ASHA Convention: Misleading ASHA Convention Keynote Speaker Bio Leaves Out Important Details

"ASHA 2010: Leadership Into New Frontiers," the convention booklet mailing that all ASHA members received in late June, has an interesting narrative about this year's keynote speaker, Nancy G. Brinker. It's interesting for what it leaves out.
Here's the narrative found on page 8 of the booklet (now removed from ASHA's site):

We are happy to announce that Nancy Goodman Brinker will join us as the evening's keynoter. She is known as one of the nation's foremost "social entrepreneurs" and a global activist who has inspired millions around the world. Those familiar with the history of Susan G. Komen for the Cure know that the organization was founded by Ambassador Brinker over 26 years ago on a promise she made to her beloved sister, Susan, who died at age 36 from breast cancer.

Not only did Nancy Brinker found the organization that has become synonymous with breast cancer globally, she brought the disease out of the shadows of secrecy and shame in large part by launching Komen for the Cure's well-known and emulated Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Series®, the world's largest and most successful education and fundraising event for a charity. She believes in the power of one—the ability of every individual to make a difference in their communities, companies, countries and the world. Drawing on her remarkable life experience as a breast cancer survivor, catalyst of an international health movement and US ambassador, Nancy Brinker shares how her unique lessons for personal and professional fulfillment can help every individual lead a life of both success and significance. (bold lettering and italics added)

It's a narrative that is tailor-made for a convention of mostly female middle-class professionals raised on Oprah: one woman changing the world through "the power of one," founding an international charitable organization, becoming a "global activist" and "social entrepreneur," and achieving it all by - by what? Force of will? Positive thinking? Self-reliance? Belief in one's unlimited potential? Woman power? You can choose any New Age feel-good phrase you like to complete that sentence; just don't waste too much time doing so because there are serious problems with this narrative. It leaves out some very important details about the life of Nancy Brinker. After reading what was left out, you may see a different narrative in Brinker's story, one that doesn't match the one promoted by ASHA.
For one thing, ASHA's narrative makes no mention of the fact that Nancy G. Brinker (born Nancy Goodman) married a very wealthy and powerful man: Norman E. Brinker (1931-2009).

Although Nancy Brinker's husband played a vital role in her life story, ASHA's narrative makes no mention of him. Zip. Nada. Perhaps because it wouldn't fit the Oprah-style "any woman can do anything on her own if she just sets her mind to it" fantasy nonsense that is so popular today.
In 1981, Nancy married Norman E. Brinker, the founder of Brinker International, one of the largest restaurant companies in the world. It currently employs 100,000 people and has annual sales of over 4 billion dollars. Norman was a pioneer and an innovator in the restaurant business. Among other things, Norman Brinker founded the Steak and Ale chain. He helped create or oversaw the growth of Bennigan's, Burger King, and Haagen Dazs. The company he founded is the parent company of Chilis, On the Border, Romano's Macaroni grill, and many others. He revolutionized the restaurant business by introducing and popularizing salad bars. If all that wasn't enough, he was also a world-class athlete. In 1952, he was a member of the US Olympics Equestrian team. He became chair of the United States Polo Association and was inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame. By all accounts, he was an extraordinary man; one can easily imagine Norman being the main character in an Ayn Rand novel (you can read his NY Times obituary here). Norman appears to have been a high-testosterone alpha male - the type of hard-driven, ambitious, and very talented man who works his butt off to become a big, big success - and the type of man who easily attracts women who are less successful and talented than he. 
The Wikipedia article on Nancy states:

Norman Brinker provided funds and methodology for building the Komen foundation. 

ASHA's narrative mentions that Nancy Brinker lost her sister to cancer and that this was the impetus to Nancy forming her cancer charity. It makes absolutely no mention of another cancer victim who is also a very important part of the Brinker story. Norman's first wife, World Champion tennis player Maureen Connolly, also died of cancer (at age 34). Maureen (1934-1969) won the US Championships at age 16 (the youngest player to do so at the time). She was the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a calendar year. She also won Wimbledon in 1952. Her tragic and untimely death at age 34 was considered a major loss to the sports world.


According to PJSTAR.COM:

In November 1980, Nancy met restaurant magnate Norman Brinker in Dallas. He understood her loss—he had been married to tennis star Maureen Connolly, who died from ovarian cancer in 1969...
Marriage to Norman Brinker gave Nancy the financial freedom to leave her career and do something for Suzy (i.e., Susan G. Komen). (bold and italics added)

I guess there's no limit to what one woman can do - if she's lucky enough to marry a very wealthy man! So, is this really a story about "the power of one"? It seems to me to be a story about the power of two.
According to the Wikipedia article:

With the memory of his first wife's battle with the disease in the 1960s, the Brinkers used his wealth to establish a fund dedicated to advancing treatment for cancer in the name of Mrs. Brinker's sister who had died of breast cancer in 1980 at the age of 39. (bold and italics added)

The narrative states that Nancy was an ambassador. Nancy was the US ambassador to Hungary from 2001 to 2003. ASHA's narrative doesn't mention that the Brinkers made huge donations to the Bush presidential campaign (here's a link to the page on the Brinker's donations to Bush).

