Aphasia Center of California

Roberta J. Elman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BC-NCD
President/CEO and Speech-Language Pathologist
Dr. Elman holds Board Certification in adult neurologic communication disorders from the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences. She received her doctorate in Speech & Hearing Sciences from the University of California. Prior to founding the Aphasia Center of California, Dr. Elman was Co-Director of an outpatient medical rehabilitation
center. She has more than 20 years of experience in the assessment and treatment of neurologic communication disorders. She is the author of numerous professional publications and the editor of a book published by Butterworth-Heinemann, "Group Treatment of Neurogenic Communication Disorders: The Expert Clinician's Approach." She is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Susan E. Adair Ewing, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Ms. Ewing brings more than 25 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist working with adults having neurologic communication disorders. Before moving to California in 1994, she worked at Wm. Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan where she began communication and psychosocial groups for stroke survivors and family members. She has
co-authored a book, "Pathways: Moving beyond stroke and aphasia," and two videotapes, "What is Aphasia?" and "Pathways."

Tessa Fisher, B.A.
Administrative Assistant
Ms. Fisher received a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics from the University of California at Berkeley in 2010. She has been a volunteer in the Communication Treatment Group program at the Aphasia Center of California since 2010 and also works part-time as our Administrative Assistant.

Elyse Dukatz
Instructor, Fitness & Relaxation Class
Ms. Dukatz, Oakland Unified School District Adult Education instructor, brings more than 30 years of enthusiastic experience as a high school dance instructor and choreographer in addition to training in yoga and other movement arts.