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Meet Courtney Luckman , a valued member of the National Stuttering Association team. Learn more about their role and contributions. Courtney Luckman Professional Relations Chair (NSA Board) Courtney Luckman is a person who stutters, speech-language pathologist, and doctoral student at New York University studying social cognitive influences on stuttering. She has been active in the NSA since 2011, formerly chairing the Young Adults Committee. She is the founder of the Charlottesville Chapter of the NSA and helped co-run the City of Chicago NSA Chapter for several years. She is co-author of the 3Es model for stuttering therapy and her research has recently been published in ASHA Perspectives and the Journal of Fluency Disorders. In 2020, she received the Distinguished Early Career Professional Certificate of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She is passionate about educating speech-language pathologists about the experience of stuttering. She is a writer for Medbridge Education, has been featured on several podcasts about stuttering, and has presented on stuttering at several national and international conferences. When she is not consumed by all things stuttering, she enjoys traveling the world, spending time outside with her dog, writing, reading anything nonfiction, and baking. Fun fact: she once owned her own cookie company! Term began August 2022

< Back Previous Jeremiah Williams Presenter Jeremiah Williams has his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Christian Ministry with an emphasis in Discipleship. He loves people and believes that everyone should feel loved and appreciated. He hopes to continue building those friendships at National Stuttering Association events and the Annual Conference. One of his goals on the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Committee is to ensure everyone is heard, loved, and appreciated. No one should feel left out and everyone has a voice: “When one falls down, how great it is to have someone to pick them up.” Jeremiah wants people to remember they are never alone. Next

Learn how Jonathan Pomerantz,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Facilities Engineer Jonathan Pomerantz Briefly describe your daily job duties. As a Facilities Engineer, I’m responsible for maintaining and ensuring the safe operation of our oil & gas processing facilities in Northern Colorado. I interface with Production Operations, Environmental, Health, and Safety teams, and other engineering teams to troubleshoot facility upsets and design retrofits to improve reliability. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. I am constantly required to communicate detailed technical information to many people every day. It can be frustrating when it takes me longer than other people to communicate that information. I am also often required to present design solutions and proposals to larger groups in meetings. Switching to remote work over the past 18 months has also presented a whole new subset of challenges with communicating more often via calls and video conference rather than in person. What are your long-term career aspirations? Long term, I hope to continue to develop my technical knowledge in my field and eventually move into a management/mentorship role to lead an engineering team. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? I did. I actually disclosed initially to the recruiters as I was applying for interviews in college, and continued that during the interview process. I usually phrased it as: “You’ll probably notice that I stutter, and this might take me a bit, so I appreciate your time and patience in advance.” Currently, I don’t explicitly disclose very often as I’ve been working with a lot of the same people for a long time who know I stutter. But if a situation arises where I am being misunderstood or interrupted, I’ll disclose in a similar way. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I don’t have a specific proud moment, but it makes me feel good when I’m selected for new projects and asked for my input despite my speech difficulties. I am proud of how far I’ve come within the company. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I’ve found that it has made me a more empathetic person and I can better withhold bias when listening to what a person has to say, regardless of how they say it. It has also pushed me to find ways to compensate where necessary and improve my work performance proportionally in other aspects. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? I would say to go into it with a positive attitude and know that your stutter doesn’t have to define you and it likely won’t. I have had an overwhelmingly positive experience as a person who stutters in a professional environment. Listen and learn from everyone around you, and when you have something to say, speak up no matter how it comes out or how long it takes you.

