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Name: Brooke Findley
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Communicative Sciences and Deaf Studies
Academic Degree(s):

• Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts, Communication Studies Emphasis, College of the Sequoias
• Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies, Speech-Language Pathology Option, Fresno State
• Master of Arts in Education, Educational Leadership and Administration Option: P-12 Pathway, Fresno State
• Master of Arts in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies, Speech-Language Pathology Option, Fresno State
• Doctor of Education, P-12 Educational Leadership Option, Fresno State

How long have you worked at Fresno State? I started working as a part-time lecturer since fall 2014. The Department of Communicative Sciences and Deaf Studies was offering a new course titled CSDS 117: Behavioral Principles in Assessing and Treating Communicative Disorders that aligned with my areas of training and experience. I taught this course for four years prior to joining the department as a tenure-track assistant professor in August 2018.

Are you a Valley native? If not, what brought you to the area and Fresno State? I am! I was born, raised and currently live in the Dinuba area. Growing up in the area, I always eagerly looked forward to attending Fresno State. I enrolled for the first time in August 2008. I was part of the 10th entering class of the Smittcamp Family Honors College. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies with an option in Speech-Language Pathology in May 2010. I then continued on to complete the Speech-Language Pathology master’s program in May 2012.

After starting my career as a speech-language pathologist, I elected to come back to Fresno State and complete the Interdisciplinary Applied Behavior Analysis Program that, at the time, was offered through the Division of Continuing and Global Education. I returned to campus as a student in August 2015 and completed the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership and a master’s degree in Education with an option in Educational Leadership and Administration in May 2018. I am proud to be able to call myself a four-time alumna. I stay in the area because of the privilege I have in being able to prepare the next generation of speech-language pathologists that will serve our local community.

Are you a Bulldog family with generations of Bulldog graduates or current students? All of my immediate family members are Fresno State graduates. My father and brother both completed business degrees with an emphasis in accountancy. My mother completed her degree in liberal arts and a multiple subjects teaching credential on campus.

Do you have a campus mentor or someone who has helped you in your career? One of the things I really enjoy about my job is that many of my current colleagues, including Dr. Fran Pomaville, Dr. Cynthia Cavazos, and Natalie Berrett, were my former professors. Dr. Steven Skelton, my current department chair, was the chair of my master’s thesis committee. Dr. Christine Villareal has been a significant mentor to me. Her willingness to share her knowledge and experience has helped shape my professional career. I have had such wonderful support from faculty and staff across multiple departments on campus.

Tell us about your department and what people may not know about it. One of the unique things about us is that we are a department of multiple disciplines. Our department offers bachelor’s degree programs in Deaf Studies, Deaf Education, Interpreting, Audiology, and Speech-Language Pathology and master’s degree programs in Deaf Education and Speech-Language Pathology. I value the interdisciplinary nature of our department.

What are you most passionate about in your position and why? My primary areas of interest include evidence-based practice for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and efficiency in school-based service delivery. I am particularly passionate about the role of interprofessional education and practice (IPE/IPP) in supporting future speech-language pathologists in their work with children who demonstrate complex communication needs. I also really love being able to serve as a clinical supervisor. Most recently, I supervised graduate students in our department’s Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic who were working in the STARS Autism Preschool and individual therapy sections. Supporting students as they transfer content learned in the classroom into practice is a truly rewarding experience.

What is a memorable moment you had at your job? There have been so many! I think some of the most memorable moments are when I see my students get recognized for their accomplishments. I have had the opportunity to nominate and see my students receive the President’s Graduate Medal, CHHS Dean’s Graduate Medal, CHHS Dean’s Undergraduate Medal, CHHS Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award, California Speech-Language-Hearing Association Outstanding Student Award, and various other recognitions. It is a really rewarding, humbling experience to be able to celebrate their successes.

What is your teaching style? Broadly, my teaching is focused on helping students be able to apply their learning within clinical contexts. Within the academic classroom, I make a concentrated effort to apply active and project-based learning principles into my instruction. When serving as a clinical educator, I try to build in many opportunities for reflective practice. I think this is a critical component of helping students to become independent and successful clinicians.

What is the most interesting or unusual job you've ever had? I think my current position is likely the one people find most interesting. Prior to teaching here full time, I worked as a school-based speech-language pathologist and a special education program manager. These experiences have impressed upon me the importance of effectively preparing preservice clinicians for work within the educational setting.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? While spare time is often in short supply, I did start taking piano lessons over the summer. I have enjoyed this new challenge and recently started learning some songs from my favorite movie scores.

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know? Many of my students know this, but I am a big fan of competition reality TV shows. "Survivor" is my favorite. I am fairly certain that I have watched every episode of all 42 seasons, along with several of the international seasons as well.