José A. Ortiz is an Assistant Professor in Hearing and Speech Sciences, at the University of Maryland, College Park. He serves as the director of the Language Diversity Lab and the Certificate in Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology. He received a B.A. in Linguistics & Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2004, M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2007, and Ph.D in Special Education from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2022. As a speech-language pathologist, José has focused on providing services to Spanish-speaking communities in the US. His research is centered on issues relating to the identification of language-related disorders in bilingual children, including disproportionality in special education, equitable access to education services, non-biased assessment, and technology-enhanced assessment and intervention.
Jessica Nolasco is a first-year doctoral student at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received a B.A. in Hearing and Speech Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2017 and her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the George Washington University. As a bilingual speech-language pathologist, Jessica has a diverse range of experience working with children and young adults as well as serving families from marginalized populations in the DC/MD/VA area. Jessica is committed to bringing her lived experiences as a clinician and caretaker to research by identifying problems and exploring relevant and sustainable solutions for marginalized communities. Prior to doctoral studies, she served as a faculty specialist in the Language and Cognition Lab, focusing on the recruitment of families, data collection, and establishing partnerships with community partners. Her research interests include equitable evaluation and service provision practices for culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
Denilson Mejía-Rivera (he/they/él) is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is pursuing a double degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences & Information Science, and is passionate about understanding bilingual and multilingual language development, particularly in culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Currently, he works as a research assistant in the Language Diversity Lab where his work involves transcribing language samples from bilingual English-Spanish speakers. After graduation, Denilson plans to pursue a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology with a focus on working with multilingual and multidialectal populations. His long-term goal is to earn a PhD to continue advancing research in bilingualism and language equity. He hopes to contribute to the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate tools that empower educators, clinicians, and researchers to better support diverse communities.