Administration
TAMIKO TESHIMA, M.A., CCC-SLP (she/her)
Speech-Language Pathologist and Owner
Emily Ellison (she/her)
Clinic Administrator
Casie Perry (he/him)
Clinic Assistant
SERVICE DOGS IN TRAINING
Future Assistance Dog
TAMIKO TESHIMA, M.A., CCC-SLP (she/her)
Speech-Language Pathologist and Owner Tamiko, who goes by Tami (pronounced “Tommy”), is a former teacher turned speech-language pathologist. She received a Master of Arts in Education, Speech-Language Pathology from San Jose State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from Grand Valley State University. Tami opened Duncan Lake Speech Therapy, LLC in May 2019 after working as a school-based speech-language pathologist. Her vision was to provide client-centered and collaborative speech-language services to her community while focusing on the values of diversity, inclusion, representation, and cultural competency/humility.
Tami’s areas of speech interest include articulation and phonological disorders, Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), expressive/receptive language delays, and gender affirming voice modification. Tami has obtained certification through Simon Says Speech in orofacial myology, and completed the 28 hour introductory course through International Association of Orofacial Mylogy. She also has participated in advanced training in gender-affirming voice modification through Mantra Voice.
In addition to client-centered work, Tami is a current member of the Grand Rapids LGBTQ Health Consortium where she sits on the Advocacy Committee. In addition, she is a board member of Our Mental Health Collective (formerly Mental Health Clinicians of Color) where she co-chairs the Community Engagement Committee. Tami is also a board member for the non-profit, Building Blocks Foundation, Inc. Throughout 2022 and 2023, Tami participated in and graduated from Cohort 9 of the Urban Core Collective’s Transformational Leadership Program. Tami became an approved raiser for Paws With a Cause, and housed Ace, a golden retriever/yellow Labrador mix, from April 2023-April 2024 and Magee, a black lab, from August 2024-November 2024.
When she is not working, Tamiko spends time with her friends and family. She enjoys traveling, bird watching, hiking, and water activities such as kayaking. She can often be found reading a book, quilting, or sharing some couch space with her spouse, Matt, and their two cats, Winnifred Sanderson and Kimchi.
Tami holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association as well as a Speech-Language Pathology license from the state of Michigan.
Emily Ellison (she/her)
Clinic Administrator
Emily has a variety of experience working with people, both from a customer service standpoint and as a clinician with a background in physical therapy. She received her education from Michigan State University (Go Green!) and Grand Valley University.
She enjoys working in the healthcare and therapy fields and contributing to getting patients the help they need, answering questions, and advocating for them through communication with their care team and insurance companies. She prioritizes the individual and strives to support clients however she can, from insurance to scheduling, and everything in between.
In her free time she enjoys walking and exercising, snuggling up with a good book, and playing piano. She lives in Grand Rapids with her husband and their beloved cat Nala.
Casie Perry (he/him)
Clinic Assistant
Casie brings a strong background in administrative work, having held a variety of support roles, including his most recent position at a veterinary clinic on the east side of Michigan.
Outside the office, Casie is an artist and maker with a flair for the unusual. He creates one-of-a-kind oddity crafts using foraged natural elements and thrifted finds, and can often be found sharing his work at alternative markets. You can follow him on Instagram at @mystic._.moon.
Casie moved to the Grand Rapids area less than eight months ago with his partner, two cats (Little Cat and Mochi), and their lovable pit bull, Hazel. He’s a big fan of Michigan summers and spends as much time outdoors as possible, whether it’s swimming in the lakes, camping, or hiking. He’s excited to be part of the DLST team and looks forward to getting to know everyone!
SERVICE DOGS IN TRAINING
Tami is an approved foster parent for Paws With a Cause! This means that she helps raise future service dogs during their first year of life. It also means that from time to time, she will babysit for other Paws raisers when she is in between raising her own fosters.
In 2023/2024, she fostered Ace, and from July–November 2024, she fostered Magee (see picture). Both dogs have since returned to Paws for the rest of their training.
Will she get another dog? Only time will tell…
…but probably yes.