We are honored to share “Hope Against All Odds,” a poem by National Stuttering Association community member Isaac Geller. Through honest and deeply personal reflection, Isaac reflects on the challenges, resilience, and hope that can come with being a person who stutters. Shared with permission from the author. I open my mouth, Instinctively so, To verbalize my thoughts, To share my words. But yet again, I’m so viciously reminded, Of my shackles, That tie me up, Like a wax statue, Like a broken instrument, I stand there in shame, Hissing some sound. That inaudible jumble, Might not sound like much, But to me it does, And it screams oh so loud. It purges up from deep, Deep within, My stolen voice, My trampled identity. It fights tooth and nail, It demands release, To get its message, Out to the world. Yet all it can do, Is a few weird noises, Whispers of shame, Of hurt and frustration. Day after day, The morning sun, Demands another try, Another battle to wage. To confront the world, So impatient, And cruel, Never ceasing the fire. Daily tasks left undone, Phone call avoided, So many opportunities, Missed just like that. Another silent day, Full of stares, So many pairs of eyes, Looking away. Of strangers smirking, Eyebrows raised, When greeted by silence, Asking for directions. Of cashiers and bus drivers, Avoiding my gaze, While holding up a line, Of impatient people. Going out there, And being present, Is a daily struggle, A constant fight. Getting up in the morning, Is a conscious choice, Of a day of suffering, And of shame. Yet I climb out of bed, Facing my fate, Sometimes wondering, Why today has arrived. I trudge along anyway, Confronting reality, For the moment I stop, It is a sad defeat. Just know that inside, There’s a beauty, Waiting to be heard, To be given its chance. Will I ever accept, My fate with a smile, So you can finally hear, My beautiful speech. I cling to that hope, That I’ll learn to accept, Although it is tough, Treacherously so. With patience, And resilience, I will persevere, With iron will I’ll prevail. To forge ahead, Plowing through hardship, Is my only choice, To really survive. For giving up is treason, To my story of life, A happy ending, Is the one I’ll write. One step at a time, It is okay to fall, Slowly but surely, I will succeed. Years of isolation, Always on the run, Escaping and avoiding, Hiding from all. And the pain of it all, Is so much more, When watching your eyes, Pity me. I have what to say, I've got what to share, Perhaps so much more, Than him and her. Will my lost voice, Ever get its chance, To prove to the world, That it can too. Will my broken self, Ever rise up again, Through the shame, Out of the shadows. Will my yearning spirit, Ever come forth, To tell the story, Of relentless times. Will my true inner peace, Ever replace, The emotional wreck, That is me.

Active & Previously Approved Stuttering Research Studies The National Stuttering Association (NSA) reviews and approves stuttering-related research studies to help ensure ethical standards, transparency, and respect for people who stutter. This page includes a regularly updated list of active stuttering research studies currently recruiting participants, as well as previously approved studies whose approval periods have concluded. Inclusion on this list indicates that a study has been reviewed by the NSA Research Committee. It does not imply endorsement of specific findings or outcomes. Active Stuttering Research Studies (Currently approved and recruiting participants) RESEARCH TITLE RESEARCHER(S) EXPIRES Self-Disclosure and Psychological Resilience in Adults Who Stutter: A Mixed-Methods Study of Relationships, Influencing Factors, and Lived Experiences Ladan Khoshbin 07/31/2027 Urinary Metabolic Profiles in Adults Who Stutter: A Descriptive Study of Biological Diversity Dr. Gregory Snyder 06/29/2027 Speech Accessibility Project – Stuttered Speech Collection for Inclusive Speech AI Dr. Shaomei Wu 06/18/2027 Discussing Observable Disability Survey Dr. Kathleen Bogart 06/17/2027 Dopamine and sensorimotor function in stuttering Dr. Hantao Wang 