• Shelley Portaro, M.S., OTR/L
• Jennifer Walton, M.S., OTR/L
• Lisa Griffith,MA OTR/L
• Kathleen Thorp, COTA/L
• Kathleen Wagner, C#6987

• Heather Skeen, M. Ed., CCC-SLP
• Melanie Jarvis, Med, CCC-SLP
• Marilyn Kiester, MS, CCC-SLP
• Susan Walters, NC #7056

Shelley Portaro, NC Occupational Therapist, #4306

Shelley’s educational background begins with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Indiana University. Upon graduation in 1993 and over the course of four years, she worked as program aide, residential case manager, assistant manager, and manager/QMRP and finally evolved into the Program Director for a residential provider for children and adults with autism.

The returned to school in 1996 to earn her Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis so that she could better serve children with special needs.

Since 1993, she has been working with children with sensory processing disorders in the residential, school and clinic settings. Shelley has vast experience with autism, PDD, sensory integration dysfunction, fine motor and visual perceptual deficits as well as cerebral palsy, stroke, hemiplegia, brachial plexus injury, arthrogryposis and Down syndrome.

Shelley is certified in the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) and Therapeutic Listening. Her continuing education includes Handwriting Without Tears, Myofascial Release, Kinesiotaping, and Neurodevelopmental (NDT) handling techniques, Functional Vision, MORE program, Applied Behavior Analysis and American Sign Language. In January 2007, Shelley completed the Handwriting Without Tears Level I Certification.

Jennifer Walton, NC Occupational Therapist, #5708

Jennifer earned her Masters degree in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University in 1994 after earning a BS in Health Science from St. Mary’s College of California in 1992. She began her career in Seattle where after a year in geriatric rehab she found her calling working with children. She provided therapy in Seattle in a number of settings including clinic and home based early intervention, school based therapy, aquatic therapy for clients aged 3 years through 18 years, and hippotherapy. After a wonderful 5 years in Seattle she moved with her husband to England, had three children, and finally moved to Charlotte where she was thrilled to come work for Crossway Pediatric Therapy in 2005.

Jennifer received her Neurodevelopmental Treatment for children with cerebral palsy certification in 1996 and is a professional member of the NDT Association. She is a Certified Kinesiotaping Practitioner, and is trained in Therapeutic Listening. She is currently working on becomming a registered therapist with the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. She speaks French and elementary Spanish and is familiar with American Sign Language.

Jennifer has developed therapy programs for children with diagnoses including Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, traumatic brain injury, Down’s syndrome,Coffen Lowry Syndrome, arthrogryposis, hypotonia, pervasive developmental disorder, extreme prematurity, cerebral palsy, osteogenesis imperfecta, global developmental delay, Prader Willi syndrome, muscular dystrophy, and Williams Syndrome.

Lisa Griffith, MA OTR/L

Lisa Griffith MA OTR/L received her BA in Psychology from Ohio Wesleyan University. After undergoing continuing education courses to become a Certified Special Education teacher, Lisa worked with special needs children for almost 2 years. She moved to Manhattan,NY where she attended New York University and received her degree in Occupational Therapy. She did an internship in Wlimington,NC, fell in love with the beach and remained there to work at Pinnacle Care in both IP/OP dept. She has been working at Carolina's Rehabilitation specializing in pediatrics however she has training in all areas of adult rehab as well- both neurological and orthopedics to include serial casting, splinting,augmentative communication,brachial plexus and lymphedema.

With over 17 years experience, Lisa is certified in Sensory Integration, Infant Massage, Therapeutic Listening, Interactive Metronome and she is a Children's Fitness Specialist. She has been passionate about children ever since she can remember, starting her own business teaching special needs children individualized training in aquatic survival techniques when she was 15 years old. When she is not doing therapy, Lisa can been found on the mountains and trails of NC rock climbing or hiking. She also loves to swim, dance, draw and do pilates. Lisa lives from her heart and believes that therapy needs to be fun as well as a time to allow every child to feel wonderful and amazing.

Kathleen Thorp, COTA/L #5488

Kathleen is a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant who joined Crossway, Inc. in July of 2007. Kathleen graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, Concord, NC with an Associate in Science Degree / Occupational Therapist Assistant in 2004. Her continuing education includes certification in therapeutic listening, and multiple courses pertaining to autism, handwriting, Cerebral Palsy, kinseotaping and yoga for kids with special needs.

Kathleen was awarded third place in The Maddak Awards Program for her therapeutic invention of the "Left / Right discrimination" game in 2003. Kathleen has worked in many different areas of Occupational Therapy since graduation from CCHS. She worked in a variety of settings including private practice, home health and hospital settings such as inpatient and out patient care, acute care, rehabilitation, neonatal intensive care, ICU and oncology. Kathleen's experience spans from children to adults. Kathleen is very energetic and enjoys diversity as well as being a part of a multi-disciplinary team. She thrives on collaboration and facing challenges. Kathleen believes that pursuing continuing education is a priority to effective treatment for children with special needs.

