Katy Kronenwetter BA '90, MA'92

Katy Kronenwetter, MA, CCC-SLP, graduated from CU at Boulder in 1990 with a BA in and a Master of Arts degree in Communication Disorders and Speech Sciences in 1992. While in graduate school Katy’s top interests were stuttering, childhood language disorders, voice. “I was most interested in children ages 4 – 11 and adults with Parkinson's disease.” Currently, Katy is most excited about children with language disorders secondary to autism, children with articulation issues, and adults with apraxia, dysarthria, and dysphagia. “I have recently become interested in helping adults who wish to reduce their accent as it interferes with their ability to communicate effectively at work.” Katy lives in Sunnyvale, California and has a private practice that provides "direct services to children and adults and the surrounding communities for accent reduction, articulation delays, social skills, social thinking, stuttering, language delays and language disorders.” They also provide materials via mail and PDF books for download. Asked about stories she might remember from her graduate years at SLHS, Katy shared some memories from her life on and off campus. “I was a work-study front office receptionist for the Multicultural Counseling Center at CU. I also worked on the third floor of Adele H. Stamp Student Union Building as the Director of Non-Traditional Students Office during my undergraduate years. The summer of 1990, I worked as a CU Bike Police Enforcer. I remember students frustrated at me when I would tell them that their bike was not locked and we were having a high number of recent bike thefts on the campus that summer. I remember some very hot summer days walking across the campus on errands and my friend and I would run through the sprinklers to cool off. I also remember being up in the Non-Traditional Student's Center Office folding and stuffing newsletters for the monthly mailings.” As for SLHS department memories, Katy recalled “a team of CDSD graduate students waiting at our CDSD Clinic for our student and family to arrive for an evaluation and we all looked like we were all overdressed, ready for a wedding!”

Katy on her current motorcycle

Katy also remembers buying her first motorcycle in the summer of 1990. “While riding on my first tank of gas I ran out of gas while leaving Pearl Street, coming up Broadway to the Hill. I had to get off my bike and push it up the hill while a city bus full of onlookers watched me. I couldn't believe I was strong enough to push my bike up the hill and onto a side street.”

Katy and her Husband Alex today

“My boyfriend Alex Matthews from APAS graduated from CU in 1993. We just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary! Our son is now an 8th grader. We have lived and work in Silicon Valley for several years. We love our Eichler home (a flat roofed home from the 1960's with large windows designed by Joseph Eichler). We try to stay politically active within our school district, our neighborhood and community. I have supervised several SLP students and graduate students and SLP-A's. I am a member of ASHA, CSHA and SCCSHA. I have driven to the new “green” ASHA building and use many of the ASHA resources for marketing my private practice. I read as much as I can about SLP issues at the state level. I try to email politicians to give them my input. I even emailed the Dalai Lama to help bring my local school district administrators together with our district union members, parents and students. Reaching out does make a difference and make changes happen.” (See our article on results Katy got while working in a school district in California). http://www.speechlanguagepractice.org/?q=node/129 Katy’s professional goals include “developing my private practice, maintaining a versatile case load, reaching out to inform and educate people about what an SLP does, providing reasonably priced educational support materials to children and caregivers through direct work and through my web site www.openbooktherapy.com. I would like children to have a reasonably priced developmentally appropriate book that can be printed in their home. I also want caregivers who work with children who do have language disorders as well as emotional regulation problems take care of themselves and feel comfortable working with their students. I want to help parents feel comfortable when traveling or going on outings with their child with special needs. I also want to share educational tips in free newsletters for anyone who visits my web site.” As for contact with fellow CU alumni, Katy told us that she got to visit Kristy Lane MA, CCC-SLP (Class of 1992) while at an ASHA convention and twice while on vacations together. “We camped at the Olympic National Park in Washington. Where they post signs on the beach reading “Beach Logs Kill.” (We are thankful that Katy and Kristy learned how to avoid these horrific logs!)

Katy & family with Alex's mom Ramona Matthews

Katy stays very active in her personal life. Knitting, cooking, swimming, canoeing, photography, motorcycling, and overall love of nature are among Katy’s hobbies. She enjoys many of these activities with her family which includes her husband Alex Matthews, son Demetrius, and other family members. Be sure to see extra photos below.

Katy & Son at the beach

Demetrius enjoying the beach

Katy & family at Loma Prieta Earth Quake Epicenter

When asked if she had anything to add to the interview, Katy offered some valuable philosophy for professionals. “…I think the one characteristic that is most important for an effective SLP is to have patience. Be patient with your client, your client's parents and be patient with yourself. Our work is demanding. We need to be flexible and remain enthusiastic about our profession. Stay supportive of each other.” We couldn’t agree more Katy. We congratulate you on your accomplishments. Your activism and connections with ASHA serve as a wonderful model!