We strive to represent your needs and want to engage with you!
A lot happens behind the scenes that members don't always see — committee meetings, planning discussions, advocacy work, and decisions that directly shape the support and resources available to you. Until you've sat in on a meeting or lent a hand, it's hard to fully grasp everything that goes into serving you and the profession.
Not sure what we actually do to support your career? The best way to find out is to see it firsthand. Reach out, sit in on a committee meeting, or volunteer for a project — we'd love to have you, and you might be surprised by how much is happening on your behalf.
While we certainly have well-defined volunteer positions and value participation in those roles, we understand not everyone has the ability to commit long-term, and that's okay! If you're interested in something short-term, we have those opportunities available, as well.
Short-term needs are ever-evolving based on committee work and projects, and vary based on your self-identified skills and interests. Below are example of what we regularly need:
Creation of member outreach materials
Generation of a newsletter article
Social media advocacy
Social media content creation
Host an informal Sup & Chat discussion on a clinical topic/area of expertise/new topic
Grant research
Networking to build additional partnerships with WSLHA to enhance member benefits
Participating in Advocacy Day at the State Capitol, sharing your personal experiences and stories with legislators to enhance our legislative impact
Signing & promoting petitions or advocacy campaigns
Budget: members appointed by Treasurer to create annual budget for the Association
Bylaws & Advocacy: composed of previous Board Members who provide regular review of the Association Bylaws and coordinate any amendments with the WSLHA general Policies and Procedures and prepare proposed Bylaws amendments with the Nominations Chair/Committee for the ballot with the slate of Board officers.
Clinical Practice: resource to members and the community of speech, language, and hearing services in private practice, early supports of infants and toddlers, medical organizations, universities, and rehabilitation settings; provides membership with service changes, and promotes public awareness as related to clinics, private practices, medical organizations, skilled nursing facilities, universities, and early supports of infants and toddlers facilities; works with lobbyist on legislative issues as pertinent; works with ASHA liaisons of StAMP and STAR.
Communications:establishes systems to facilitate communication among membership and the community through publication of association activities and pertinent professional news in the form of website, social media, newsletter, etc.
Continuing Education (CE) Administrator: liaison to ASHA Continuing Education Board (CEB) and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI); responsible for all ASHA CEB and OSPI requirements and procedures are followed; member of the CE Committee.
Continuing Education: seeks out, plans, and coordinates ongoing professional learning activities.
Honors & Awards: seeks out, receives, and reviews nominations for Honors of the Association, Clinical Achievement, Special Recognition, and Graduate Student Scholarships
Membership: develops membership recruitment and retention programs to expand the voice of members and promotes the mission of WSLHA.
Nominations:seeks out volunteers for Board, Committee, Individual positions and responsible for preparation, distribution, and collection of election materials.
Schools: monitors policies and certification standards that may affect public school speech and hearing professionals; acts as a resource to professionals in the school setting; works with lobbyist on legislative issues as pertinent.
SLPAs/Paraprofessionals: voice and resource for SLPAs/Paraprofessionals in WA State.
State Advocate for Medicare Policy (StAMP): ASHA liaison that works as part of a network to enhance and continue advocacy, leadership, and communication at the state level to influence administrative and public policy for Medicare coverage and reimbursement of speech-language pathology and audiology services; works with lobbyist on legislative issues as pertinent; member of the Clinical Practice Committee.
State Advocate for Reimbursement (STAR): ASHA liaison to advocate within WA for improved health care coverage and reasonable reimbursement; works with lobbyist on legislative issues as pertinent; member of the Clinical Practice Committee.
State Education Advocacy Leader (SEAL): ASHA liaison to advocate on educational issues (i.e. caseload/workload, salary supplements, maintenance of personnel standards, etc.) in WA State; works with lobbyist on legislative issues as pertinent; member of the Schools Committee.
Students: voice and resource for Students in WA State.
Volunteer Coordinator: recruits and supervises volunteers for short-term assignments for WSLHA events.
Item C:
President: oversees, in conjunction with the Board, all WSLHA activities; WSLHA representative and official spokesperson of the association; leads and facilitates Board meetings; liaison to Honors & Awards Chair/Committee; member of the Executive Committee
President-Elect: acts in place of the President when President is unable to carry out duties of the office; liaison to Nominations Chair/Committee and Volunteer Coordinator; member of the Executive Committee
Past President:assists and mentors President, as needed; liaison to CE Administrator, CE Chair/Committee, and Bylaws, Standards, and Advocacy Chair/Committee; member of the Executive Committee
Secretary: records minutes of Board meetings and online motions; liaison to Communications Chair/Committee; posts updates and modifications to website; member of the Executive Committee
Treasurer:oversees budget and finances of the Association and reports this information regularly to the Board and annually to members. Involved with the fundraising task force; member of the Executive Committee
Clinical Practice Representative: promotes best practices and networking among clinics, private practices, medical organizations, skilled nursing facilities, universities, and early supports of infants and toddlers facilities across WA State. Works with lobbyist on legislative issues as pertinent. Liaison to Clinical Practice Committee, StAMP, and STAR.
Educational Representative: voice for SLPs and AuDs in educational settings in WA State, sharing information and resources, assisting in fundraising events and CE events as relevant; liaison to Schools Committee, and SEAL
Member At Large: presents member concerns to Board; exercises appropriate fiduciary duties and supports Association’s endeavors; liaison to Membership Chair/Committee in recruiting and retaining Association membership.
SLPA/Paraprofessional Representative: voice for SLPAs/Paraprofessionals in WA State, sharing information and resources as pertinent; liaison to SLPAs/Paraprofessionals Chair/Committee.
Student Representative: voice for Students in WA State, sharing information and resources as pertinent; liaison to NSSLHA and Students’ Chair/Committee
