Team

Downie Mathis is the owner of A Therapy Connection. She earned her B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em horns!), a Master of Science degree in Speech Pathology from Texas Woman's University, and a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis from University of North Texas. Downie wanted to practice everything she had learned in school, so she began her career working in public schools in the morning and hospitals and nursing homes in the evening, weekends and summers breaks. After gaining extensive experience in various settings working with patients across the life span, she accepted a job at an Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility where she served as Lead SLP and eventually Director of Clinical Services. Downie really enjoyed the outpatient setting and the valuable progress that can be made when seeing patients one-on-one in a controlled environment. In 2000, when she was working as a clinical director, she had a 3 year old patient with Autism at the clinic. His therapy team decided that he was too severe for therapy due to his aggressive behavior and wanted to discharge. When she received his paperwork, Downie was not comfortable with the idea of giving up on a three year old, so she put him on her own caseload so she could see for herself if there was anything at all that could be done. With the help of an outstanding OT (who is now our billing specialist!) they worked with him and his family until he was able to attend public school with inclusion and pull out support. This experience really spurred Downie to pursue opening a practice of her own where she could personally decide if a child was able to benefit from therapy and she could ensure that we do not give up on children and we do not leave their parents with nowhere to turn. If we can't serve your needs, we will lead you to someone who can. A year ago, Downie was having her house painted and that three year old, now a high school graduate, was working as an assistant to the painter and was a valued part of his team. He actually remembered Downie and it was one of her proudest moments as a speech pathologist. Downie tells her kids all the time, "My job is to make you a happy adult, not to make you a happy child right this minute!" I think this is so true in therapy, too. The hard work the patient and the care giver put in to therapy now- whether its rehab for a broken ankle, articulation therapy for a lisp, or intensive feeding therapy- will enhance their lives forever. At ATC our mission absolutely is "helping you provide the best possible future for your child!" In addition to managing ATC, Downie is a mom of two, a travel nut and a Musical Theater junkie!

Maria has been the official Manager at ATC since March 2011. In that time, she has gained the love and respect of our patients and most importantly their parents! Maria works with families to find therapists who will be the best fit at the best time for your schedule. She works to maximize insurance coverage for your services and she juggles all the complicated regulations and requirements to ensure our therapists know exactly what each payor needs in their reports to get the coverage you need. In short, she and her team make sure our therapist can do what they do best to give our patients what they need most; a comfortable and effective therapy experience. Maria and her husband have three girls and one boy who are her pride and joy. In her free time, Maria enjoys taking pictures, dancing, spending time with her family and volunteering at her church. Maria loves being able to help provide services to the community and those in need both at work and after hours.

Sherrie is the office assistant who is the credentialing specialist as well as Human Resources. She is our patient advocate and care coordinator. She assists patients in finding external resources in the community. She has a background in education but has a huge respect for the therapy community because of her personal connection due to her son that has special needs. She is an active volunteer with Miracle League of Frisco who serves children with disabilities. She loves to travel and see new places, eat new foods, and experience new things!

Brittney is our Director of Therapy. She is a speech pathologist with specialized training in pediatric feeding disorders and behavior modification therapy. Brittney earned her BS in Communication Disorders from The University of Houston where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and danced for the Cougar Dolls. Her Masters degree in Speech Pathology was earned at The University of Texas at Dallas. Upon graduation, Brittney began her career at Children’s Medical Center where she divided her time between the NICU and outpatient clinic. She joined ATC in 2011. Brittney has a special passion for working with children with feeding disorders and children who display difficult behaviors. Brittney spends lots of her free time shopping for fun Therapy materials on Amazon or Zulily. A new box of goodies arrives at the clinic at least once a week! When she isn’t at work, Brittney loves to travel. Be sure to ask her about her latest exotic vacation!

Traci is a licensed and certified Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). She graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s degree from Texas Woman's University in Speech Pathology. Traci loves working with all of her patients and especially enjoys working with the pediatric population. She has a passion for working with children who have articulation, fluency, and picky eating issues. She has advanced training in the Sequential Oral Sensory (S.O.S) Approach to feeding and loves being able to help families enjoy mealtime. When she isn’t serving her patients, Traci loves spending time with her husband and two children watching Texas Tech football.

