MEET OUR B2 KELLER HIVE

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS

Emerald Fernandez
Occupational Therapist
Emerald graduated with her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and her Bachelor Degree from Baylor University. Emerald has experience working in an outpatient pediatric therapy clinic with children with a variety of diagnoses including Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, sensory processing disorders, Down syndrome, oral/feeding difficulties, developmental delays, and more. She is a Certified LAMP Professional and loves to incorporate AAC into her OT sessions. Her favorite part of therapy is incorporating a child's interests into the session and finding creative ways to help them grow in confidence and BEE the best they can BEE!

Olivia Eckert
Occupational Therapist
Olivia is a dedicated Occupational Therapist who earned her degree from Rockhurst University. She has four years of experience working in school-based settings across Kansas, Washington, and the Dallas–Fort Worth area, primarily supporting Pre-K through middle school students in reaching their developmental, academic, and functional goals.
Originally from the St. Louis area, Olivia enjoys visiting her parents and spending time helping in their garden whenever she returns home. Outside of work, she loves staying active and embracing new hobbies. You can often find her baking sourdough, reading by the pool (with a goal of finishing 30 books this year), working out at the gym, or caring for the flowers on her porch.
Olivia is passionate about helping children build confidence, independence, and the skills they need to thrive both in and out of the classroom.
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Favorite Place to Eat in DFW: HG SPLY

Sydney Padgett
Occupational Therapist
Sydney earned her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University. During her graduate studies, she completed clinical rotations in both outpatient pediatric and acute care settings, gaining experience working with children and adults with a variety of diagnoses and needs. Her pediatric experience includes working with children with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, Down syndrome, sensory processing differences, and more.
As part of her doctoral program, Sydney completed her capstone project with an adaptive sports and fine arts program. Through this experience, she had the opportunity to support children in participating in adaptive sports, creative activities, and other meaningful experiences designed to promote confidence, independence, and inclusion.
Sydney is passionate about providing individualized, child-centered care and believes in meeting each child where they are. She strives to create a supportive and encouraging environment where children can build new skills, grow in confidence, and work toward reaching their full potential.
Outside of the clinic, Sydney enjoys staying active, traveling, reading, spending time with her family and friends, and playing with her dog.
SPEECH THERAPISTS

Claire Sartain
Lead Speech Therapist
Graduated with her master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado. Claire has experience with a variety of disabilities and disorders including fluency, articulation/phonology, receptive/expressive language, auditory processing, hearing impairment, use of augmentative/alternative communication devices, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Down Syndrome. She loves working with kids and helping them reach their full potential!

Samantha Klym
Speech Therapist
Graduated with her Master’s in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Texas at Dallas. She has experience with a variety of disabilities and disorders including articulation and receptive/expressive language disorders, fluency, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, cochlear implants and more. Sam loves her job and loves being able to help children communicate their wants and needs!

Bethany Waltman
Speech Therapist/Clinical Education and Development Lead
Graduated with her master’s degree from Texas State University in 2020. Bethany is NLA-Trained to treat Gestalt Language Processors. Bethany has experience with various disabilities and disorders including articulation/phonological disorders, expressive/receptive language, fluency, augmented assistive communication devices, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. She loves getting to know each child she works with and finding fun ways to assist functional communication

Abbie Clark
Speech Therapist
Received her undergraduate degree at the University of North Texas in 2018 and her master’s degree at Texas Woman’s University in 2022. After undergrad and throughout grad school, Abbie worked as an SLP-Assistant in home health. Abbie specializes in orofacial myofunctional disorders and prevention. She loves collaborating with other professionals to ensure each kiddo is able to achieve their max potential while also improving their quality of life. She has experience treating children with tongue and lip ties, tongue thrust, oral habits, feeding/swallowing difficulties, articulation/phonological disorders, expressive/receptive language disorders, augmentative and alternative communication devices, and more. Abbie loves working with kiddos and helping them build their confidence while reaching their goals!

Madeline Kime
Speech Therapist
Graduated with her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of North Texas. Prior to attending graduate school, Madeline worked as a SLP-assistant within the school system serving both general and special education classrooms. She has experience across a variety of different disorders and disabilities including expressive/receptive language delays and disorders, articulation/phonological disorders, autism spectrum disorder, fluency, childhood apraxia of speech, use of AAC devices, and more! Madeline has a great passion for serving the pediatric population. Her favorite part of therapy is getting to create meaningful connections with each of her clients and their families in order to help them grow to their full potential and BEE awesome communicators!

Ari Figueroa
Speech Therapist
Graduated with her Master’s in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Texas at Dallas. She has a variety of clinical experience with Autism Spectrum Disorder, social and pragmatic skills, down syndrome, expressive/receptive language disorders, early language intervention, and feeding disorders. She is very excited to build new connections with the patients and empower them to bee the best they can bee as well as collaborating closely with the families. A fun fact about her is that she is a big movie lover and has a sweet cat at home!

Aime Chavez
Speech Therapist
Aime earned her master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of North Texas. She has experience working with individuals across a range of disabilities and disorders, including dysphagia/ feeding disorders, cognitive impairment, fluency disorders, articulation/phonology, receptive and expressive language, use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Aime is passionate about working with children and is dedicated to helping them communicate effectively and reach their full potential.

