2009 Teen Advisory Council

The Teen Advisory Council (TAC) is made of five to seven outstanding NSA teens.  The TAC members act as role models and mentors for all  children who stutter.  The TAC leader is elected by the TAC and the leader is a voting member of  the NSA Board of Directors.  The TAC is committed to the NSA and to helping people who stutter of all ages.

Here are the current members of the Teen Advisory Council (TAC):

	Stephanie Nicolai - Stephanie Nicolai is 20 years old and is a junior at San Diego State University majoring in Psychology. She has been on the Teen Advisory Council for 5 years and is also the leader. Stephanie and her family have attended 9 conferences and wouldn't miss one for the world. She especially loves working with the kids and helping them understand and accept stuttering. As leader of the TAC, she is also a member on the Board of Directors.
	Braden Barber - Hi my name is Braden. I am 16 years old and I stutter. I never wanted to talk to anyone, or go out in public until one of my speech pathologists told my mother and I about a support group for people who stutter that meets once a month. After a few years with the YESS group, I moved onto a TWiST chapter where I met Lee and Nina Reeves and they mentioned the NSA conference to me. My first NSA conference didn’t start out so great because I didn't speak or introduce myself to anyone, I would either have my mom tell them my name or I'd just show them my name tag. But then once I went to one of the conference workshops, I left the room with a smile. The NSA has changed not only my life but everyone’s in my family. This past conference was my third and these three years with the NSA have been the best three years of my life! Now everywhere I go I talk to people and I make lots of phone calls. I want to thank Lee and Nina, Tammy, Debbie, Sean, and everyone at the NSA for making my life so much better.
	Drew Kiser - Hi, I’m Drew Kiser and Scottsdale was my 4th NSA conference. I am majoring in Pre-Med at Tusculum University in Greenville, Tennessee. I am a scholarship athlete on the Tusculum tennis team. I enjoy going out with friends and playing basketball. The NSA has changed my life and has really helped me to come to terms with stuttering and accepting my stuttering. I hope to be able to help other kids and teens to do the same.
	Sarah Onofri - Sarah Onofri is twenty years old and from Boston, Massachusetts. This is her first year on the TAC but she’s been involved in the NSA for about four years. She loves getting to share her attitudes about stuttering with others and to try and help them become more accepting. Sarah is majoring in Elementary Education and American Studies at Wheelock College in Boston and loves working with kids – in schools, at camps and in the NSA. She has a passion for arts and crafts and lives by the mantra, “Paint is washable and so are you!”
	Robbie Picken - Hi, my name is Robbie Picken I'm a sophomore at Marist High School. I was born in Janesville, Wisconsin and I moved to Chicago to start first grade. I started stuttering when I was entering third grade, and I have been in speech class ever since at St.Xavier’s University. I've played football for seven years and I've gotten lots of awards and gotten to play in prestigious all-star games all over the country. Right now I am focusing on my school work and lifting weights. Once I was told “when you look good, you feel good” and it was a huge confidence builder ever since I started to lift weights. I am very comfortable with my stuttering and I don’t find it to be a negative thing in my life. It also helps that I have a family that is behind me 100% no matter what I do. I am very glad I found the NSA, and I don’t know what I would do without it.
	Lizi Pina - My name is Lizi Pina and this is my first year on the TAC. I'm 18 years old and a senior in high school. Photography is my passion and I plan to study photography advertisement in college. I've been stuttering since I was 6 years old and look forward to helping other young people deal with their stuttering in everyday life. I'm always here to talk!
	Sean Ridder is 17 and a senior at Montgomery High School. 2009 is his first year on the TAC, and Arizona was his second conference in two years. He was not heavily involved in the social aspect of the NSA until this year, but made several great new friends that he looks forward to sharing conferences and experiences with in the future. In his free time, you are apt to find Sean either playing guitar, writing, going out with friends, or most likely, eating. As a first time panel-member (for anything), Sean, needless to say, is quite excited.
	Chloe Whittaker - Hi my name is Chloe Whittaker. I am 15 and have been involved with the NSA for about 7 years. I used to be afraid of speaking because of my stuttering. The NSA has helped me change that and I am comfortable with it now. I love helping other people as they learn to deal with their stuttering.

 See former members of the TAC- click here.