Dr. Kathy Wheat brings more than 25 years of experience to her role as founding program director for the MS in Speech-Language Pathology program. Previously, she was founding program director for the Speech-Language Pathology Assistant program at Oklahoma City Community College. For nearly 20 years, she was a speech-language pathologist for the Lawton, Oklahoma public schools, including serving as department chair and as a lead member of the autism assessment team.
Dr. Wheat’s academic experience also includes teaching at the University of Central Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma, and the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. She is certified in online teaching by the Oklahoma Distance Learning Association. Her clinical experience also includes working in hospital, skilled nursing, private practice, and home health settings.
Her professional service includes serving as chair of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association School Finance Committee, chair of the Oklahoma Speech-Language Hearing Association Schools Issues Committee Chairperson, and on the Oklahoma State Department of Education IDEA B State Advisory Panel. She serves as a member of the American Speech-Language Pathology Government Relations and Public Policy Board.
Dr. Wheat is a frequent presenter at the state and national level on topics including school issues, workforce training, speech-language pathology assistants, supervision, communication styles and management. She has won several awards, including the Oklahoma City Community College President’s Award for Teaching Excellence, ASHA Fellow Award, ASHA Outstanding Contributions in Preschool-Grade 12 Education, Gwen Casey Distinguished Clinical Service Award, and local Speech-Language Therapist of the Year awards.
She has a BS in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, an MS in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, and a PhD from the University of Oklahoma.