Rylei Taylor
Speech Therapist
Rylei earned her degree in Speech-Language Pathology from University of North Texas and is passionate about helping children find their voice, build confidence, and develop meaningful communication skills.
She has experience working with pediatric clients with a wide variety of communication and feeding needs, including Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), intellectual and developmental disabilities, Angelman syndrome, Rett syndrome, speech sound disorders, receptive and expressive language delays and disorders, pragmatic/social communication challenges, fluency disorders, feeding difficulties, and the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems.
Rylei loves partnering with families to help children achieve their goals while creating a fun, supportive, and encouraging therapy environment. She is passionate about helping every child communicate in the way that works best for them and celebrating every milestone along the way.
Outside of the clinic, Rylei enjoys playing video games, perfecting her skills as an at-home barista, and spending time with her fiancé and their dachshund, Rory.
Favorite Place to Eat in DFW: Chuy's

Saige Sager
Speech Therapist
Saige earned her degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Oklahoma State University and is passionate about helping individuals communicate, connect, and thrive in their everyday lives.
Throughout her clinical experiences, Saige has worked with a wide range of communication and feeding/swallowing needs, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), speech sound disorders, language delays, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users, acquired cognitive difficulties, aphasia, apraxia, dysphagia, and feeding challenges. Her previous experience as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) further strengthened her passion for supporting children and families while developing individualized approaches to care.
Saige loves building meaningful relationships with her patients and families and strives to create a fun, encouraging, and supportive environment where children can grow in confidence and achieve their communication goals.
Outside of the clinic, Saige enjoys exploring new coffee shops, traveling the world through food adventures with her husband, cooking, baking, walking her dachshund Brûlée, and spending time with family and friends. She is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they love making memories through travel, great food, and time spent outdoors in the sunshine.
OFFICE TEAM

Alyssa Gamez
Office Assistant
Alyssa helps support daily operations and create a welcoming environment for families and staff.
Outside of work, Alyssa is married and comes from a big family, she has three sisters and one brother and is the third of five! She enjoys reading, spending time outdoors (especially camping, hiking, long walks, and bike rides), and making memories with her family. As she’s new to the DFW area, she’s always open to recommendations for places to explore!
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Favorite place to eat in DFW- TBD – Tell her your recommendations!

Samantha Burger
New Patient & Intensive Coordinator
Samantha supports families from the very first step of their journey. As a remote team member, she is dedicated to creating a smooth, welcoming experience for every new patient.
Outside of work, Samantha is married and excitedly expecting her first baby boy! She and her family also have a mini goldendoodle named Wrigley. In her free time, she enjoys going on walks, spending time with family, organizing, and relaxing with her favorite TV shows. Samantha graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Human Development and Family.
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Favorite place to eat in DFW- Cactus Canyon

Lindsay Pierson
Billing Coordinator
Lindsay helps support families and the team by helping keep billing processes running smoothly behind the scenes.
Outside of work, Lindsay is married to her college sweetheart and loves spending time with her family. She is a proud mom to 17-year-old twins, Nate and Lilly, and 12-year-old Ben. Whether she’s cheering on her boys at baseball games, watching her daughter sing, or enjoying a dinner date with her husband, family time is her favorite. She also has a rescue dog named Harley who keeps things fun at home! In her free time, Lindsay enjoys walking her dog and being involved in her church small group. She graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in Biology.
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Favorite place to eat in DFW- Mi Cocina

Chelsea Guido
Family Care Coordinator
Chelsea supports families with compassion and care throughout their journey. She is passionate about creating meaningful connections and helping families feel seen, supported, and encouraged every step of the way.
Outside of work, Chelsea has been married to her husband since 2001, and together they have four incredible children—Vince, Rocco, Eliana, and Lola. Their home is full of energy, love, and plenty of noise! She also has three dogs—Gigi, Adagio, and Cannoli—who add even more fun to the mix. In her free time, Chelsea enjoys spending time with her family, gathering with friends over a great meal, reading, trying new recipes, and thrifting or antiquing. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Cardinal Stritch University in Wisconsin.
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Favorite place to eat in DFW- HG SPLY

Melissa Womack
Benefits Coordinator
Melissa ensures a smooth experience when it comes to benefits.
Outside of work, Melissa is a proud mom to Wyatt and Camryn and dog mom to her puppy, Coco. She loves staying active by working out, spending time outdoors, and making memories with her kids—whether that’s cheering them on at soccer, basketball, or cheer. In her free time, she enjoys relaxing, reading, and traveling to her favorite places like the beach and the mountains. Melissa graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a degree in Teaching.
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Favorite place to eat in DFW- Muchacho

Dillon Sherrell
Marketing Coordinator
Dillon combines creativity and connection to share the heart behind the hive. She graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a degree in Marketing and is passionate about building relationships with families and the community.
Outside of work, Dillon is married, a proud dog mom to three pups, and also cares for her four backyard chickens. She loves getting lost in a good book, binge-watching her latest favorite show, and heading to concerts whenever she can.
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Favorite place to eat in DFW- Bocca Osteria Romana (Fort Worth)

Kate Tisworth
Engagement Coordinator
Kate focuses on building meaningful connections with families, staff, and the community.
Outside of work, Kate has been married to her husband, Skip, for 23 years, and together they have three kids, Reese, Beau, and Charlotte. She loves spending her time cheering on her kids at sports and theater events. Kate also enjoys watching TV and movies, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends. At home, she has a cavapoo named Luka who keeps things fun! She graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Business Administration and Linguistics.
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Favorite place to eat in DFW- Mi Cocina