Meredith received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Minor in General Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. She attended The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, where she completed her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. During her time there, Meredith served as the President for the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association. Meredith’s practicum experiences in graduate school included acute care, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, and home health. She gained valuable experiences across the lifespan in assessment and treatment in various communication disorders.

Callie is a licensed and certified Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She then earned her Masters degree in Speech Pathology at The University of Texas at Dallas. Callie has experience working in inpatient, outpatient, and home health settings working with a wide variety of speech, language, and feeding/swallowing disorders in the pediatric population. Callie strives to improve the overall quality of life for her patients and their families by providing individualized treatment based on the specific needs of each child.

Another Dallas native, Emerly joined the ATC team in early 2023 and she is completing her Clinical Fellowship with us. She loves how supportive the staff is! She previously worked in middle and high schools as well as some private practices. Pragmatics and articulation are her favorite areas of speech and language to work on with her kiddos. She has her BS in Psychology and Child Learning Development from Baylor and her Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders from University of Texas at Dallas. Emerly enjoys spending time with family and friends, hitting the gym, and trying new restaurants.

Camille received her BS from University of Texas at Austin in Communication Sciences and Disorders, then her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from University of North Texas in 2021. She completed her Clinical Fellowship with ATC and stayed with us after completion. She enjoys seeing each kiddo grow their language skills and working with the best staff. She loves pediatrics and working with speech and language disorders and delays as well as helping picky eaters! She is a musical being and loves to sing and play both the piano and ukulele.

Yasi received her undergrad in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from University of Texas at Dallas and her Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology at Texas Women’s University. She participated in a clinical rotation with us in 2021 and returned in early 2023 to complete her Clinical Fellowship with ATC. She has a special interest in feeding therapy and working with picky eaters. She also enjoys helping children get their message across in the way that best works for them. She is originally from Houston, TX and loves to travel, read, cook, and be a couch potato with her two cats. Yasi says her favorite thing about working at ATC is, “getting to be part of a multidisciplinary team and learning from each other to help the kids excel!”

Elyse found her passion for speech pathology after spending nine months living and volunteering in Greece at a speech therapy clinic. After that, she pursued her MS from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, in addition to her BA in Psychology from the University of Utah. Elyse enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling, as well as outdoor activities such as nature walks, going to the Arboretum, and learning about plants and gardening. She also has plans to write a children’s book series! Elyse is a fantastic addition to our team at ATC!

Jennifer is another born and raised Dallas Texan who received her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Texas Woman's University. While obtaining her degree, she took additional coursework in bilingual treatment and assessment, learning how different languages can be structurally influential on each other. She found this study of speech fascinating! She is completing her Clinical Fellowship with us and she says she loves working alongside her bilingual patients during her CF. She has a passion for working with Voice and AAC patients. Outside of ATC, Jennifer enjoys reading and learning how to knit and cross-stitch. She has been a valuable addition to our bilingual speech team!

Sarah joined the ATC team after completing her last clinical rotation here before graduating from The University of Texas at Dallas with her Master’s in Speech Language Pathology. Prior to this, she obtained her Bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Texas at Austin, with a minor in Health Communications. Sarah wishes to continue as a lifelong learner alongside her patients. She has a special interest in feeding and swallowing disorders and is looking forward to gaining more experience in these fields at ATC. She is a Dallas native and enjoys spending quality time with friends and family. To relax, she enjoys working on crossword puzzles, playing the guitar and piano, home workouts, and movie nights with her cat. Sarah loves the supportive environment that ATC provides with the opportunity to love and care for our patients and families each and every day.

McKenzi earned her undergrad in Communicative Disorders with a Minor in Psychology and her Master’s degree in Speech- Language Pathology from the University of Louisiana of Lafayette. While completing her Master’s, she served as the Vice President for the NSSLHA and Committee Chair for the fundraising committee. McKenzi’s clinical experiences range across the field but ultimately she was most fulfilled working within the pediatric population. McKenzi values a client-centered approach and believes that establishing trust and connection is essential in a relationship between a child and therapist. Outside of work, McKenzi enjoys traveling back home to visit her family, trying out new coffee shops, and fishing!

