Faculty & Staff

Myrita Wilhite, AuD, CCC-A has been an audiologist for over 30 years.  Dr. Wilhite is currently the Chair of the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department.  She is passionate about teaching audiology and keeps her clinical skills sharp by mentoring students in audiology and aural rehabilitation practica as well as providing direct clinical services in the on campus Speech and Hearing Clinic.

Myrita is a firm believer in life-long learning.  She earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati and a Master’s Degree in Audiology from Cleveland State University.  She earned a Doctor of Audiology degree in 2009 from A.T. Still University and is currently in the dissertation phase of a research doctorate in Urban Education with a specialty in Learning and Development at Cleveland State University.

Myrita feels very fortunate to have found her calling in communication sciences and disorders.  She is excited about actively engaging in scholarship, and guiding the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program to fulfill its mission.  Myrita is continually energized and inspired by her clients, students, colleagues and professors at CSU.

Emily Jennings, MS, CCC-SLP has a passion for clinical education and person-centered care. Prior to joining the full-time faculty at Cleveland State, Prof. Jennings worked as a senior clinical speech-language pathologist and clinical educator at Cleveland Clinic - Euclid Hospital.

Her areas of interest and expertise include: acquired neurological cognitive and communication disorders, Supported Conversations for Adults with Aphasia (SCA™), treatment of hypokinetic dysarthria and hypophonia associated with Parkinson’s Disease, and real-world application of evidence-based practice principles. 

As a clinical assistant professor, she currently teaches a variety of foundational undergraduate courses in communication sciences and disorders, as well as graduate electives relevant to medical speech-language pathology.  Prof. Jennings also supervises individual and group therapy services for adult neurogenic clients in CSU’s on-campus Speech & Hearing Clinic, facilitating graduate student acquisition of clinical knowledge and skills.

Her favorite aspect of CSD at CSU is the dedication of the faculty, staff, and students. There is a clear and genuine commitment to engaged learning and student success!

Violet O. Cox Ph.D., MLS, CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department. Since joining CSU in 1994, she has taught neurogenic communication disorders courses at the graduate level and Anatomy and Physiology at the undergraduate level. She has mentored graduate students in their Master’s thesis research.

Dr. Cox has authored and published articles in local and international peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, Dr. Cox authored the textbook “Rare Disorders that cause Dysphagia,” which was published in 2020.  She has presented at local and national conferences in the areas of Aphasia and Dysphagia. In addition, she has been an international speaker and trainer in Dysphagia. She was instrumental in organizing a study-abroad program for graduate students to Barbados, where she established a “Dysphagia Training Program” at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the spring of 2014. She is considered an expert in Voice and Swallowing Disorders utilizing videostroboscopy and Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of the Swallow (FEES). Through her lab work at CSU, students are able to gain hands-on experience in the use of these specialized instruments. She also initiated a training session in the use of the FEES for practicing medical SLPs in the Northeastern Ohio region in the spring of 2018.                                                                                                                      

Prior to her fulltime appointment at CSU, Dr. Cox served as a medical SLP within the Cleveland Clinic Health System in the capacities of senior SLP and Coordinator of Speech Pathology. She also provided consultation services to University Hospitals of Cleveland Home Health Speech Program.

Nydia (Abi) Mendez, M.A., CCC-SLP is a bilingual speech-language pathologist with over nine years of clinical experience serving diverse populations across medical, educational, and outpatient settings. Her professional interests include multilingual populations, language disorders, and supporting individuals on the autism spectrum.

Professor Mendez’s clinical experience includes work within the Metro Health System, where she supported individuals with head and neck cancer undergoing laryngectomy. In this role, she collaborated closely with an interdisciplinary ENT team to facilitate rehabilitation using tracheoesophageal punctures (TEPs). She has also worked in inpatient and acute rehabilitation settings, providing assessment and treatment for individuals with cognitive-linguistic deficits, aphasia, dysphagia, and voice disorders.

