Laura Ramos

East Coast Team

Laura brings both clinical and mentoring experience to the East Coast Team.  Laura, who is originally from McMurray, Pennsylvania, completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.  She spent two years working as a school-based clinician in Silver Spring, Maryland.  Laura joined Bilingual Therapies four years ago and is part of the Dual Language Assessment Team serving bilingual children in Prince George’s County, Maryland (just outside of Washington, DC). 

In her free time, Laura along with her husband can be found running, biking, and swimming as they prepare for their first Half Ironman race this summer.  When they aren’t training, Laura and her husband are avid travelers and look forward to their upcoming trip to Ecuador this year.

Sandra Márquez

Great Lakes South Team
(Includes Southern part of metro Chicago)

Sandra is a Mexican-American native of Chicago. She earned her degree from Saint Xavier University in the Communication Disorders undergraduate program. Prior to graduate school, Sandra spent one year as a speech-language paraprofessional in the Chicago Public Schools.  Sandra went on to receive her master’s degree from New Mexico State University where she was enrolled in Dr. Hortencia Kayser’s Bilingual Communication Disorders program.  

Since returning to Chicago, Sandra has had the opportunity to speak on various bilingual issues on both the local and state school district levels as well as for StarNet.  Sandra is in her ninth year as a bilingual speech-language pathologist, of which all has been spent working with Bilingual Therapies. She currently works in the Summit, IL school district as a supervisor for two speech-language paraprofessionals.

Sandra feels honored to be chosen as one of Bilingual Therapies’ team leaders and is grateful to be part of such a talented team.  She looks forward to continuing her work and interacting with Bilingual Therapies’ seasoned and new clinicians. 

Bill Drudge

Great Lakes North Team
(Includes Northern portion of metro Chicago)

Bill has been a speech-language pathologist since 1982.  He has been with Bilingual Therapies since January, 2007.  He began learning Spanish at a later point in his life after working with students with autism and more severe communication disorders.  Bill is a twenty-two year veteran of the Chicago public schools and has devoted five of those years to working with the Spanish bilingual students.  Along with Bill’s working experience, he also spent four years on a local school council, won a grant from the Chicago Foundation, and has presented at two conferences. 

Outside of work, Bill travels to Central and South America whenever possible.  He’s logged many miles on his bike, and is a long-time yoga practitioner.  Bill’s been featured in a few plays and has plans to be in a few more.  He also enjoys writing and has socked away a few written works which he plans to reveal someday to a wider audience. 

Liza Sánchez

Southwest Team

Liza Sánchez was born in Chicago but raised in Houston, TX.  The youngest of five sisters, she is the daughter of Mexican immigrants.  Her parents require, to this day, that everyone speak Spanish at home.  In 1999, Liza received her Bachelor's degree in Spanish and in 2001 her Master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a concentration in multicultural and bilingual issues from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Liza began working with Bilingual Therapies right after graduation.  Since joining the team, she has worked with bilingual populations in various school settings ranging from early childhood to high school.  Assignments have included bilingual assessments and therapy as well as staff development and training in bilingual issues.  Liza has also served as a mentor for clinical fellows within the Bilingual Therapies family and mentors Communication Science undergraduates and graduate students through ASHA's S.T.E.P. 1:1 - Student to Empowered Professional program. 

Sofía Carías

West Coast Team
(Includes California)

Sofía received her B.S. from New Mexico State University, and her M.S. from Arizona State University. Since joining Bilingual Therapies, she has worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where she was able to service bilingual students who spoke Spanish, as well as many other languages. Most recently, Sofía has been working in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She worked with Spanish speaking children as well as provided continuing education to the district on bilingual-based issues. Sofía has been fortunate enough to supervise clinical fellows, as well as graduate students completing their internships from local universities. Many of her summers have been spent working with bilingual adults in a hospital or clinic setting. Sofía plans to return to the Los Angeles area in the summer of 2008. She is excited about her new position as West Coast Team Leader for Bilingual Therapies, and looks forward to building a strong base for our clinicians and the children Bilingual Therapies serve.

Sofía spends her spare time as a professional storyteller and is an aspiring voice-over actress. She looks forward to pursuing these creative talents once she is back in L.A., and closer to her family again.