What drives you?

As a speech-language pathologist, I am a clinician and collaborator at heart who loves working with young children. Through my teaching and community-based work, I share my passion for speech-language pathology and early childhood with students. I’m most excited when I can infuse play and literacy into our relationship-based and interprofessional work.

What’s your goal?

My goal is to be viewed as a collaborative and innovative professor of speech-language pathology who infuses my research, non-profit leadership, and clinical experiences into all that I do in the clinic, community, and classroom. I want my students, colleagues, and partners to know that I am committed to equitable and informed programs, initiatives, and change. At the end of the day, I hope that people see me as a role model for engagement, commitment, and passion.

Your favorite courses?

My favorite courses to teach are those with students who remain curious, apply new learning, collaborate and connect, and feel empowered to share themselves. Each class I have had the honor of teaching provides an opportunity for authentic applications and exploration of topics and passions I’ve connected to across my learning and career. Every time I can explore a wordless picture book, include play-based learning (or just play-doh), consider interprofessional connections, and grow, I am in my favorite class! I teach:

  • Infant Mental Health Seminar
  • Planning for Change: RISE Capstone
  • RISE Special Topics: Trauma-Informed, Home Visiting, Practice-Based Coaching, Models for EI Services
  • Children’s Literature: Critical Analysis and Applications
  • Seminar in the Developing Child and Families (HHS401)
  • Seminar in Becoming an Engaged Professional (CSD457)
  • Speech-Language Acquisition
  • Methods of Evaluation
  • Methods of Therapy I
  • Speech Sound Disorders
  • Seminar in Language Disorders
  • Speech-Pathology I (CSD 333)
  • Language Analysis Lab
  • Clinical Supervision and Education
  • Motor Speech Disorders: Focus on Childhood Apraxia of Speech
  • Strategies for Reading Professionals
  • Language, Literacy and Cognitive Development
  • Child Development and Learning in Contexts

Why Naz?

I am a product of Nazareth’s communications sciences and disorders program (2002)! At Nazareth, I have met some of my best friends and most influential faculty/staff; these are special people who saw me through my undergraduate days and ultimately became trusted colleagues and lifelong friends. The connections, opportunities, challenges, and most importantly the community I experienced at Nazareth as an undergraduate transformed me as a learner, a changemaker, a mentor, a teammate, and so much more. I am thrilled to be part of the past, the present, and the future of our Nazareth community.

How do you support changemakers?

I recognize that each person has great capacity to do good and important work. I also know that learning and change happen inside and outside of classrooms. Therefore, I work to create reflective and reciprocal learning experiences that connect professional practice to the contexts/communities within which we live and work. At the undergraduate and graduate levels, I am committed to community-engaged learning because it: illustrates the power of collaborative action, strengthens students’ partnership skills, provides opportunities for application of course content, and contributes to community outcomes.

Key ways I have worked to support students in growing as changemakers:

  • Advocacy Experience in the Planning for Change Seminar: Join other local leaders, families, and advocates annually in Albany to advocate for funding and policy changes that will impact children with disabilities
  • Community Assistantship Program in Project RISE provides authentic community partnership and leadership experiences at the graduate level
  • Co-developing an Early Childhood Club to include learning and community-based experiences

How can students best prepare for working in speech-language pathology?

In your time at Nazareth as a student, friend, colleague, roommate, athlete, artist, activist, and any of the other ways you identify, I encourage you to:

  • give to our community (and take when you need to),
  • learn from and with our community as you challenge us to always be better,
  • celebrate with our community,
  • learn in all the ways you can here at Naz within and beyond the classroom and campus, and
  • recognize that your possibilities and potential are endless as you embark on what will be a transformational next step.

    Lisa Hiley and Nazareth students partner with The Children's Institute in Rochester to provide developmental screenings for young children — including hearing, vision, dental health, language and speech — to provide interventions and boost school readiness.

    Fun Fact

    While a student at Nazareth, I was on the swim team — which is really where most of my awesome memories and best friends at college came from. I even held a couple of school records and was the 2002 Empire 8 Athlete of the Year for swimming and diving. I was also honored to be awarded the Emily Haskins Inspirational Athlete Award, a particularly proud achievement as Emily was a loved peer during my time at Nazareth. 

    Alumni Views

    “Dr. Hiley is a great person to learn from because she makes content interesting, interactive, hands-on, and applicable. She brings a wealth of knowledge to all speech and language courses, and continues to be involved in research and community engagement.” — Paige Pasquarella ’22, ’23G became an elementary school speech-language pathologist

    “Dr. Hiley turns students into clinicians by challenging them to apply the research to new innovations and the ever-changing needs of the greater community.” — Lindsey (Massenzio) German ’12, ’14G became a high school speech-language pathologist

    Faculty Spotlights

    Wondering who else you can learn from — and who will support and challenge you? Check out Faculty Spotlights.