The College of Nursing and Health Sciences is pleased to welcome Dr. Shelley Velleman as the new chair for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders effective July 1. Dr. Velleman comes to UVM from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Communication Disorders from the University of Massachusetts. Her research is focused on the development of speech sound production in young children with an emphasis on childhood apraxia of speech. Currently, she is investigating the motor speech, phonological and literacy characteristics of children with a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders including Autism, Williams syndrome, Down syndrome and Duplication 7q11.23. Dr. Velleman brings with her a strong background in scholarship with publications in top journals, external funding, excellent teaching and leadership in her profession.