2026 CASE Conference

Shari Thompson
Speech/Language Pathologist
Willoughby Eastlake City School District


With 36 years of experience in Speech-Language Pathology, Shari Thompson has worked in educational and healthcare settings, county programs, and home-based services, supporting children from birth through adulthood. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Cleveland State University. For the past 18 years, Shari has worked with the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District, supporting students from preschool through age 22. Her work focuses on students with multiple disabilities and significant communication challenges, helping them succeed academically and socially. As the district’s AAC Coordinator, she has supported staff in implementing a multimodal communication approach and improving evidence based AAC service delivery. Shari is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and licensed through the Ohio Speech and Hearing Professionals Board and the Ohio Department of Education. She received the Franklin B. Walter Outstanding Educator Award for the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 school years from State Support Team Region 4. She also supports graduate-level speech-language pathology students by providing supervision during field placements. Previous to her service in the public schools, Shari worked at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Center and with the Lake County Educational Service Center. Throughout her career, Shari has focused on supporting students with complex medical and educational needs with the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and is dedicated to help each student find their voice. Shari is the parent of three adult children, two of whom are intervention specialists. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, reading, and playing tennis.

Sessions :