The couple were active Bush Pioneers, wealthy donors who provided $100,000 or more of financial support for George W. Bush's presidential ambitions Link

Bush was sworn in as president on January 20, 2001. Seven months later, in an astonishing coincidence, Nancy was appointed ambassador to Hungary.
I suspected that Nancy Brinker's story - as related by ASHA - was incomplete: it seemed to be too much of a perfect fit for the women's morning talk show blabfests. Don't get me wrong: Nancy Brinker has done a great deal of good in the world. But so did her husband (the company he formed created 100,000 jobs - nothing to sniff at in a recession). Can you help but wonder if Nancy would have become a "global activist" if it wasn't for Norman? Why leave him out of the narrative? Is it because his existence is an inconvenient truth, one that is a real buzz-kill to the dopey "gee, look at what one woman all by herself can do if she sets her mind to it, and so can I if just believe in myself" fairy tale?

So, what's the real lesson here? I think I know: anyone, even you can become a "global activist."All you have to do is:
1) Believe in the "power of one."
2) Think positively.
Oh, and one more thing:

Don't forget to marry a super wealthy alpha-male.

ASHA Ethics Controversy Goes International; Draws Criticism From British Stammering Association

ASHA-gate continues.
And now, the ASHA ethics controversy has gone international. Congratulations, ASHA! Your shame is now global! Wheeee!
ASHA has earned the criticism of the chair of the British Stammering Association.  Among other things, Leys Geddes, BSA's chair, states:
It is both brave and sad that two SLPs, and ASHA members, must ask for support from the outside world to fight against a refusal by their own professional body to uphold such a straightforward ethical issue.

Sad is not the word; how about, "contemptible" or "despicable"?
The British Stammering Association further states:

...disappointingly, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) declined, explaining that, in their view, these claims were simply a case of 'let the buyer beware'.

You can read the entire British Stammering Association article here.

ASHA's stand strikes me as being nothing but hypocrisy. ASHA doesn't take a "let the buyer beware" attitude when it comes to certifying its members. For years, ASHA has been encouraging the credulous public to believe that certified members are more qualified/ knowledgeable/ experienced than non-certified members. And you know why? Because that's how ASHA rakes in the cold hard cash: creating a perception that it isn't enough that slps graduate from an accredited university program and pass a national boards exam (which it is). ASHA wants employers and parents to think that they may not be getting the best slp care unless the slps have forked over the money for ASHA's expensive and totally meaningless CCC's (among other things, anecdotes abound of slp's rarely, if ever seeing their cfy supervisors during their cfy year). IMO, ASHA has created what is essentially a worthless quasi degree (and unlike your university degree which you get to keep forever, you have to keep paying ASHA if you don't want to lose your CCC's). Let the buyer beware, my foot. If ASHA really believed this, they wouldn't certify its members - they would tell the public the following: 

Sorry, we aren't in the business of certifying slps. When it comes to finding slp services, you're on your own. Let the buyer beware!

Looks to me as if ASHA takes a "let the buyer beware" approach when it makes them money but when ASHA can pull in some cash regulating the profession and its practitioners, they begin whistling a very different tune.

Does ASHA puts $ before principles? Sure looks like it to me.

Barry Guitar, Peter Ramig, Jane Fraser Sign Petition Urging ASHA To Enforce Its Code Of Ethics

As noted in a previous post on this blog, ethical questions have been raised about ASHA. Now there's a petition at the StutterTalk website urging ASHA to "actively enforce its own code of ethics."

And take a look at a few of the individuals who have signed the petition so far:

Barry Guitar
Peter Ramig
Jane Fraser - President of the Stuttering Foundation of America

Those are some of the most respected, instantly recognizable names in the fluency field. If they think that ASHA needs to enforce its own code of ethics, the rest of us need to sit up and pay close attention. I've stated before that I do not believe that ASHA is out to do what's best for the profession or the membership; I believe that ASHA is determined to do what's best for ASHA - meaning the 306 people who are on the hefty payroll at ASHA's Rockville headquarters.