03/31/2027 OratorSync: Exploring the Types, Causes, and Treatments of Stuttering while Developing and Testing AI Tools to Help Mitigate it Ojas Desai (High School Scholar) 12/21/2026 Relationship Between Stuttering and Intimate Partner Violence Leah Mumpower 03/08/2027 Coping Flexibility and Psychosocial Well-being of Adults Who Stutter Sadaf Salehi 02/22/2027 Hot and Cool Executive Function of Children Who Do and Do Not Stutter Matt Hopper 02/17/2027 Career Advice Reported by People Who Stutter Samiksha Gaur 02/17/2027 Self-help for stuttering: More than mutual aid Molly Stevenson 02/17/2027 Stuttering and Sleep: Does it Matter? Kenzie Beard 02/17/2027 Neural and Behavioral Error Responses in Adults who Stutter Shogo Honda 02/17/2027 Exploring Adults’ Lived Experiences of Stuttering Through a Trauma-Informed Lens Dr. Naomi Rodgers 02/17/2027 Network Connectivity and Temporal Processing in Adolescents Who Stutter Dr. Shanley Treleaven 2/23/2026 Audiovisual Integration in People Who Stutter Dr. David Jenson 6/22/2026 Systematic client feedback in speech-language treatment Dr. Kerry Ebert 6/5/2026 Development of authentic avatars for clinical education in stuttering Dr. Shelley Brundage 6/5/2026 Social Anxiety, Worry, and the Experience of Stuttering Dr. Seth Tichenor 6/5/2026 Genetic and metabolic bases of developmental stuttering Dr. Joan Orpella 6/22/2026 Linguistic preferences in adults who stutter Dr. Mahmoud Elsherif 10/16/2026 Fluency and Flow Study Dr. Jeanne Nakamura 12/31/2026 If you have any questions about the research process or would like to know more about a specific project, please contact the NSARC Chair Angela Medina, Ph.D., CCC-SLP. Previously Approved Recruitment Projects (2022–2025) (Approval period has ended) Research Title Researcher(s) Approved Until Listener Perception and Childhood Stuttering Haley Warner 5/01/2025 Quantifying Variability in Stuttering in the Real World Dr. J. Scott Yaruss 6/14/2025 Social Network Analysis in Adults Who Stutter Dr. Naomi Rodgers 6/14/2025 Impact of Support Group Conferences on Teens Joy Kling 6/16/2025 AI Accessibility for People Who Stutter Dr. J. Scott Yaruss 6/17/2025 Parent Survey: Preschoolers Who Stutter Ryan Millager 10/22/2025 Real-Time Listener Reactions & Stuttering Courtney Margulis 10/22/2025 Sequencing & Initiation in Speech Production Dr. Frank Guenther 10/22/2025 Hope, Humor & Self-Stigma in Adults Who Stutter Dr. Laura Plexico 10/22/2025 Stuttering Mindsets Megan Arney 10/28/2025 An online compassionate imagery intervention for people who stutter/stammer: A feasibility study Benjamin Farmer 9/30/2025 Rhythm Production and Processing in Children and Adults Who Stutter Janina Boecher 10/22/2024 Exploring Sensorimotor and Interoceptive Awareness in Stuttering Hazel Malcolm 10/22/2024 Multiple Stigmas, Social Identities, and Stuttering Dr. James Mancinelli 10/22/2024 Temporal Processing in Adults Who Stutter Samira Anderson 10/22/2024 Parents of Individuals Who Stutter: Experiences & Stages of Change Sadaf Salehi 10/22/2024 Acknowledging Stuttering with Preschoolers Dr. Cara Singer 10/22/2024 Social Isolation and the Experience of Stuttering Seth Tichenor 10/22/2024 Transitions to Life After High School Dr. Naomi Rodgers 06/22/2024 Migrants to the U.S. Who Stutter Dr. Victoria Reynolds 06/20/2024 Effectiveness of a Mindfulness App Juhee Kim 06/20/2024 Variability in Fluency and Psychological Impact Eddie Brown 06/19/2024 Trait Mindfulness and the Experience of Stuttering Megan Arney 06/19/2024 Anticipation of Stuttering and the PAiS Robert Bies 02/22/2024 Understanding the Experience of Stuttering and Cluttering Dr. J. Scott Yaruss 06/14/2024 Neural Oscillations and Speech Perception in Stuttering Dr. Shanley Treleaven 06/20/2024 What Do People Who Stutter Want From Speech Therapy? Matthew Phillips 07/24/2024 Linguistic and Cognitive Factors in Stuttering Dr. Zoi Gkalitsiou 02/22/2024 Spanish-Language Support Group Study Dr. Angela Medina 02/14/2024 For any questions about research, or to learn more about specific projects, please contact the NSARC Chair Angela Medina, Ph.D., CCC-SLP.

