Gayle Keefer, M.A., SLP is the director and founder of Pathways Speech and Language. She received her B.A. degree in English Literature from UCLA in 1971 and her Masters of Arts degree in Speech Communication and Communicative Disorders in 1974. She is licensed by the state of California and a member of the California Speech and Hearing Association. Her experience includes adult head trauma and acute care in her early career; interest in neurology and neurologically based disorders, which led to an interest in pediatrics. Her early experience with cleft palate, cerebral palsy and early intervention treatment paved the way for her continued interest in making successful communication a reality for any child. In 1996 Pathways came into being, thanks in large part to Robin Kushner, who became the first clinician on the staff. Gayle currently offers teacher in-services for schools on the Westside, and has the privilege of hosting rotations of pediatric residents from UCLA School of Medicine. She serves as a member of the Expert Advisory Panel for Scribble Press, Inc. and heads pre-school screenings for local schools. Her appreciation of children and their individual uniqueness sustains her love of the practice of speech pathology.

Robin Kushner, M.A., SLP became interested in a career in speech pathology after volunteering during high school on the pediatric floor at UCLA hospital. She received both her Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Speech Pathology and Audiology in 1972 and 1976 respectively, from San Diego State University. Upon completing her education, she began working for the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District in San Diego. At this time she was trained in assessment and treatment of auditory and language processing disorders in children. She was also among the first therapists to be trained in the LiPS program (Lindamood Bell) that provides specific instruction in phonemic awareness, which teaches children to become aware of various mouth actions used to produce speech sounds. This continues to be a strong area of interest for Robin. In 1979, Robin, her husband, and young family relocated to Los Angeles. When Pathways Speech & Language opened in 1996, Robin became the backbone of support for the practice. Working with children and their families remains enriching and exciting.

Andrea Hlavka, Office Manager, has been with Pathways since it opened. Andrea directs the smooth operation of all administrative aspects of the practice. She oversees the non-clinical facets of Pathways including communication with other allied professionals, scheduling, and billing. Andrea most enjoys greeting the children and being of service to their families.