Meet the Team
Annie is the president and owner of Cortex Initiative. She is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist through the Brain Injury Association of America and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from Old Dominion University, and a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University. Annie has extensive clinical experience in general speech pathology with the adult population, including disorders of speech, language, cognition, voice, resonance, and swallowing. Her specific interests include working with clients who have suffered brain injuries, brain tumors, strokes, or have progressive neurological diseases, as well as clients with disorders of the voice. She has dedicated much of her career to developing and refining materials, resources, and interventions that help strengthen the cognitive and language abilities of high performing military service members and civilians with low level blast exposure and history of brain injury. Annie enjoys educating her patients, their families, and the community on the effects of TBI, and regularly collaborates with other professionals nationwide to ensure superior care for her clients. In addition to outpatient therapy clinics, she has worked in acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation settings, long term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and delivered services through telemedicine. She is nationally certified with leadership and clinical supervision experience.
Sam is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist through the Brain Injury Association of America and is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who has obtained a Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Sam earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Hunter College in New York, New York, and her MSEd in Speech-Language Pathology from Old Dominion University. She provides exceptional services for people with difficulties in cognitive communication. Her skill set includes providing adult and geriatric cognitive, language, speech, and swallowing therapies. Sam has clinical experience providing services in skilled nursing facilities, long term care facilities, and assisted living facilities, as well as the home health and outpatient settings. She is particularly skilled at identifying an individual's organizational needs and facilitating interventions that will benefit the client at home, work, and in the community. By optimizing time management strategies, routines, planning, and technology, Sam has helped many clients improve their day to day functioning and productivity. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, cooking, and watching horror movies.
Rebecca is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who has obtained a Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Rebecca earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders from California Baptist University in Riverside, California and her MSEd in Speech-Language Pathology from Old Dominion University in 2015. She is passionate about helping adults with cognitive, communication, and swallowing deficits regain their ability to function at their highest level. She feels that it is most important to team up with the client and his/her support system and create individualized approaches to make therapy the most challenging, yet functional to improve that client’s home and work life. Her skill set includes providing adult and geriatric cognitive, language, speech, voice and swallowing therapies. Rebecca has clinical experience providing services in the outpatient and inpatient setting to patients from 12 years old to 106 years old. Further, she has had experience in the school setting, skilled nursing facilities, long term care facilities, and assisted living facilities. Rebecca holds licenses as an SLP in both VA and CA. In her free time, she enjoys homeschooling and playing with her 3 daughters and son, spending time being active outside, and is very involved in her church community with her husband.
Rhonda Osisek, M.S., CCC-SLP is a certified speech-language pathologist and consultant with more than 25 years of experience across schools, early intervention, private practice and outpatient/hospital-based rehabilitation. She has extensive expertise in pediatric and adult therapy, including treatment for social communication, executive functioning, and expressive/receptive language delays and disorders. As founder of Social Learning, LLC, Rhonda created The Social Butterflies Club® Social Skills Program (2004), the Monarch Club Social Skills Program for Teens (2008), and the ADULTing Social Learning Program (2023). In addition to program development and training for schools and nonprofits, she also provides business consulting for private practice SLPs, supporting program design, clinical services, and organizational growth.
Dr. Erin St. Germain is a physical therapist specializing in neurological rehabilitation. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from the University of North Florida and holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland. She is a Board-Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist (NCS) through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) and a certified Clinical Stroke Rehabilitation Specialist.
Dr. St. Germain has extensive clinical experience across both inpatient and outpatient settings. She currently practices as an Inpatient Rehabilitation and Acute Care Physical Therapist, where she focuses on evidence-based rehabilitation for patients with complex neurological and orthopedic conditions, including stroke, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and amputations. Previously, she served as a Neurological Physical Therapist in an outpatient setting, where she treated patients undergoing vestibular, neurological, and pulmonary rehabilitation.
Additionally, Dr. St. Germain currently teaches as an Adjunct Professor at South University, where she leads courses in Neurological Therapeutic Intervention. She has also served as an Innovation Advisor for the Louis B. Thalheimer Fund for Translational Research at Johns Hopkins University, supporting early-stage innovation projects in rehabilitation sciences.
Outside of her professional work, Dr. St. Germain enjoys spending time with her family, surfing, and hiking. She also enjoys volunteering with adaptive sports programs such as Life Rolls On.
Catherine is a Licensed Occupational Therapist who earned her degree at the College of Misericordia in Dallas, Pennsylvania after receiving a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1999. She has a strong foundation in both pediatric and adult care with clinical experience in school based practice, home health care and ALS Clinical Care and Coordination. Through her practice she has honed her ability to tailor interventions to meet the client’s unique needs. She is passionate about client and caregiver education and strives for families to collaborate in their treatment plan for the greatest success in everyday tasks. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 daughters, visiting new coffee shops and slow porch mornings.
Iona Sawyer is a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) and Administrative Coordinator who enjoys supporting both patients and staff. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and Audiology with a Minor in Special Education from Old Dominion University and has a background in healthcare and administrative support. With experience ranging from emergency department admissions to health benefits processing, Iona brings both compassion and organization to her work. She is passionate about helping others communicate and ensuring that families feel supported throughout their care. She brings her positive energy, teamwork, and dedication to learning and growing in her field. Outside of work, Iona enjoys spending time with her kids, family, and friends outdoors.