Founder, Sierra Therapy Group

(775) 852-6323 ext. 100

Shawna received her Master of Science degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, with special emphasis on child language disorders, including Autism. Shawna’s research and clinical work focused on families from both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking backgrounds. In addition, she received the Outstanding Graduate Student award from the Medical School and was awarded the Herz Gold Medal as the top student in her graduating class (when visiting the UNR campus you can find her name engraved on a pillar in the honor court).  Shawna is trained in the Lindamood-Bell Phoneme Sequencing Program (LiPS) to help children with reading/spelling skills.  Additionally, she has participated in courses related to Social Thinking and the Incredible Flexible You program. In 2017, Shawna completed a year-long Leadership Development Program that was provided by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.  In 2019, she was appointed by the Nevada Speech-Language-Hearing Association to be the NV representative for ASHA’s State Advocates for Reimbursement (STAR). This position consists of being a liaison between the state and the national organization on reimbursement issues and advocacy. In 2023, Shawna started serving as the Nevada SLP for the ASHA Committee of Ambassadors. In her position, she promotes the ASHA public policy agenda through advocacy activities. She enjoys the variety of winter/summer activities that the Reno/Lake Tahoe area has to offer (snow skiing/shoeing, water skiing, boating, SUPing) in addition to spending time with her husband and sons.