Meet our awesome hosts
Screened and fully trained on facilitating support group meetings, our hosts make sure everyone has a chance to speak during Stutter Social group video chats. We love our awesome hosts and we know you will love them too! Interested in becoming a host? Let us know!
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Bob is a native of Youngstown Ohio and resides in Jacksonville Beach, FL. He is a self-employed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and alumni of Youngstown State University. Bob has been associated with the National Stuttering Association (NSA) for over 10 years. He is currently on the NSA Board of Directors and is the Jacksonville Chapter leader. Amongst his hobbies Bob enjoys being a part of the public speaking organization, Toastmasters International.
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Ronan Miller is a post-doctoral research assistant; he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Valencia in Spain conducting research on the experiences of Spanish people who stammer who are learning English. He has been a member of the British Stammering Association since 2012 and a member of the Spanish Stammering Association since 2010. Apart from studying Ronan enjoys listening to and making music, cooking, and eating.
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McKenzie Jemmett is a Preschool Speech-Language Pathologist. She has been involved with the stuttering community for numerous years and is an individual who stutters. She enjoys teaching Zumba, trying new recipes, exploring new outdoor adventures, and connecting with others from around the world.
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Kenny Butler is a Public Notary with a budding interest in voice over acting. He’s been involved in the stuttering community since 2004 including 4 years as the National Stuttering Association Southwest Regional Chapter Coordinator and 2 years as a Chapter Co-Leader. Kenny is a person who stutters and resides in the suburbs of Tampa, FL with his lovely wife, Brittany and their dogs, Roxi and Onyx and cat Sasha.
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Julia Palozzi is from Toronto, Canada and is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Victoria researching how teaching approaches impact people’s interactions with nature. She was co-editor and contributor of the Canadian Stuttering Association's newsletter and is a new facilitator in the support group Authors with Autism. After years of struggling as a neurodiverse communicator, Julia has developed an intense interest in the improvement of communication skills. Julia is a person who stutters who loves reading, writing, playing hockey, and herding her four cats.
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Annie Bradberry is currently the chairman of the International Stuttering Association. She is the past Executive Director of the National Stuttering Association (NSA) (1993-2003), with her involvement spanning over 38 years serving as chapter leader, board member and currently as a Regional Coordinator. Continuing her passion for the stuttering community, Annie currently serves on the Self Help and Advocacy committee for the International Fluency Association as well as presenting workshops, providing in-service trainings to local universities and school districts whenever she can.
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Jia was born and raised in China. She has been a language teacher (English & Mandarin Chinese) who has taught in China, the UK and the USA. Jia's passion for helping others to communicate over the last 10 years has led her to become open about her own experiences of stuttering in various cultures. Jia is an active member of the NSA and has served as a regional chapter coordinator. She is active in the stuttering community and was featured on StutterTalk podcast on several occasions. Jia is also a founder of a Chinese podcast and hosted online support sessions for the Chinese stuttering community. Jia is currently a 2nd year graduate student in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University.
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Heather Najman is a rehabilitation counselor and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, who has been involved with the stuttering community for 30 years. She helps people become better stress managers in their lives, connect with their courageous selves, and she doesn't stutter when she kazoos.
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David Alpuche is a photographer and entrepreneur from Mexico City, Mexico. David now lives in Dallas, TX, where he has been involved with the National Stuttering Association since 2011. He served for 4 years as a Chapter Leader and was awarded Chapter Leader of the Year in 2017. David is a member of Toastmasters International, where he has won 6 speech contests. He speaks Spanish, English, and is currently learning German. David is a person who stutters and loves reading, writing, yoga, painting, chess, and telling jokes. Check out some of his photography work at www.davidalpuche.com
Our previous hosts
We thank our previous hosts who dedicated countless hours hosting Stutter Social group video chats in the past and continue to do amazing work for the stuttering community:
Rosie Brown, Chad Mannisi, Mike Molino, Elaine Robin-Kruijd, Carl Coffey, Anita Blom, Christine Dits (community manager on the app), Samuel Dunsiger, Hanan Hurwitz, Derek Johnson, Pam Mertz, John Robinson, Matt Schreifels, Douglas Scott, Evan Sherman, Krishna Srinivasan, Mitchell Trichon, Daniele, Rossi, and David Resnick.