Tracy Kovach, BA '72, MA '76, PhD '96

Dr. Tracy M. (Martischang) Kovach has been blazing a trail in augmentative and alternative communication ever since she began her education at CU. As a University of Colorado student, Tracy received her BA in 1972, her MA in 1975 and her PhD in 1996. Early in her educational journey she developed interest in Augmentative Communication, the focus of her dissertation and has since become a noted expert and innovator as an SLP in the Augmentative Communication and Learning Enhancement Program at The Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado. In her role as SLP and Program Specialist at The Children’s Hospital, Tracy performs assessments and administers therapy in augmentative and alternative communication systems. She has also worked in several schools and serves children and families through private practice. She also has been teaching graduate courses in augmentative communication at CU since 1990 and is an Associate Clinical Professor at SLHS. She also is a Clinical Instructor in the Pediatrics School of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Participants at Talk Tech Camp

Early in her career, one of Tracy’s professional dreams was to develop a camp where children could spend time learning to use their AAC systems in a social, recreational environment. She actualized her dream and this past summer celebrated a total of 23 years as coordinator of the “Talking with Technology” camp through The Children’s Hospital in partnership with Easter Seals. The camp, located outside of Empire, Colorado, serves 35-40 children each year along with up to 15 siblings, and 40-50 teachers, therapists, paraprofessionals and University of Colorado graduate students who serve as interns in this productive camp. The Scottish Rite Foundation provides financial support for camper fees. The Kelley Family Foundation has also provided grants to help support the siblings and adults who attend the program. Tracy also coordinates and works with families of children who use AAC at “First Steps Camps” Thursdays through Sundays at the camp helping them to integrate AAC into their home environments.

Child fishing at Talk Tech Camp

Tracy has been extremely active in CSHA and ASHA giving dozens of invited and refereed presentations across the US and internationally including England, Germany, Australia, Canada and Mexico. She will soon have her assessment tool, Augmentative Communication Profile: Continuum of Learning for Children Using AAC, published by LinguiSystems in January of 2009. Tracy received a post-doctoral fellowship in Colorado Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities in Children at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She has also received the prestigious ASHA Fellow Award in 2006. As many of you may know, the status of Fellow is retained for life and is one of the highest honors ASHA can bestow to a member who has shown outstanding contributions to the professions. In 1996 she also received Honors of the Association from the Colorado Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Tracy lives in Westminster Colorado with her husband, Randy Parcel, Attorney at Law. Her mother lives in Lakewood Colorado and her sister Debbie lives with her husband, son, and daughter in Ledyard Connecticut. Her interests outside of her professional work include golfing in the summer and skiing in the winter. Tracy shared some memories of SLHS when, as the Department of Communication Disorders it occupied an old house on Broadway. She specifically remembers the smell of chloroform emanating from brains stored in the classroom area during neurophysiology classes with Dr. Jay Rosenbek. She also mentioned Rita Weiss’s office which she remembered being somewhat of a grand central station during that time. We celebrate Tracy’s success as a fellow alum!