ASHA should be hanging its head in shame over the fact that Guitar, Ramig, and Fraser felt the need to get involved in this controversy, but I very much doubt that it is because that's not how ASHA's bizarre  organizational psychology operates. ASHA is remarkably similar to - well, let's think about this for a minute. Does anyone else detect an inability to admit wrong-doing, to deal with criticism, to accept responsibility for one's misdeeds? Does anyone else notice a grandiose sense of entitlement? In psychology, these are considered to be the symptoms of a sociopath. Where's FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) when you need her?

The petition is printed in full below. Please consider adding your name by doing the following:

To sign the petition, all you need to do is send an email to Peter Reitzes - preitzes@yahoo.com. Please include your name, credentials and location - exactly as you wish them to appear on the petition (for examples, see some of the signatures below).

Petition
ASHA Needs to Actively Enforce its Code of Ethics

Arlene A. Pietranton, Executive Director
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
2200 Research Blvd., Mail Stop #309
Rockville, MD  20850-3289

PETITION

We, the signatories, petition the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to rigorously enforce compliance to its self-imposed Code of Ethics.

ASHA could not be clearer in its intention to protect consumers. Principle of Ethics I, Rule J states that “Individuals shall not guarantee the results of any treatment or procedure, directly or by implication.”

However, such promises of specific outcomes in stuttering are widespread.

Some websites of ASHA members market their treatment of stuttering with statements like “12 Days to Fluent Speech,” “discover how to stop stuttering,” and “You'll no longer fear social functions, avoid ordering food at a drive through, or keep quiet when you really want to speak out” (see appendix).

Such advertisements clearly violate ethical and professional conduct as intended by ASHA. These promises provide people who stutter and their families with unrealistic outcomes and they also mislead professionals and the public into believing in the availability of a quick fix for stuttering. Such claims are hurtful to both consumers and professionals.

Unfortunately, ASHA does not actively enforce compliance with its ethics code regarding advertising outcomes. If ASHA credentials are to have any meaning, they must represent not just knowledge and skill, but also the ethics required to protect consumers and the public by action and not just by words.

Most members of ASHA do not have the time to spend dozens of hours filling out ethical complaint forms, calling and writing letters to members who may be in violation of the Code of Ethics and cannot afford to fight off frivolous lawsuits that may result from pursuing ethical concerns. Yet ASHA reported in 2007 having more than 106 million dollars in total assets. Clearly ASHA has the resources, the power and the structure, if it has the interest, resolve and determination, to enforce its own Code of Ethics.

We, the signatories, petition ASHA to implement procedures to encourage compliance with its ethics policy regarding comments by clinicians advertising the outcome of their therapy procedures.  Specifically, ASHA could confidentially review public marketing statements used by members after being made anonymously aware by members or the public. Following a preliminary check, the statement(s) in question could then be referred to ASHA's ethics committee for review and the committee could decide explicitly and in writing whether they violate our Code of Ethics with regard to promising outcomes.

ASHA's officers and ethics committee have a responsibility for enforcing the basic principles of ethical conduct by clinicians who promise uniformly successful outcomes. Any marketing and advertising statements made by ASHA members that have the potential to mislead our patients and clients should not be tolerated. Enforcing our standards and ethics in advertising helps us to elevate our commitment to those we serve. ASHA’s current “buyer beware” approach towards the marketing done by its members is not in the best interest of consumers, the public and the professions.

We look forward to a timely response to these concerns, addressed to the corresponding authors below, Peter Reitzes and Phil Schneider (338 14th St. Apt. 1L Brooklyn, NY 11215; preitzes@yahoo.com)
Appendix

After doing a Google search on the word “stuttering,” in the sponsored links section one of the first results returned says “12 Days to Fluent Speech.” Under this search result it says “Eastern Virginia Medical School. Board Recognized Fluency Specialist.” The link directs you to the website of Ross S. Barrett, M.A. CCC/SLP. The link for the site is
http://fluentspeech.com/?gclid=COikhua7rKECFUtX2god6ivWEw

After doing a Google search on the term “stuttering therapy” one of the first search result states, “Stuttering help - discover how to stop stuttering - stuttering therapy that works.” The search result was for the website of Mark Power, MA CCC-SLP, Board Certified Fluency Specialist. The link for the site is http://www.powerstuttering.com/

All of the following websites express identical wording promising the following outcome from therapy: “You'll no longer fear social functions, avoid ordering food at a drive through, or keep quiet when you really want to speak out." The links are
http://private-practice.com/speech/listing.html?categoryid=74
http://www.drgaryscohen.com/speecheasy.html
http://web.utk.edu/~tsaltukl/strc/
http://www.speechutopia.com/products.html


Signatories:

Peter Reitzes, MA CCC-SLP
Co-host, StutterTalk Podcast

Phil Schneider, Ed.D. CCC-SLP
Board Recognized Fluency Specialist
Associate Professor Emeritus, Queens College, City University of New York
National Stuttering Association Speech Pathologist of the Year, 2004

