Guest Speakers

David Alpuche

David Alpuche is a photographer/entrepreneur from Mexico City. He has been a member of the NSA for more than a decade. He is one of the leaders in To Be Like Me, a non-profit dedicated to breaking down the barriers that exist for those with disabilities and shed light on the positive impact of compassion. You can usually catch David playing chess, trying to learn a new language, or at a metal festival.

Denise Deitchman

Denise Deitchman is the proud mom of a teenage daughter who stutters. Her family discovered the NSA in 2016 and the connection and support have been life changing for her whole family. Denise was born in Huntington, NY and moved to the Atlanta area with her husband in 2005. Denise’s professional career has evolved from being an Advertising Executive to Non-profit Volunteer Management to becoming a health coach in 2020. Denise has served on the Board of Directors for her Synagogue for the last five years and has accepted the role of President Elect for the coming year. Denise also has a son who is 14 years old. This will be the first year that the whole Deitchman family is not at the conference together.

Tim Flynn

Tim Flynn is very stuttery and has been apart of the NSA somewhere between forever and an eternity. He grew up in the Washington D.C. area and currently works as a speech pathologist within the public schools in Arlington, VA. Tim is the co-chapter leader of the Washington D.C. chapter. He has published multiple studies measuring and altering stuttering stereotypes. He is an active and passionate member of the stuttering community and has presented multiple workshops for NSA and other conferences over the years. In his spare time, Tim enjoys living his best bro life in the gym, eating food erasing any gym progress, and finding humor in everyday life.

Ashleigh Givens

Ashleigh Givens is a 23 year-old fashion photographer and multimedia artist residing in Detroit, Michigan and a recent graduate of the College for Creative Studies. She has been an active member of the NSA and coming to conferences since 2019. As a past TAC member and currently on the DEI committee, Ashleigh is passionate about serving the stuttering community. Having had a stutter since the age of four, she wasn’t always as confident as she is now but she has known what it feels like when the world wants to silence you and now is an advocate for other PWS in all aspects of life. In her free time she enjoys traveling to experience other cultures, reading books on art and design, going to concerts, and taking care of her extensive houseplant collection.

Ezra Horak

Ezra Horak (they them) has been stuttering since the age of 6, and has been involved with the NSA since 2014, serving in various leadership roles. Ezra lives in Portland, Oregon with their 2 cats, and runs the platform Stutterology and is a board co-chair for SPACE: Stuttering, People, Arts, Community, Education.

Cameron Joyce

Cameron Joyce was born on Leap Day in 2000, and his parents knew from the start that he would be unique. Cameron is originally from Hartsville, SC, a small town of about 7,000 people that is known for being a tight-knit community (so much so that Cameron created a children’s book celebrating the warmth and charm of the town!). In Hartsville, Cameron enjoyed a delightful childhood, and from an early age developed an interest in technology, sparking a lifelong passion for using technology to better understand the world and to enhance people’s lives. In 2022, Cameron graduated from Wofford College where he studied computer science and economics. He is currently a Senior Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton in its national security sector.

Cameron began stuttering at the age of 13, just as he was entering middle school, which everyone knows is the perfect time to develop a stutter (sarcasm!). As a teenager, he felt isolated in his stuttering experience because he had not encountered anyone else with the same speech impediment, leading him to believe it was a unique challenge that he would face alone. Until the age of 21, Cameron lived life as a covert person who stutters (PWS), trying to hide that part of himself. However, after joining the National Stuttering Association he has developed a positive relationship with his speech. Serving as a member of the NSA Young Adult Committee has provided Cameron with the chance to forge connections with fellow young adults who stutter and navigate similar hurdles in their careers, relationships, and daily lives.

Cameron currently lives in Reston, VA with his wife, Avery. They enjoy exploring the local culinary scene, watching Formula 1, and wandering around DC.

Adam Karr

Hey there! I’m Adam Karr from Menlo Park, CA, and recently graduated high school. Volleyball’s my passion, and I’ve been hitting the courts since I was twelve.  I’m the oldest of four siblings and love diving into Biology, History, and Latin. Outside of school, you’ll find me chilling with friends, challenging minds in chess, and reading fiction novels. Oh, and this fall, I’ll be starting my journey at Northwestern University in Chicago. Go Wildcats!

Matt Maxion

Matt Maxion is a speech-language pathologist and life-long stutterer who believes we all should be allowed to stutter unapologetically. He is committed to promoting neurodiversity-affirming practices both in his professional field and within his community, serving as an active member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee for the National Stuttering Association. Outside of his professional pursuits, Matt enjoys exploring the culinary world by trying out new recipes in his kitchen while listening to his favorite true crime podcast.

Jim McClure

Jim McClure has been a newspaper reporter, public relations manager, independent consultant, author and Navy reserve captain. He lives near Albuquerque, NM, and is retired from everything except stuttering.

Jim helped start the NSA’s Chicago chapter in 1984 and has served as a board member and public relations counsel. He was the NSA Member of the Year in 2005 and was elected to the Stuttering Hall of Fame in 2007. Jim was the consumer member of the American Board of Fluency and Fluency Disorders and currently is a public member of ASHA’s Council for Clinical Certification.