Faculty Supervisors

The SDSU Speech-Language Clinic’s faculty supervisors are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensed by the state of California.  Sessions run by graduate students in the SDSU School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences are under direct supervision by our faculty supervisors:

• Tanya Buzzanga, MA, CCC-SLP, is a multilingual clinical supervisor for students working with the adult neurogenic population. She also works at Scripps Mercy Hospital where she has been instrumental in the development and implementation of an evidence-based oral care protocol. She took part in a national multi-site study that examined the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). Tanya has advocated for the interdisciplinary study of esophageal impairments and has spearheaded the use of a cervical esophageal screen during videofluoroscopic studies. She has been a guest speaker at several conferences in the San Diego area and serves on the hospital’s Board of Biomedical Ethics. Her primary areas of interest are communication disorders, aspiration, and dysphagia in the adult population.
• Danaee Donovan, MA, CCC-SLP, is a multilingual clinical supervisor specializing in pediatric assessment and intervention. Since moving to Boston from Venezuela in 1993, she has dedicated her work to the bilingual and multicultural population. This work continued in 2021 when she joined the clinical faculty at SDSU, bringing with her over three decades of experience supervising and mentoring graduate students in speech-language pathology. Her knowledge in the area of bilingualism has led her to work in different fields such as education, medicine, private practice, and research. Dana has also been invited to give presentations for universities such as NEU and UMASS Amherst, national and international conventions such as ASHA, podcasts, and radio programs. She continues to provide consulting services for the multilingual population through her private practice in Massachusetts and across the United States via telepractice.
• Jovany Gonzalez Estrada, MS, CCC-SLP is a clinical supervisor specializing in pediatrics, early intervention, and multilingual language development. With extensive experience working with diverse families and individuals across a wide range of abilities, Jovany brings a culturally responsive approach to his practice. He has served on ASHA's Multicultural Issues Board and actively participates in initiatives to diversify the field of communication sciences and disorders, aiming to enhance patient-practitioner congruence. As the CEO and owner of J&S Pediatric Therapy, Inc. in San Diego, Jovany leads an interdisciplinary team of early intervention specialists dedicated to creating a kinder, more inclusive world. His efforts have earned recognition as an innovator in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2023 and as one of ASHA's Early-Career Trailblazers in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology in 2024.
• Christy Himstreet, MS CCC-SLP, is a pediatric SLP serving children and young adults ages 2 to 23. Since receiving her MS from NAU in 1998, Christy has attended hundreds of IEP meetings and worked with the gamut of speech and language issues across educational settings including public schools, clinics, non-public schools, residential treatment facilities, group homes and home schools. Shehas provided CF mentorship and graduate student supervision for NAU, U of A, CSUSM, and SDSU. Christy currently provides independent educational evaluations (IEEs) and school district consultations across CA through her private practice and has a special interest in literacy, theory of mind development, children who are late to talk, low incidence disabilities, students who are twice exceptional, and neurodiversity.
• Chantale Hucks, MA, CCC-SLP is a clinical supervisor for students working with the adult neurogenic population. She received both her undergraduate (2014) and graduate (2016) degrees from SDSU. She has worked as a medical speech language pathologist at various area hospitals including Scripps Memorial La Jolla, Temecula Valley Hospital and currently continues to work part-time at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Murrieta in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition to being a clinical supervisor since 2022, she has taught various courses in our program since 2018 including SLP Essentials course: Neuroanatomy and Disorder of Speech and Language and graduate level courses: Voice and Resonance Disorders and Acquired Neurogenic Language and Cognitive Disorders II. Chantale was the lead SLP and therapy coordinator for a specialized clinic at Chapman University from 2021-2024 that focused on providing assessment and treatment to clients with cognitive linguistic impairments due to PASC (Post-acute sequelae of Covid) or more commonly known as 'Long Covid'. Her primary clinical interest is in Cognitive Linguistic impairments following CVA or Brain Injury, Parkinson's Disease, and Voice & Swallowing disorders in the adult population.
• Taylor Hye, MA, CCC-SLP, is the Speech-Language Clinic Director. Before joining SDSU, she worked in the Nashville, TN public school system serving children ages 3-10. Taylor is interested in a variety of speech and language disorders with particular practice in early intervention and school-age students with multiple diagnoses including social language, fluency, articulation/phonological delays, receptive/expressive language delays, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disability. She also earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SDSU.
• Bob McKinney, MA, CCC-SLP, is a multilingual clinical supervisor for the clinic’s Accent and Communication Training (ACT) program and teaches undergraduate Phonetics. He works full-time as the lead SLP at the Sweetwater Union High School District and heads their Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Assessment team. He also taught ESL and trained teachers for 26 years in five countries. Bob is an active member of the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association (CSHA) and the author of Here’s How to Do Accent Modification: A Manual for Speech-Language Pathologists (Plural Publishing, 2019).  
• Paul McRae, MA, CCC-SLP, has been a Speech-Language Clinical Supervisor at SDSU since 2005 and he has been a guest lecturer for multiple SDSU graduate classes over the years. Since 1999, he has been a full-time medical speech-language pathologist at Sharp HealthCare where he completes speech/language and swallowing evaluations and treatments in the adult neurogenic population. Paul’s areas of expertise include head and neck cancer, dysphagia, and communicative disorders related to stroke and traumatic brain injury.
• Jun O’Hara, MA, CCC-SLP, is a medical speech-language pathologist with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Temple University, a master’s degree in Linguistics with an Advanced Certificate in ESL Teaching, and a master’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from SDSU. Jun has worked in acute inpatient, inpatient rehab, outpatient, and skilled nursing units serving youths and adults at Alvarado Hospital and Palomar Health since 2010. She has developed grand rounds for fellow SLPs to discuss atypical FEES/MBS studies and challenging medical cases, interpretation of clinical presentations, and report writing. Jun is an owner of a private practice that specializes in treating adults with communication, cognitive, and swallowing disorders. She strives to provide therapy incorporating functional and real-life activities relevant to clients’ current struggles and life goals.
• Irina Potapova, PhD, CCC-SLP, currently leads the early intervention diagnostic experience in partnership with the San Diego Regional Center. Her approach to clinical training is informed by her research background in bilingual language development, which prioritized meaningful assessment tailored to bilingual clients. Alongside her clinical role, Irina serves as the Associate Director for the Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders and teaches a variety of SLHS courses. 
• Linda Schmitz, MS CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist working in the area of adult neurogenic disorders. She has worked as a Lecturer and Clinical Faculty member in the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at SDSU since 2006. She has held positions at Sharp Rehabilitation Center, the Sharp Community Re-Entry Program, and the Acquired Brain Injury Program offered through the Community College District.