December 27, 2013
LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder today announced the appointments of Janelle Edmunds, of Clarkston, and Mary Purtee, of North Muskegon, and the reappointment of Jeffrey Weingarten, of Grosse Pointe Woods, to the state Board of Speech Language Pathology.
The 11-member board assists the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs with regulating the licensure and practice of speech-language pathologists.
"These individuals are great choices for this board and I am thankful for their willingness to serve," said Snyder.
Appointed
Edmunds is the economic and workforce development coordinator for the Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce, where she is a liaison with municipalities, schools and Oakland County, coordinates efforts for economic and workforce development, plans events, and assists with communications. She previously served as a pharmacy credentialing/network management specialist with MeridianRx, staffing clerk with Genesys Regional Medical Center, and physical therapy aide with Functional Physical Therapy. Edmunds holds a BFA from the International Academy of Design and Technology. She will represent the general public and replaces Nicola Hawatmeh.
Purtee is a special education curriculum consultant and augmentative communication consultant for the Muskegon Intermediate School District, with an emphasis in the area of literacy and communication. She previously implemented a pilot program for Muskegon County Intermediate School District as an augmentative communication teacher consultant and served as a speech language pathologist in multiple schools. Purtee holds a BA in communication disorders from Wichita State University, an MA in education of the hearing impaired from the University of Kansas, and an MA in communicative disorders and sciences from Wichita State University. She will represent professionals and replaces Timothy Weise.
Reappointed
Weingarten is the president and a physician at Ear, Nose and Throat Consultants, PC; he is affiliated with Providence, DMC-Sinai, Beaumont Grosse Pointe and William Beaumont Hospitals. He was the co-primary otolaryngologist in authoring the Speech Language Pathology licensure bill and past president of the Michigan Otolaryngology Society. Weingarten holds a BS from University of Illinois-Urbana and a MD from Rush Medical College. He will continue to represent physicians (Otolaryngologists).
Members serve four-year terms expiring Dec. 31, 2017, and their appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
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