Leeann is a Dallas native. She received her Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from Texas Tech University (Wreck’em) and her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University at Dallas. Her clinical experience is working in acute care, pediatric outpatient, and pediatric home health. Leeann enjoys working with children and helping kids just be kids. Leeann's specialty is in Ayre's Sensory Integration and enjoys the puzzle that is difficult sensory integration processing. Play is her favorite occupation!

Maithili received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from University of Mumbai, India. She specialized in developmental disabilities, and studied the effectiveness of tactile-auditory stimulation vs. kinesthetic-auditory stimulation in low birthweight preterm infants. She worked exclusively with kids having a wide range of disabilities including Autism, Cerebral palsy, ADHD, Genetic disorders and developmental delays. After moving to Dallas, Texas with her husband, she worked with older adults (she likes to call them "Older Kids") in skilled nursing, assisted living, and independent living facilities. She later took a course in Neurodevelopmental Treatment Techniques. Her passion to work with kids brought her to ATC and she is loving every minute of it!

Megan has always known that she wanted to work with children and make a difference in their lives. She grew up in southwest Missouri. She discovered occupational therapy while taking a health occupations class in high school and fell in love! She could not think of a better career than to work/play all day as an OT. She started her journey attending Ozarks Technical Community College and received her degree as an Occupational Therapy Assistant in 2017. She worked in several skilled nursing homes right after graduation, but she knew her heart was elsewhere. She decided to move to Dallas, Texas to expand her opportunities to work with children. She started working at A Therapy Connection in 2018 and continued to work as a COTA at ATC for 2 years before deciding to go back to school for her Master’s degree! She attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and graduated with her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege to work with children and adults of all ages and a wide variety of diagnoses. She loves working with children of all abilities and collaborating with families and other professionals to find creative and fun techniques to help children meet their goals and reach their fullest potential. She loves that she can continue to pursue her love for occupational therapy at A Therapy Connection!

Angela is originally from Ohio and moved to the great state of Texas in 2005. She holds two degrees from Texas Women’s University: BS (Psychology Major) and Master of Occupational Therapy. Prior to starting at ATC in 2017, she spent 12 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Angela says her favorite thing about working with children is connecting with each of them and finding how to help support them as well as their entire family. She enjoys participating in outdoor activities like going to the park or a lake with her husband and their young children. When she has a few moments to herself, she unwinds with creative outlets like drawing and sewing.

Shelby was born and raised in Wyoming. She moved to Texas in mid-2022 and joined the ATC team. Shelby has a passion for pediatrics. Throughout her experience working as an Occupational Therapy Assistant, she has experience working within rural communities in Wyoming/South Dakota including various school districts, outpatient, and home health. Shelby participated in collegiate volleyball while studying the field of Occupational Therapy and spends her free time at the gym or hiking with her dog. Shelby loves working at ATC and developing interventions that are family and goal centered catered to each child's individual interests. Working with kids is a new adventure every day!

Karly received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Degree’s at Springfield College in Springfield, MA. She is a New Jersey native, and has recently moved to the Dallas area, and she is so excited to be a part of the A Therapy Connection team as an occupational therapist. Karly has also practiced OT in the acute care, home health, and school settings in New Jersey and New York. She looks forward to having the chance to work with pediatric patients at A Therapy Connection and their families to find the “just-right” challenge and assist each patient to participate functionally in their environments with the highest level of success.

Pat is a graduate of Indiana University/Purdue University Medical School with a degree in Occupational Therapy. She just finished an extensive career as an OT in RISD, and has worked for A Therapy Connection since 2012. She loves working with children and wants to help them be all they can be. She is glad to be working in such a friendly environment where the focus is on the kids and their families. At A Therapy Connection, she is able to continue her love for skilled occupational therapy in an outpatient environment.

Nina started her Physical Therapist journey as a therapy aide in a pediatric outpatient setting where she worked with multi-therapeutic disciplines, collected research, and helped develop the first therapeutic paddle boarding summer camp. She received her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology Exercise Science at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, GA. Following her Bachelors, she received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Nina had the opportunity to learn in the pediatric intensive care unit and St. Jude Clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Illinois, learning various diagnosis and severity of conditions. She has achieved clinical hours in the adult intensive care unit, outpatient orthopedics, aquatic therapy, women’s health physical therapy, and Neurodevelopmental Treatment Techniques. Nina is excited to be in the Dallas, Texas area and to be a Physical Therapist at ATC so that she can help families and children reach their future potential, reduce participation barriers, and be a dependable health care advocate.

