Communication Disorders Foundation of Virginia

Honoring Two Who Have Grown Our Professions

This fall, the Trustees of the Communication Disorders Foundation of Virginia (CDF) are honoring two individuals who played key roles in the profession of speech-language pathology in Virginia: David Narburgh and Nancy O’Hare.

David Narburgh

David Narburgh, 78, passed away on September 22, 2024. He moved to Virginia from New York to earn his masters’ degree at the University of Virginia and worked as SLP program director at Easter Seals of Virginia and at the Central Virginia Speech & Hearing Center. He served as the Executive Director of the Prince William Speech and Hearing Center for 34 years, becoming a leader in community-based speech-language-hearing clinics in Virginia and nationwide.

David was an engaged leader in Virginia. He served as SHAV President from 1977-79. Dr Clint Bennett, who followed David as SHAV President remembers David as “a Prince of a person; Everybody like him, which can be said about very, very few people. He was extra supportive of me when I became SHAV president.” Pat Dewey, commented on his “delightful sense of humor and memorable laugh.” She described him as one you could count on and a strong supporter of CDF.

In 1991, he joined CDF, serving on the board for more than 10 years including President of CDF from 1991-2000. Many of us remember David’s enthusiasm at the annual Silent Auction – engaging everyone present in bidding (and outbidding friends). Thanks to David’s leadership in the early days of CDF, a solid foundation for fund-raising and distributing scholarships was created. CDF Trustees named one of the scholarships in his honor and began recognizing students with outstanding clinical potential with the David Narburgh scholarship in 2002.

Nancy Kurtz O’Hare

Nancy Kurtz O’Hare, passed away on Thursday, May 23, 2024, the day before her 90 th birthday. Nancy moved to an assisted living facility in Warminster in December of 2023, to be close to her son Michael and his wife, Ellen. Nancy said leaving Virginia (she called Staunton and Harrisonburg home) after 64 years was “really difficult.” Her roots here were deep, having served as Mayor of Staunton in the early 1990s and serving on multiple boards in the Valley and State. Dr. Nancy O’Hare and Robert Morris began the Speech Pathology and Audiology Program at Madison College in the 1960s. The undergraduate program was originally in Special Education but grew into its own department in a short time. Today, the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department has national recognition with top-ranked academic and clinical programs.

Nancy was instrumental in securing licensure for speech-language pathologists and audiologists in Virginia, the first state in the nation to have licensure. She served as President of SHAV in 1972-73 and attended the annual conference into her 80s. At her memorial service in October, Brenda Seal looked through Nancy’s memoirs, including two SHAV files full of newspaper clippings of governor signings, articles on the importance of the state’s speech and hearing programs, and campaigns for fund-raising. Brenda shared that Nancy’s shoulders were broad and that her role as mentor, colleague, professional, and friend supported many of the practicing SLPs who remember her as a strong leader.

David and Nancy were two leaders who “paid it forward,” engaging in work that supported the growth of speech-language pathology in Virginia. Each of us has experienced the benefit of their commitment. We ask you to consider donating to the CDF to enable continued support of scholarships for aspiring clinicians. CDF will inform David and Nancy’s families of how they have been honored by the speech-language pathology community.

A donation can be made online at https://www.cdfvirginia.org/ and click the “Donate Money Here” button. Then click on the “Donate in Honor or Memory” button to indicate that the donation is in David’s or Nancy’s memory. Donations can also be made by mailing a check to: Treasurer, P.O. Box 6342, Charlottesville, VA 22906-6342

Meet the 2024 CDF SCHOLARSHIP Recipients

Anoli Mehta, an SLP graduate student at Longwood University, has been awarded the Rita Purcell-Robertson Scholarship in the amount of $4,000.

Anoli Mehta

Anoli Mehta is a second year student in the Masters in Speech Language Pathology program at Longwood University. She is grateful and excited to be a part of this wonderful field where we all share a love and desire to help others! Over the course of her clinical experiences at Longwood, she has developed interests in both early intervention and pediatric medical settings. She is passionate about caregiver coaching and feeding and swallowing in the NICU setting. She aspires to work as a NICU based speech language pathologist in the future.


Lauren Bledsoe, an SLP graduate student at Radford University, has been awarded the David H. Narburgh Scholarship in the amount of $4,000. 

Lauren Bledsoe

Lauren Bledsoe is a second-year graduate student at Radford University. As an undergraduate Biological Sciences major, she created a blog called Exploring Neurodiversity. She was drawn to the field of speech-language pathology due to its blend of teaching and science. She enjoys working with the pediatric and adult populations. She is particularly interested in language disorders and generalization of skills.


Lauren Michaud, an SLP graduate student at James Madison University, has been awarded the Pat Thomas Dewey Scholarship in the amount of $3,000. 

Lauren Michaud

Lauren Michaud is a second-year graduate student at James Madison University and alum of the University of Virginia. She was introduced young to speech-language pathology, as the sister of a woman on the autism spectrum. Profound experiences working as a counselor at summer camps that empower individuals with disabilities shaped her decision to pursue speech-language pathology as a career. At this time, Lauren’s clinical interests remain broad; she can envision practice across the lifespan and clinic environments. Regardless of population, she is confident she will return to academia to contribute to the evidence-base, serve as a clinical educator, and advocate for our clients and colleagues. 


May Flowers - a Thank you

The Communication Disorders Foundation of Virginia Board of Trustees offers its heartfelt thanks to the individuals who participated in our May flowers campaign. Through the generous support of a number of donors $1500 was raised for student scholarships. Donations were made in honor of some outstanding professionals in our field: 

Peggy Agee Margaret McElroy
Leslie Burger Chila Nicholson
Susan Cumbee Scott Rankins
Carol Dudding Judi Rassi
Fredia Helbert Carla Scott
Marie Ireland Diane Shelton

In addition, gifts were made in memory of the following persons:

Betty Elizabeth Chafin
Doris and Max Cutright
Rita Purcell-Robertson
Robert Screen

Diane Shelton’s name was chosen at random to receive a bouquet of flowers. Thank you to all who donated. You will find these names listed on our donor page. Thank you to Founding CDF Board member Cheryl Brenton for delivering the flowers!

Congratulations to our 2024 Honorees!

Dr. James (Jim) Nicely
2024 Friend of the Foundation Award

Laura Purcell Verdun
2024 Martha Mullins-Callender Awardee

Catherine Thompson
2024 Martha Mullins-Callender Awardee

Visit our Awards and Honors page for more information on these awards!


Our mission

The mission of the Communication Disorders Foundation of Virginia is to serve as a non-profit organization of volunteers who support the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology through fundraising for scholarships awarded to students in Virginia's communication sciences and disorders programs, and to support achievement and honor excellence in student and colleague accomplishments.


OUR History

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The Foundation began in 1985 as a committee of the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV) with the purpose of raising and awarding scholarship funds for graduate studies in the field of communication disorders.  A year later, it was established as an independent foundation with a Board of Trustees and 501(c) (3) status.

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CDF Scholars Across the Years