Holli Steiner, PhD, CCC-SLP brings passion and energy to Heartspring as a Speech-Language Pathologist. She’s been a member of the team since 2010 and views her role as giving a “voice to the voiceless.”

Seeing students grow and learn is Dr. Holli’s motivation to improve each day. She began working at Heartspring part-time as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant. After a year in this role, she quickly transitioned to be one of Heartspring’s lead Speech-Language Pathologists.

One of Dr. Holli’s most important endeavors is to help students find their voices. She implements Augmented and Alternative Communication (AAC) programs and performs careful evaluations to find the right communication tools for each student. Holli knows there is no set guideline or template to what is best for an individual student. As such, she diligently works on giving students individualized plans to develop the necessary skills to communicate more effectively. 

Dr.Holli originally went to school at Kansas State University to become a broadcast journalist, but realized her true calling was Speech-Language Pathology, a career that would present an opportunity to give children with special needs a chance to have their own voices, and changed her major her freshman year. From there, she says, she never looked back. She received her undergraduate degree at Kansas State and her master’s from Wichita State University. In 2018, Holli defended her PhD dissertation titled  "The Complex Relationships Between Best Practice, Augmentative and Alternative Communication Assessments, and Organizational Change" and was awarded a doctorate degree in communication science disorders from Wichita State University. 

Dr. Holli is a leader in her field. She has presented at multiple academic and professional conferences locally, nationally and internationally. Besides her expertise in AAC evaluation processes, Dr. Holli’s academic and professional work also focuses on related areas such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and technology and aging, and organizational change.

Dr. Holli has also helped develop Heartspring’s Caffeine Connection coffee cart program, in which students build social and practical skills by making coffee drinks for Heartspring team members and the community. This program gives the students a chance to gain real-life skills, including how to communicate with customers on the job.

When she’s not working or studying, Dr. Holli enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and Wildcat football and Wichita State basketball, of course.