Archives: Employees

Lily graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology in May 2022. She works with grades 1-5 In Maple Heights City School District in the school setting and lives in Lakewood. Lily is licensed through the Ohio Speech and Hearing Professionals Board and is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

In her free time, Lily enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, or spending time at the lake in the summer time. She has a pet dog named Otis that she loves to take on walks in the Metro Parks. She loves playing basketball and volleyball and enjoys watching Cleveland sports teams. Lily really looks forward to working with families at Lakeshore Speech Therapy

Lina DeMarco graduated from Cleveland State University with her Master of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology degree in May 2020. Lina is a school-based SLP in North Ridgeville City School District working with elementary-age students. Lina is licensed through the Ohio Speech and Hearing Professionals Board, she is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and holds a Professional Pupil Services License from the Ohio Department of Education.

Fun facts about Lina:
Lina was born and raised in Russia and moved to the United States at the age of 11. Lina and her husband John live in North Ridgeville with their Pekingese puppy, named Cannoli. Lina enjoys traveling, spending quality time with friends, reading books, taking Cannoli on walks, and playing pickleball.

Lina feels very blessed to be a part of the Lakeshore family and is looking forward to serving the clients, establishing authentic connections with families, and coming alongside parents to make a dream team for their children!

Rachel Donaldson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics from Oberlin College and a Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Akron. She has worked in both school and hospital settings and has experience evaluating and treating children with a variety of speech and language disorders. Rachel is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is licensed through the Ohio Speech and Hearing Professionals Board. She also holds a Professional Pupil Services License from the Ohio Department of Education. Rachel currently works in the school setting where she provides speech and language services to children in preschool, as well as grades K through 5.

In addition to her love of travel, Rachel enjoys exploring new towns/cities, going on long nature walks and sharing good food and laughter with her friends and family. She loves a good sense of humor and has a deep appreciation for music, art and a good hug. Rachel resides in Lakewood, Ohio with her husband and 3 children. She is excited to be a part of the Lakeshore family and looks forward to helping clients enrich their experiences through improved communication.

Wendi Willmer has 20+ years of experience working with children of all ages and various communication needs.  Ms. Willmer is a Board Certified Specialist in Fluency, possessing in depth knowledge on how to treat stuttering in people of all ages.  Ms. Willmer also has extensive experience in working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.  Ms. Willmer pursued specialized graduate school training focusing on early language development, and completed her clinical fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.  Her work experience includes private practice, hospital, and school placements.  She uses a family centered approach which recognizes parents as an important part of the therapy process.  She loves being part of the team at Lakeshore and helping children achieve their fullest potential with communication skills.

Kathleen Murnen is a Bowling Green State University Graduate and is a certified member of the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (ASHA), and licensed by the state of Ohio in Speech Language Pathology (SLP). Kathy has more than 35 years of experience working with both adult and pediatric patient populations to diagnose and treat a diverse array of communication disorders. Areas of interest include: Early Intervention, Apraxia, Dysarthria, Dysphagia, Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) and Social Communication disorders. She feels the family is an important team member throughout the therapy process.

She has practiced as an SLP associated with several hospitals and healthcare systems across the United States. She is a recipient of 3 Awards for Continuing Education highlighted training/certifications received: Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) LOUD , Beckman Oral Motor Assessment & Intervention, Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP), Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT) Bridging, Therapeutic Listening, Food Chaining.

Kathy has collaborated on research and programming with the following academic institutions: University of Southern California (USC) and Michigan State University (MSU). Kathy is a mentor in the field of speech, providing guidance to both developing clinicians and graduate students.

Kathy enjoys traveling, yoga and the local sports and arts. She is excited to be a member of the Lakeshore Team and looks forward to the privilege of helping families reach their goals.

Elizabeth Lazowski, M.A., CCC-SLP has been a speech-language pathologist since 2000, having graduated from Kenyon College with an undergraduate degree in psychology, and Northwestern University with a masters degree in communication sciences and disorders. She has experience in evaluating and treating children with Speech, Language, Fluency, Voice, and Hearing disorders.  Elizabeth has worked in both the school and private practice settings, and specializes in Early Intervention (birth-3 years old). She is a certified member of the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (ASHA), and is licensed by the state of Ohio in Speech Language Pathology.  Areas of interest include Early Intervention, Fluency, Articulation, and Social Communication disorders.  She uses a family centered approach which recognizes parents as an important part of the therapy process. 

Elizabeth volunteers extensively within her community and was honored with the Bay Village PTA Founders’ Day Award. She has also been recognized for providing externship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students interested in the field of speech pathology.  Elizabeth enjoys traveling, biking, cooking, and watching sports with her family.  She is passionate about working with young children and their families and helping them reach their full potential. Elizabeth resides in Bay Village with her husband and son.

VernaAnn Kotansky, MA CCC/SLP,  is a native of Western New York. She received both her BA and MA in Speech-Language Pathology from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo. VernaAnn’s 30+ years of experience has focused on pediatrics in the hospital, rehabilitation center, developmental center and public school settings.

VernaAnn’s areas of interest related to Speech-Language Pathology include Assistive Technology (Augmentative Assistive Communication), Autism, Social Skills/Pragmatics and Executive Function. VernaAnn holds a Certifications for Assistive Technology for Communication and in the Classroom from South Florida University. She is T.E.A.C.C.H. certified and PECs trained. VernaAnn is also a Martha Holden Jennings Scholar.

VernaAnn holds her Certification of Clinical Competence through the American Speech Hearing Association (ASHA) and is a member of the Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association (OSLHA), the  Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) as well as Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT).

VernaAnn and Ellen have recently started a sister company to  Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC. The mission of  Resources at Lakeshore Speech, LLC. is to provide affordable quality products and therapeutic resources to enhance the lives of individuals with communication deficits. Our Playground Communication Boards are sold nationwide. Visit us at Resources at Lakeshore Speech, LLC.

VernaAnn resides in Lakewood, OH with her husband and 2 daughters. She is thrilled to be part of the Lakeshore Team and looks forward to working with you and your family.

Ellen Spear, M.A.CCC-SLP is the co- founder and owner of Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC. She is a Speech-Language Pathologist with over 30 years experience evaluating and treating children with speech, language and social communication disorders. Ellen has worked in a variety of settings in her career which include private practice, schools, and hospitals. Ellen is certified by the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensed by the state of Ohio in Speech Language Pathology.

Ellen completed her undergraduate degree in Communications at Marquette University and holds a Master of Arts from Cleveland State University. She is trained in the PROMPT method which targets Motor Speech Disorders. Ellen is also certified in the Hanen Method It Takes Two To Talk. She is passionate about parent involvement in the private practice setting and feels that it is the hallmark of success. Areas of interest include Early Intervention, Autism, and Motor Speech Disorders. The Connecting for Kids Organization honored Ellen with the Professional of the Year Award in 2017.

Ellen resides in Lakewood with her husband and 5 children.