Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, is a Certified Lactation Counselor, and one of eight Board Certified Specialists in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Additionally, she is the acclaimed host of “First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional” a weekly Speech Therapy Podcast that addresses “all thangs” Pediatric Speech Therapy, and is presented by SpeechTherapyPD.com. Michelle authored, "Chasing the Swallow: Truth, Science, and Hope for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders". She is an accomplished lecturer; traveling across the nation delivering courses on best practices for the evaluation and treatment of the medically complex infant, toddlers, and children with respect to their pediatric oropharyngeal dysphagia, pediatric feeding disorder, as well as language acquisition within the framework of Early Intervention. Michelle serves as a Board of Trustee Member for the Communication Disorders Foundation of Virginia, the Topic Chair for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)'s Annual Convention for 2024 and 2023, and is a Convention Committee Member for the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV) for 2025 and 2024. She has served as the Treasurer for the Council of State Association Presidents (CSAP), is a Past President of the South Carolina Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (SCSHA), a graduate of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Leadership Development Program (ASHA LDP), a recipient of the Pediatric Feeding Disorder Awareness Champion from Feeding Matters, a recipient of the Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Outstanding Clinical Achievement from the SCSHA, a recipient of the State Clinical Achievement Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Foundation, recognized as an ASHA Innovator in 2023, and ten-time recipient of ASHA’s ACE Award for continuing education.