Awards/Honors

The Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) recognizes outstanding contributions to the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology through its prestigious awards. 

Nominations for 2026 award recipients are now being accepted.

Submit a Honors of the Association Award Nomination

Submit a Distinguished Service Award Nomination

Submit a Ida J. Stockman Award for Diversity and Infusion Nomination

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Nominations for the MSHA 2026 Outstanding Clinician Award are now being accepted!

Deadline is August 1, 2025!

Submit a Outstanding Clinician Award Nomination


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    




Lizbeth Stevens, Ph.D., CCC-SLP,   Throughout her lengthy professional career, the late Dr. Lizbeth (Liz) Stevens served the communicatively impaired both directly through the provision of speech-language services and indirectly by mentoring speech-language pathology students who would become future speech-language clinicians and by advocating at the local, state, and national levels for the profession. Dr. Stevens’ life and career exemplified ‘distinguished service’. Dr. Stevens began her professional career as a speech-language pathologist in Michigan school systems. She ultimately became a professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) program area of the Department of Special Education at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) where she worked until 2019, serving as a role model for her students and colleagues. Through her teaching, her scholarly work, and her direct service to the university and community, Dr. Stevens inspired many students to emulate her drive for volunteering and her enthusiasm for the field. In turn, she saw those students thrive in research and volunteer work, becoming the best clinicians and educators they could be. Through her mentorship and guidance, many of her students had their work recognized locally and nationally, with several students receiving competitive scholarships and awards, including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Students Preparing for Academic-Research Careers (SPARC) Award. Dr. Stevens also successfully mentored students in their pursuit of academic careers and two current faculty members in the CSD program area at EMU are her former students. Dr. Stevens worked diligently to promote higher education and the field of speech-language pathology, a source of pride for those with whom she was affiliated. She held numerous leadership positions at the university, state, and national levels, including president of the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA), founder of the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, and member of the first Michigan Licensure Board for Speech-Language Pathology. By consistently serving on ASHA’s and MSHA’s high-impact committees and boards, she not only charted the course for thousands of speech-language pathologists, she also brought positive recognition to the profession and our professional organizations. In turn, Dr. Stevens also received recognition for her work, including being named a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and receiving an Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Stevens devoted her professional life to serving the communicatively impaired and she is a most worthy of this recognition. It is MSHA's honor to celebrate and remember, Dr. Lizbeth Stevens and her contributions to the field of Speech-Language Pathology in Michigan.



Teresa Lyden, M.A., CCC-SLP, University of Michigan Medical Center. Teresa's credentials are impressive. As a Speech Pathologists in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical Center, Teresa’s knowledge base with this patient group allowed her to begin to address their needs within a very short amount of time. In short order, she became a valued member of the multidisciplinary treatment team in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. In addition to patient care, Teresa has been involved in mentoring other SLPs and students throughout her career. They routinely speak of the high quality of her teaching skills during the time they spent with her. Teresa is an outstanding clinician, mentor, and researcher.Congratulations to Teresa Lyden on receiving the 2025 Outstanding Clinician Award.



Allison Mezo, M.A., CCC-SLP, Western Michigan University. Allison Mezo is a dedicated speech-language pathologist and coordinator of the Aphasia Communication Enhancement (ACE) Program at Western Michigan University. She specializes in neuro rehabilitation with a focus on the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA). Allison is passionate about empowering individuals with aphasia to rediscover their voices through storytelling and fostering meaningful engagement in all aspects of life. Congratulations to Allison Mezo on receiving the 2025 Outstanding Clinician Award. 



Christy Schweitzer, M.A., CCC-SLP, Henry Ford Health. Christy Schweitzer is the Coordinator of Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology at Henry Ford Health in Detroit. She has been with Henry Ford for 19 years. Her areas of interest include autism spectrum disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, and developmental language disorders. She is also the lead speech-language pathologist on the multidisciplinary diagnostic team at the Henry Ford Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD). Congratulations to Christy Schweiter on receiving the 2025 Outstanding Clinician Award. 
 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   



Past Honors of the Association Recipients                
(in alphabetical order

Past Distinguished Service Award Recipients
(in alphabetical order)