When she is not working, Kathleen enjoys spending time with her husband and her four children.

Kathleen Wagner NC#6987

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2002, Kathleen worked in the Charlotte area as a residential counselor, ABA therapist for children with autism, case manager and community services coordinator for people with developmental disabilities and mental health issues. Through this work, she was introduced to occupational therapy and the variety of populations that benefit from OT services. Because of this experience, Kathleen returned to school to study occupational therapy. 

Kathleen completed her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During her time in school, she participated in an Early Intervention Traineeship. This traineeship allowed Kathleen to complete additional course work specific to pediatrics while gaining hands-on experience with the 0 – 3 population by working with an interdisciplinary team at the University’s Child and Family Development Center. Since graduating, Kathleen has relocated back to North Carolina and is eager to start working with Charlotte’s children with special needs and their families.

Physical Therapists

Heather Skeen, M. Ed., CCC-SLP, NC #4641

Heather always knew she wanted to be in the healthcare profession. It was at Appalachian State University where she determined it would be in Speech and Language Therapy. Once she started taking classes she knew this dynamic and challenging career could satisfy her love for the young and the elderly. She graduated with a BS in Communication Disorders in 1992.

As she was weighing her options for graduate school, a unique opportunity presented itself. She took a job with the Rockingham County School System as a Speech Language Pathologist while she attended graduate school at NCCU at night. She worked with the preschool disabilities program during the day and was a graduate student by night. She graduated from NCCU in 1995 with a Masters of Education degree in Speech Language Pathology.

Heather then went to work in geriatrics with a nursing home in Gastonia NC. In a short time she became the Rehab Manager and managed up to 12 PT, OT, and ST staff. She worked there in a variety of roles for five years. She then got pregnant with twins and took some time to raise her children. Since then she has done a variety of PRN work with Carolinas Home Care, Easter Seals and Legacy Healthcare treating both children and adults.

Through her career Heather has treated children with tracheotomies, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, PDD, Autism, Deafness, Articulation disorder, Language Delay, Central Auditory Processing Disorder, stroke and feeding disorder.

Melanie Jarvis, Med, CCC-SLP, NC 4526

Melanie Jarvis is a certified speech-language pathologist who has lived in Charlotte since July 2005 and in NC since 1988. She has been working as an SLP for ten years in various settings including schools, a hospital, a private therapy office, and a rehabilitation setting among others. The majority of her most recent experience has been in schools and private clinics or homes with pediatric clients. In those settings, she has primarily been serving children with developmental articulation and language delays, autism, language issues related to Down’s syndrome, auditory processing, and apraxia. Melanie has the most interest and expertise with the latter two disorders. She also has some experience working with Hispanic clients and very basic Spanish skills.

Melanie has been happily married for almost fifteen years and tries to keep her family a priority. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, spending time with friends, and exercising. Her husband and she are active in their church where they lead a drama team. She also volunteers weekly at a nearby church tutoring the children of adult ESL students. It is the people in her life, whether family, friends, or clients, that make her life and her job very fulfilling.

Marilyn Kiester, MS, CCC-SLP, NC 6638

Marilyn graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, she left the only home she ever knew and moved to Charlotte.

Throughout the past several years, Marilyn has had the opportunity of working in variety of settings, including inpatient rehabilitation, public schools, and long term care. Her true passion, however, was found in working with early intervention and pediatrics in private practice. Working in pediatrics has given Marilyn the opportunity to work with children that have speech and language delays arising from apraxia, autism, auditory processing disorders, cerebral palsy, stroke, down syndrome, oral motor disorders, articulation/phonological disorder, & developmental language delay. Most recently, she has attended a symposium on treating complex pediatric feeding disorders.

Marilyn is passionate about her work, while also believing that her family is the center of her heart.

Susan M. Walters NC #7056

Susan M. Walters received her BA in 1976, MA 1979, ASHA CCC 1979 providing Speech/Language Pathology services throughout three different counties in New York State from 1979 -2005.  Assisted in the development of thirteen different curricula for the NYS Early Intervention program and spent two years giving presentations across 17 counties of Western NYS. Certified as a provider of Vital Stimulation in June of 2008.

Susan currently provides Speech/language pathology services in North Carolina for a variety of disorders; specializing in Feeding/swallowing disorders of infants and children, phonological and language disorders in children, along with pragmatic language and auditory processing therapy.

We are very excited to have Susan on our team!