Written by Taylor Worsham, BA, Communications Coordinator Nothing or nobody really prepares you for when the Annual Conference is over. I certainly wasn’t. Charlotte 2026 was technically my second Annual Conference, but my first conference where I attended as an attendee and not part of the NSA staff. As I’m writing this, I’m very much deep in the throes of what are called in our community as “post-conference blues,” or also more widely known as a happiness hangover. According to Psychology Today, symptoms of it can include feeling down, low energy, feeling tired, loneliness (even if you are not alone), and/or a loss of purpose. Sound familiar? While I’m still figuring out what to do with myself after such a joyous, momentous occasion, here are a few things I’ve found that have helped me during this time. 1. Rest, rest, rest I know this one may seem like “yeah, no duh,” but the Annual Conference is draining. You’re meeting a bunch of new people, you’re speaking during the Open Mics, you’re probably dehydrated, you’re staying up late talking to people in the lobby then waking up early for the 9 AM workshops, you’re socializing pretty much the entire time, and jet lag is real. You are going to be completely exhausted by the time it’s over. When you get home, give yourself permission to rest. And that may look different from person to person. Whatever gives you rest and recharges your spirit in a productive way, do it. Take time off work, if possible. 2. Let yourself feel Feel all the emotions afterward and feel them fully: sadness, loneliness, anger, mourning, etc. It’s okay to express them, too. If you want to cry, then cry. If you want to go to a rage room and smash things up, then do it. The only way to get through them is by actually going through them, not around them. 3. Seek out connection and fulfillment Your brain is coming down from an insane high from being at the conference. Finding connection and community releases a bunch of feel-good hormones in the brain, including dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Then, all of that is taken away super suddenly. It’s sort of like someone who’s addicted to drugs not getting high for a bit. The withdrawals kick in. They don’t feel good. Frankly, they suck. My advice? Seek out (healthy) connection and fulfillment. This can include spending time with your family and friends, treating yourself to your favorite food or a well-earned break, exercising, meditation, drawing or painting, volunteering, etc. Also, talk to people who also went to the conference! Chances are, they are going through the exact same thing as you right now. 4. Capture the conference magic before it fades I highly recommend this one. Jot down your favorite memories, save/print photos, write down your favorite quotes, record a voice memo, or talk to people you met at the conference that you want to stay in touch with. This can help turn the conference experience into something you can revisit at any time. 5. Do some reflecting A meaningful conference experience can shift the way you see yourself. Take some time to reflect on what this experience brought up for you by asking: “What did I learn about myself?” “What do I want to carry forward?” “What was my biggest takeaway from this experience?” “How can I apply what I learned in workshops to my everyday life?” Doing reflection work can help you get even more out of your experience. The conversations and workshops do not have to stay in the conference rooms. You can carry them into your daily life in ways that feel realistic to you. 7. Make the next step After an intense experience that feels meaningful, it can be tempting to put pressure on yourself to keep the momentum going right away. But instead, choose a next step that’s gentle, ideally related to the NSA. Maybe sign up for a virtual event, attend an NSA Chapter, revisit your notes from a workshop, or something similar. 8. Remember that belonging still exists when you’re apart One of the hardest parts of leaving the conference is going from being surrounded by people who understand stuttering to returning to places where you may be the only one you know who stutters. But the connection you felt does not disappear when everyone goes home. The people you met and the conversations you had still count. That sense of belonging is still within you, even across different cities, time zones, routines, and seasons of life. While the conference may only last a short while, community doesn’t have to be limited to that time frame. You can stay connected through NSA Chapters, virtual events, messages, social media, and the reminder that you are still part of this community, even from home. Keep the community close If you are feeling the post-conference blues, it may be because it gave you something valuable: a place where stuttering was not something to fix or apologize for. And while we can’t bottle up the magic of being together in one hotel or one weekend, we can keep building spaces where people who stutter feel supported and less alone all year long. Stay connected with the NSA by joining our mailing list so you don’t miss updates about upcoming events, community opportunities, and the 2027 Annual Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. And if this community has meant something to you, consider making a donation to help us continue creating life-changing spaces through NSA Chapters, virtual events, family programming, 1-Day Conferences, and more. Make a difference today at WeStutter.org.