2025 Martha Mullins-Callender Recipient

Dr. Dorian Lee-Wilkerson

Dr. Lee-Wilkerson has served as Hampton University’s Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders Chairperson. Her career spans over four decades exemplifying the distinction and commitment this award seeks to acknowledge. Dr. Lee-Wilkerson’s concentrations include cultural responsiveness and service delivery, creating student career pathways from marginalized backgrounds, cultural competence and diversity, equity, and inclusion with research interests including children in high poverty areas, African American male stroke survivors. Her impact is known felt at the state and national levels. Dr. Lee-Wilkerson is an exemplary clinician, researcher, academician, administrator, and leader.

Dr. Lee-Wilkerson has received numerous honors: Hampton University’s Quarter Century Club, Excellence in Diversity Award from the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders, ASHA Certificate of Recognition for Special Contributions in Higher Education, ASHA Fellow and ASHA Chair of the Multicultural Issues Board. She is an active member of ASHA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Group, the ASHA Convention Program Committee-Global Topics and the ASHA Council on Academic Accreditation. With great pleasure, the CDF Board bestows the prestigious Martha Mullins-Callender award to Dr. Dorian Lee-Wilkerson.

Martha Mullins-Calender Award Recipients

1990  Margaret McElroy

1991  Lissa Power-deFur

1993  Ralph Bralley

1994  Patti Peters

1995  Martha Bountress

1996  Carol James

1997  Barbara Fee

1998  Pat Dewey

1999  Birdie Minor

2000  Henry Hecker

2001  Danny Gnewikow

2004  Sally Jones-McNamara

2005  Gayle Daly

2006  Jessica Norton

2008  Brenda C. Seal

2009  Angie Coggin

2010  Valerie H. St. John

2013  Gary Pillow

2014  C. Edward Vann

2015  Rita Purcell-Robertson

2017  Marie Ireland

2018 Laura Phillips Griesbach

2019 Darlene robke

2020 Anastasia Raymer

2021 LaVAE Hoffman

2023 Peggy Agee

2024 Laura Purcell Verdun
Catherine Thompson

2025 Dorian Lee-WILKERSON

Anyone may nominate a professional practicing in the field of communication disorders in Virginia by submitting a letter of nomination and securing at least two letters of support for the nomination. The letters must illustrate the ways in which the nominee exemplifies leadership and ideals that Martha represented and which make the nominee a "champion" of the profession. The award traditionally is made in the form of a plaque and a personalized gift and is presented at the annual conference of the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia. 

Letters of nomination and support must contain the author's name, title, relationship to the nominee, address, and telephone number, and e-mail address. Nominations are due by December 31 of each year and should be directed to:
 

Scott Rankins, CDF President
Communication Disorders Foundation of Virginia
P.O. Box 6342
Charlottesville, VA 22906-6342

OR Click Below

Friend of the Foundation Award

This award is given to an individual or business that has made an extraordinary contribution of time, money, and/or resources to the Foundation over the years. The CDF Board acts as both nominating and selection committee for this award.

2025 Friend of the Foundation

Awarded to
Judith Rassi & Margaret McElroy

Judy Rassi moved to Virginia upon retirement from Vanderbilt University. She immediately became active in SHAV and joined the CDF as a Board member from 2009 - 2018. Judy suggested and then directed the CDF Board to take on a 3-year Development Plan to serve as a blueprint and rubric for quality performance. The CDF Board continues to utilize this rubric and update the CDF Development Plan annually, reminded of the dedication Judy made in her service to the future of the Foundation.

Margaret McElroy, Aud, worked for 24 years at UVA. She was on the SHAV Board first as Chairman, Standards and Practices 1973-74, as President-Elect 1982-83, as President 1983-84, and as Past President 1984-85. She was named a SHAV Fellow in 1886 and was the first recipient of the Martha-Mullins-Callender Award, in 1990.  Margaret served on the CDF Board from 2000 until her retirement in 2018. She was the CDF secretary “extraordinaire,” (quote from Brenda Seal) for many years. Margaret’s attention to detail was, and has always been, amazingly acute and accurate. She annually collected and updated documents to establish an important foundational “history” for the CDF.

Judy and Margaret retired from the CDF in 2018. Prior to their resignations, they left a remarkable legacy in replacing our long-serving CDF’s mascot Verbalina, with the new CDF mascot, ClaraTee. ClaraTee moves across the state from year-to-year as a competitive force within the CDF Auction attendees.

Friend of the Foundation Award Recipients

1998 Al King

1999 Paul Harvey

2000 Patti Peters

2000 LinguiSystems

2001 Lissa Power-DeFur

2001 Super Duper Publications

2002 David Narburgh

2002 James River Chesterfield Lions Club

2004 Lori Gardner

2010 Shields Jones

2010 Karen Cersley

2011 Joseph Stettinius

2016 Scott Rankins

2016 C. EdWARD Vann

2018 Amber Handon

2018 Phillip Peters

2019 Nancy Wampler

2020 Craven
Management

2021 Pat Dewey

2022 Andy Harbick

2023 6 NSSLHA University Chapters

2024 Dr. James (JIM) nicely

2025 Judith rassi & Margaret Mcelroy