Krystal is a North Texas native from Denton. She received her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise Science at Oklahoma Baptist University. Following that, she attended Brightwood College in their Physical Therapist Assistant program where she graduated in 2018. She later took a course in Neurodevelopmental Treatment Techniques. Krystal always known she wanted to be in the physical therapy field from playing sports herself and enjoyed helping others return to activities they love. Krystal is an important member of the A Therapy Connection team and we are happy to have her as a part of Physical Therapy.

Joan has been with ATC since 2016 as a part time Physical Therapist. She graduated from the University of Texas at Galveston, School of Physical Therapy and spent 23 years working with Richardson ISD. She says she loves everything about physical therapy but specifically enjoys working with patients of all ages and stages and helping people get back on their feet and moving again. In her spare time, Joan relaxes by taking her dog on walks and visiting her 9 grandchildren. At ATC, she says she loves the comradery and the feeling of being a part of this amazing group.

Alexis received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science degree from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and then pursued her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in Austin, Texas. She was a collegiate soccer player, and she also held a Community Outreach position for the Student Physical Therapy Association at the USAHS from 2021-2022. Her clinical experience includes adult outpatient orthopedics, outpatient sports, and neurocritical care unit. She is excited to join the “friendly and supportive” ATC team so she can help the kiddos and assist them to accomplish their goals! When not working, Alexis enjoys playing soccer, going to the gym, reading, and taking care of house plants.

James sits at our front desk and greets every child by name when they walk in. He handles our insurance authorizations and is one of the friendly voice’s families hear when they call the clinic. He received his BA in Exercise Science from the University of Texas at Arlington and plans to continue his education in an Occupational Therapy program. He is a competitive team player who likes bowling and video games. He started at ATC in 2022 and loves that he has a nice work environment that allows him to interact with all of patients.

Sylvia is currently in school for her Bachelor's in Global Business with the desire to become a Global Mobility Specialist. She is excited to join the ATC team to gain experience in the medical field and to learn about the tricky world of insurance benefits. She was born and raised in the Dallas area but loves to travel, both in the states and overseas. She participates in several different volunteer opportunities such as nature clean up, reading to kids, organizing arts and crafts, distributing food, and other charity events. At other times, she enjoys solo hobbies like reading, writing, yoga, and even some photography. Sylvia is a girl of many talents! As our intake coordinator, she is one of the first voices our new patients here and she says her favorite thing at ATC is getting to meet all of our kids!

Alaina discovered the field of Applied Behavior Analysis in 2015 and found a passion for supporting children with autism and special needs, and their families, through working as a manager in various ABA centers over the years. She became a Registered Behavior Technician in 2021 and loves seeing children grow and learn new skills, and especially loves seeing the moment when “the lightbulb clicks”. She joined the ATC team at the start of 2023 to help open and manage the new Dallas location, as well as manage the ABA program, and she excited to help expand our service area to provide therapy to children in need!

Farmeen joined the ATC family to jump start our Applied Behavior Analysis program. She is excited to join a team of several different disciplines, allowing coordination care for the whole child. She is originally from India and has her Masters in Microbiology. She has been in the field of ABA since 2006 and obtained her BCBA certification in 2012. She specializes in teaching verbal behavior and parent training. She is a constant learner and wants to continue to gain professional knowledge in the field of ABA, as well as gain more experience working with the teenage and adult population on the Autism Spectrum. Here at ATC, she is looking forward to providing high quality ABA services to our clients, provide informative parent training, and help generalize skills of children from the clinic to a variety of settings such as at home and in the community. To relax, Farmeen enjoys going on walks with her family pet and the occasional foster dog, and volunteering in pet shelters.

Monique is our Billing Representatives who is our behind the scenes claims navigator. She keeps her eyes on insurance claims as they come in to make sure our families get the most out of their benefits. She is originally from Philadelphia and she enjoys cross-stitching and reading in her spare time.