Miechelle McKelvey has been named the next chairperson of the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Education and Human Sciences. She will officially assume the position on July 14.
“We’re thrilled to have Dr. McKelvey join the CEHS community as the new SECD chairperson,” said Nick Pace, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences. “In addition to extensive higher education leadership experience, Dr. McKelvey is an active researcher in augmentative and alternative communication for adults with acquired neurogenic communication disorders, traumatic brain injury, and motor speech disorders. A UNL Ph.D. graduate, her experience and passion for teaching, research and outreach that changes lives will continue to advance our remarkable SECD department.”
McKelvey will join SECD after 19 years at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, most recently serving the last three years as professor and associate dean of the College of Education. She also served seven years as the chair of UNK’s Department of Communication Disorders and was interim chair of the Department of Teacher Education for one year.
Her research is focused in AAC assessment and intervention with adults with acquired communication disorders. McKelvey’s funded projects have supported clinical research studies on subjects such as contextual screen displays for aphasia and the development of AAC assessment protocols for diverse populations, such as those with diagnoses of cerebral palsy, autism, ALS and aphasia.
“I am delighted to accept the position within the SECD department,” McKelvey said. “I am particularly drawn to SECD’s steadfast commitment to enhancing the lives of individuals with special needs and their families, enriching educational environments, and strengthening communities. The department’s distinguished history of excellence in teaching, research and community engagement is truly remarkable. I am eager to contribute to and expand upon these impactful initiatives.”
Prior to joining the UNK faculty, McKelvey worked as a clinical speech-language pathologist at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney in acute care, in-patient rehabilitation, intensive care unit, telemedicine, and the outpatient clinic. She has been an active member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and Nebraska Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSLHA) for nearly 30 years, as well as the International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) since 2007.
McKelvey earned her Ph.D. in communication disorders with an emphasis in acquired neurogenic disorders and augmentative and alternative communication from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2007. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from UNK.
The Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with special needs to achieve maximum potential for learning, autonomous communication, maximal health and well-being, and access to the world. Housed in the recently renovated Barkley Memorial Center on UNL’s East Campus, SECD also promotes the pursuit of knowledge and discovery for its professions through exemplary teaching, research, service, and community engagement to provide accessible education, clinical service, and communication to everyone. Learn more at https://cehs.unl.edu/secd/.
College of Education and Human Sciences
Special Education and Communication Disorders
