Master of Speech-Language Pathology

Regina Lemmon Bush, M.S.P., Ph.D., CCC-SLP is the Dean/ Program Director of the Speech Language Pathology Program. Clinically, she has worked as an SLP in a variety of clinical settings including schools, skilled nursing facilities, private practice, travel therapy and hospital settings. Since 2002, Dr. Bush has worked as an adjunct professor, Clinical Supervisor, Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, External Placement Director and Program Director in two CAA Accredited Speech-Language Pathology Programs and one undergraduate Speech Language Pathology Program. She has also served as an adjunct instructor in an Occupational Therapy Master’s Program to provide students with an interprofessional education. These experiences led to her teaching innovations which infuse clinical education into academic course instruction. Dr. Bush revamped the program curriculum during her tenure at Columbia College to include experiential learning, scenario-based learning, mock therapy sessions, student-mentored research, service-learning projects with a variety of newly established community partners and a summer camp for toddlers with language as well as hearing impairments. She has mentored new faculty members to provide these instructional techniques within their courses.

Dr. Bush is a proponent of student-mentored research to introduce students to research. Her student-mentored research interests are health literacy, non-mainstream dialects, language/ literacy and SOTL. Her students (graduate and undergraduate) have presented numerous student-mentored research at state and national conferences (ASHA and NBASLH) for over a decade. Dr. Bush honed her leadership skills in Council on Academic Programs in Communication Sciences & Disorders (CAPCSD) Leadership Academy Cohort II and community service work in various organizations. She has served as the President of the South Carolina Speech-Language Hearing Association (SCSHA), ASHA Advisory Council member and Vice Chairperson of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association’s Advisory Council. Dr. Bush received the University of South Carolina’s Communication Sciences & Disorders Department’s Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award, Columbia College’s Career Achievement Award as well as South Carolina Independent College & University’s Professor of the Year Award for innovative program development and instruction. She is a contributing author for the textbook Leadership in Speech Language Pathology. Dr. Bush enjoys painting, traveling and spending time with her family.

Dr. Diana Julbe-Delgado joined the faculty at West Coast University (WCU) as an Associate Professor for the Speech-Language Pathology Program in August 2022.  She completed her Ph.D. at the University of South Florida where she also completed her undergraduate and graduate studies. She is a certified member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has practiced as a Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist in Florida for over 12 years.  She has additionally served as a Research Coordinator for NIH funded studies and a Speech-Language Pathology Clinic Director.  She has diverse academic and clinical experience that includes working with pre-school through geriatric age populations in a variety of clinical and academic settings.  Her academic teaching includes courses and labs in the areas of Dysphagia, Motor Speech, Voice, Cognition, Aphasia, and Clinical Methods.  Her areas of practice include Cognition (e.g., Mild Cognitive Impairment, Dementia, etc.), Traumatic Brain Injury, Language Learning related to Learning Disabilities, Motor Speech, Voice, and Dysphagia (swallowing disorders).  Her areas of clinical specialty include working with adults with neurogenic communication and swallowing disorders.  Her areas of research specialty include interdisciplinary research with a focus on identifying early indicators of cognitive change. 

Dr. Julbe-Delgado has a passion for teaching, mentoring, research, and advocating for underrepresented populations.  Her goal as an educator and mentor is to provide a nurturing, transformational, and interactive learning environment that promotes acquisition and meaning of knowledge and results in generalization and application of theoretical and clinical principles/skills.  Her teaching philosophy holds paramount the importance of teaching students’ evidence-based theoretical and applied learning, clinical problem-solving skills, open communication, and whole person-patient-first intervention. 

Dr. Julbe-Delgado has been recognized with awards in Faculty Research, Graduate Council Research Assistant, and Excellence in Advising.  She has additionally served as a faculty mentor and firmly believes in supporting colleagues to facilitate synergy and strength as a team.  Dr. Julbe-Delgado enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, and traveling.

Mary Pyfrom, MA, CCC-SLP, MT-BC is an Assistant Professor in the Speech Language Pathology program, joining West Coast University (WCU) in November 2022.  She received her Bachelor's degree in Music Therapy from Mississippi University for Women and holds the credential MT-BC (Music Therapist- Board Certified), and her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.  Mrs. Pyfrom is currently a Ph.D. student in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.  Her areas of interest in both clinical service and research are neurodegenerative disorders and the influence of cognition on voice production.

Mrs. Pyfrom has practiced clinically in private practice, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, home health, and an outpatient university clinic.  She has served as the Director of Speech Language Pathology in the hospital setting and lead clinical instructor in higher education.  Mrs. Pyfrom has extensive experience clinically in the areas of Voice, Dysphagia, Motor Speech, Cognition, Aphasia, and Concussion Management.  She holds specialty certificates in Lee Silverman Voice Treatment – LOUD and Speak OUT! for clients with Parkinson's Disease, Myofascial Release, Leesac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy, and Comprehensive Assessment in Foreign Accented English.  In higher education, Mrs. Pyfrom has focused on direct clinical care and the development of interactive educational seminars for students including hands on clinical application and decision making through simulated cases.  She has developed programs for assessing student performance, was a co-creator of a new instructor mentoring program, and fostered interprofessional education opportunities for both faculty and students.