Jane Fraser
President, Stuttering Foundation of America

Ernie Canadeo
BoardChairman, National Stuttering Association

Robert W. Quesal, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BRS-FD
ASHA Fellow
Vice-Chair for Speech-Language Pathology, Council on Academic Accreditation
Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Western Illinois University

Gary J. Rentschler, Ph.D.  CCC-SLP
Board Recognized Fluency Specialist
Department of Speech-Language Pathology
Duquesne University

Walt Manning, Ph.D.
Professor & Associate Dean
School of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
The University of Memphis
Memphis Speech & Hearing Center

Barry Guitar, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Professor Communication Sciences; Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Education
University of Vermont
Author of Stuttering: An Integrated Approach to Its Nature and Treatment and Co-Editor of Treatment of Stuttering: Established and Emerging Interventions

John A. Tetnowski, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BRS/M-FD
Ben Blanco/BoRSF Endowed Professor in Communicative Disorders
University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Peter R. Ramig, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Professor
Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences
University of Colorado

Bill Murphy M.A. CCC-SLP
Clinical Professor
ASHA Fellow
Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders
Dept. of Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN

Charlie Osborne, M.A., CCC-SLP
Assistant Clinical Professor
Center for Communicative Disorders
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Kim Krieger MS, CCC-SP
Board Recognized Specialist-Fluency Disorders
Director of the Successful Stuttering Management Program and SLP for the Mead School District

Adriana DiGrande, MS, CCC-SP
Board Recognized Specialist-Fluency Disorders
Director, New England Fluency Program
Lexington, MA

Tom Weidig, Ph.D.
The Stuttering Brain Blog
Former Trustee of British Stammering Association (BSA)
Former Chair of the BSA Research Committee

Leys Geddes
Chair, British Stammering Association

Russ Hicks
Person Who Stutters (significantly)
Member of the National Stuttering Association
Distinguished Toastmaster
Toastmasters International
Retired Computer Systems Consultant
Texas Instruments Incorporated
Dallas, Texas

Cathy Olish
Person Who Stutters
Member, National Stuttering Association
National Stuttering Association Board of Director
Co-Chapter Leader for the Royal Oak NSA Adult and Kids/TWST Chapters
Co-founder, Covert Stuttering Email Group

Eric Jackson, M.S.
Co-host: StutterTalk podcast
Adjunct Assistant Professor - Long Island University

Uri Schneider, MA, CCC-SLP
Schneider Speech Pathology

Andrew Floyd, MA CCC-SLP
SLP and Person Who Stutters

Nina Ghiselli, Psy.D., Psychologist
Person Who Stutters
Co-chapter Leader, National Stuttering Association

ASHA Boss Gets Paid More Than President Obama, European Heads Of State

 

Q: What do President Obama and President Sarkozy of France have in common?
A: They both get paid less than ASHA's executive director.

That's right. ASHA's executive director gets paid more than President Obama, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, and Vladimir Putin of Russia.
According to 2008 tax returns, ASHA paid out a shocking $456,241 in total compensation to executive director/speech chick Arlene Pietranton. The United States pays out $400,000 yearly to President Obama.

Here are the salaries of the most powerful world leaders, according to Forbes magazine:

United States: President Obama: $400,000
Great Britain: Prime Minister David Cameron: $375,222
France: President Nicolas Sarkozy: $346,000
Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel: $318,000
Russia: President Vladimir Putin: $81,000

The President of the United States' job is to lead a diverse, vibrant, and powerful country of 310 million people in a challenging and dangerous era of international conflicts, nuclear threats, catastrophic oil spills, Islamic terrorism, a worldwide recession, bank collapses, etc. ASHA's executive director's job is to lead an organization of 140,000 predominantly white female speech therapists - most of whom work in the public school system. There's also a yearly ASHA convention to plan and organize. And a website. And then there's the - give me a second here, I'm thinking - I know there's something else - hold on, my morning coffee hasn't kicked in yet...
Well, whatever else it is that Arelene Pietranton does, I'm certain that it must be much, much more important than anything that President Obama, Prime Minister Cameron, and President Sarkozy do or else why would she get paid more than them?

For the benefit of you visual learners, let's compare what two of these leaders are in charge of:

President Obama (salary: $400,000 a year):

In charge of:
The United States of America
Population: 310,000,000

Arlene Pietranton (total compensation in 2008: $456,241):

In charge of:
ASHA offices in Rockville, Maryland, zip code 20850 (just a few blocks south of the "That's Amore!" Italian restaurant where you can find "high quality food at reasonable prices")
Population: 306 employees (including janitorial staff)