she also tries to get outside as much as possible by going to parks, running, hiking and camping. Her favorite thing about working at ESHC is the positive and cheerful energy from the staff, as well as being able to collaborate with other therapists in the care of their patients.
Meet SLP Sarah Snider
Sarah Snider, M.A., CF-SLP is one of the newest members to our speech team. She grew up in a small mining town in the southwestern corner of New Mexico called Silver City. As a child she had dreams of becoming a doctor, pastry chef or fashion designer, but she landed on the field of speech language pathology because she wanted to help people communicate.
She received her bachelors degree from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and then went on to receive her masters degree from New Mexico State University. Sarah has worked for ESHC for the last five months, and she says her favorite thing about working for the clinic is the wonderful, supportive environment.
As a transplant to Washington state, Sarah says her favorite thing about her new home is the distinct changing seasons with our warm summers, beautiful fall colors and cold winters. She also likes the fresh fruits and vegetables that the area has to offer. In her spare time she likes to cook, be outdoors and spend time with her family and friends.