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.

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.

Sherrie is the office assistant who is the credentialing specialist. 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.

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.

Julianne is a Speech Language Pathologist who previously worked as a school based SLP in Wylie ISD. She joined our team in early 2023 and says her favorite things about ATC are “working with the best team and patients and getting to work with families and assist them in developing their child's speech and language skills”. She obtained her BS from the University of Texas at Austin and then her Master’s from the University of Texas at Dallas. She enjoys working with children in all areas of speech and language articulation, phonology, fluency, social communication, receptive/expressive language, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Denice is one of our bilingual SLP’s who spent her Clinical Fellow year with us in 2014 and officially onboarded in 2021. She received her Master’s from the University of Houston. She has a special interest in working with Spanish speaking and bilingual children and their parents. She says she enjoys “helping children communicate as best as they can as we can only imagine the frustration someone experiences when not being able to communicate effectively due to the lack of vocabulary, or because they cannot produce sounds correctly, or they stutter, etc.” Denice loves being outdoors, traveling, and reading when she gets the chance, as well as participating in the ATC volunteer events throughout the year!

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.

Melissa received her Bachelor's degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences from University of Maryland and Master's degree from TCU with an Emphasis in Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology. She is a mentor in the Bilingual Empowerment through Allied Mentorship (BEAM) SLP program for minoritized and diverse undergraduate/graduate students to help diversify the SLP field to match the populations we serve. She started at ATC in 2022 for her Clinical Fellowship and she enjoys collaborating with other disciplines to provide patient-centered care and improve treatment outcomes. She has the cutest Frenchie puppy named Vader and she has fun by exploring new restaurants, traveling, and reading.

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!

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!

Valerie received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Columbia College and her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman's University at Dallas. Her clinical experience is in pediatric and adult inpatient hospital settings. She also has coursework in Neurodevelopmental Treatment Techniques. She has 4 kids, one of whom has been the recipient of occupational therapy for sensory processing disorder and hand therapy. She loves to have fun and is excited to be at a clinic that is so kid focused where she can help make a difference in the lives of children. Valerie enjoys continuing education to further improve herself as an occupational therapist and the fast growing environment that we work in.

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.

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.

Vanessa is our bilingual Referral Coordinator and one of our amazing front office staff who greets everyone when they arrive. She’s happy to help families with any questions as well as contacting insurance companies and doctors’ offices to obtain services for our patients. She started at ATC in 2022 and says everyone is super friendly and it's a great environment to work at. She also enjoys spending time with her dog, traveling, watching movies and sports, and spending time with family.

Born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, Raven started in February 2022 and is one of our amazing office assistants who says her favorite thing about working at A Therapy Connection is getting to see the therapist do what they do best and the incredible impact they have on all the kiddos' lives. She is in the process of completing a degree in Child Development at TWU and is aspiring to become a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at local animal shelters and at Dallas Community Partners for Abused and Neglected Children.

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 in 2023 to help open and manage the new Dallas location and is excited to help expand our service area to provide therapy to children in need.

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.