Mrs. Pyfrom is an active member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) in three special interest groups and the Leadership Development Program. She is committed to lifelong learning and has earned three ASHA awards for continuing education.

Professor Nicole Oglevee has over 17 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist providing treatment to diverse clients across the life span. She has provided therapy in various settings, including nursing homes, home health, outpatient clinics, acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, early childhood intervention, and public schools. In addition to providing therapy to clients with diverse needs, Professor Oglevee has served in a teaching and mentoring capacity for over nine years as a supervisor to speech-language pathologist assistants and graduate student clinicians. Her favorite aspects of being a mentor are observing clinicians as they develop confidence in their skills and what she learns from them in return. Professor Oglevee is currently completing her dissertation to pursue her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership through Liberty University. She earned both a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Abilene Christian University.

Professor Oglevee is married with two children and a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy. While stationed in Italy, she developed a passion for exploring new cultures. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, visiting with friends and family, and attending her children’s musical and sporting events.

Sharita Williams-Crossen, Ed.D, CCC-SLP, is the Director of Clinical Education of the Speech-Language Pathology Program. She is a native of Greensboro, NC, and has been practicing in Speech-Language Pathology for over 25 years. Dr. Williams-Crossen earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, Masters of Education in Communication Disorders from North Carolina Central University, and Doctorate of Education in Child, Youth, and Family Studies with a specialization in Exceptional Children from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Williams-Crossen is licensed by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners and certified by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association.

Dr. Williams-Crossen specializes in early intervention and is a certified Infant Toddler Family Specialist (ITFS). She has been certified for over 15 years. This certification demonstrates her specialized knowledge, skills, attitude, and attributes suited to providing quality services to the many differing young children, families, caregivers, professionals, and communities she serves. Governor Roy Cooper appointed her to serve on the NC Interagency Coordinating Council responsible for public awareness, community needs assessment, system evaluation, and professional development related to early intervention.

Before joining WCU, she was the managing director of a private practice managing day-to-day operations of the business, including providing high-quality speech therapy services to individuals across the lifespan with various communication needs related to developmental delays, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and autism, to name a few. Dr. Williams-Crossen has a diverse background in speech-language pathology, including early intervention, Head Start, public schools, charter schools, nursing homes, and home health. Also, in this capacity, she provided clinical education to undergraduate and graduate practicum students, assisting in developing clinical and professional skills to conduct high-quality speech sessions

She has over 15 years of post-secondary experience in teaching and research. Teaching experiences include courses in communication sciences and disorders, phonetics, speech and language development, language disorders, observation in communication sciences and disorders, and computer applications in speech-language pathology. Her most recent research interests include increasing language and literacy through culturally responsive practices.

Dr. Williams-Crossen enjoys maximizing the communication of individuals of all ages by working collaboratively with families and other community professionals. Her passion is preparing future clinicians to make a difference in the lives of individuals with communication needs. Outside of work, Dr. Williams-Crossen enjoys reading, dancing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Kayla Alvarez is a graduate of Kayla Alvarez is a graduate of The University of North Texas (Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences) and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota (Master of Arts in International Education Development).

She has over five years of experience in higher education at the University of Texas South West and Dallas College Campus. Mrs. Alvarez has expertise in securing affiliation agreements and study abroad experience for STEM students both state-side and abroad. She is also passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Mrs. Alvarez is an advocate for students and enjoys helping them to meet their life goals through securing affiliation agreements and preparing for successful clinical experiences in a variety of settings across the life span.  Mrs. Alvarez loves going on adventures and road trips with her husband and two sons. The four of them travel often as a reset to life. Kayla’s family also consists of fur babies and many different plant species!

 Mrs. Yolanda Lister is a polished senior executive support partner with operational experience planning and executing business for high-level executives. She is recognized for superior business acumen. Yolanda collaborates with others to facilitate action plans that support programmatic advancement and long-term success. She is a graduate of Verizon Information’s Corporate Level Executive Support program and ITT Technical Institute. She enjoys spending time with her family and close friends.  

In the role of Online Faculty Manager, Dr. Deana Lacy McQuitty helps to facilitate the success of the faculty members and the students they instruct in an online environment. She leverages her years of leadership experience, operational acumen and management skills to guide the team of educators to provide high quality student-centered learning experiences. Dr. McQuitty incorporates her cultural competence and assessment skills during faculty coaching sessions to help foster an educational environment that promotes continuous improvement. She is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, Southern Connecticut State University and NOVA Southeastern University. Dr. McQuitty has over twenty years of experience as an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, traveling, gardening and spending quality time with her family.