In outpatient settings, she has partnered with interdisciplinary teams to complete comprehensive autism and dyslexia evaluations. Additionally, she works with school districts throughout Northeast Ohio, conducting bilingual Spanish-English evaluations to ensure students receive accurate and equitable special education supports. She has supervised graduate students in outpatient pediatric and school-based settings.

At Cleveland State University, Professor Mendez serves as the Online CSD Master’s Program Coordinator, where she supports faculty, staff, and out-of-state students. She also teaches both academic and clinical coursework and supervises graduate clinicians within the university clinic. Professor Mendez is passionate about expanding graduate students’ skills and confidence in working with multilingual populations across all service delivery settings.

Rebecca Mental, PhD, MPH, CCC-SLP, CPH, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Cleveland State University. She brings over a decade of experience as a clinician, educator, and program director, with expertise in stuttering, early language development, and speech sound disorders. Prior to joining CSU, Dr. Mental served as Director of Speech, Language, and Learning Services at the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center, where she led a team of speech-language pathologists, expanded clinical and community-based programs, and designed Project ELLA (Early Language and Literacy for All), an award-winning public health initiative. She has presented widely on topics including stuttering, caregiver communication training, and innovative approaches to speech sound disorders. She is nationally certified in speech-language pathology and public health, with a strong commitment to evidence-based practice. 

At CSU, Dr. Mental teaches across clinical and academic courses, mentors graduate student clinicians, and fosters connections between research and real-world practice. Her teaching emphasizes critical thinking and collaboration. Dedicated to advancing communication health, she integrates her background in public health with her clinical expertise to prepare future speech-language pathologists for impactful practice.

BS from Syracuse University in Communication Sciences and Disorders 

MA from Case Western Reserve University in Speech Language Pathology 

Teaching EST 575 Practicum in Student Teaching Seminar.  Supervising in the CSD clinic at CSU and observing 2nd year graduate students in their school-based externship placements.

Born and raised in Cleveland.  Worked for UH as part of the Ear Nose and Throat institute for 11 years prior to joining CSU faculty

 Experience in outpatient clinical setting, skilled nursing, acute rehabilitation, and most time in in-patient acute care.  Experience in dysphagia, stroke, expressive/receptive language, cognitive-linguistic impairments.  Served on stroke committee at UH.

10 years of mentoring and supervision graduate students in the acute care setting and acute rehabilitation setting.  This is where I realized this was where my passion was and I loved teaching and learning from students.  

Excited to expand my expertise and scope of practice into the schools and back to working with children again!   As well as supporting my students and engaging them with critical thinking and evidence-based practice to shape their practice as future clinicians. 

Ms. Spears is a licensed speech-language pathologist who has had the pleasure of providing services in multiple capacities: instructor, supervisor, consultant, and, interventionist.  Although she has professional experience in many areas of communication disorders, she developed a passion for, and, ultimately, a specialization in the areas of assistive technology, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and autism.  She is trained in a range of modalities including, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), TEACCH, PECS, PODD, and Floortime, as well as in the use of multiple speech generating devices and apps. 

Ms. Spears strives to address individual needs of clients to ensure services provided are the most effective and efficient. As a professor, she strives to relay this philosophy.  She also shares knowledge gained from her over 30 years of clinical experience and professional development.  She provides students with the knowledge and understanding needed to become competent and compassionate professionals.  She has presented at multiple conferences and is co-author of the book Rising to New Heights of Communication and Learning for Children with Autism.  Her publication and presentations allow her to share her acquired knowledge with professionals in the field of communication disorders.

Melissa Volk MS, CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department within the College of Health.

Prior to joining CSU Professor Volk worked 12 years at MetroHealth Medical Center as a clinician. At MetroHealth she had experience working in several different settings including Skilled Nursing and Long Term Care, Inpatient Rehabilitation, Acute Care, Outpatient and an Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic. With these varied settings she has had the opportunity to have experience with pediatric language and articulation, autism, pediatric neurological rehabilitation, adult neurological rehabilitation, pediatric voice disorders, adult speech and voice disorders, adult dysphagia, head and neck cancers and geriatrics.

Professor Volk currently is teaching CSD 548 Medical Speech Practicum, is supervising 1st year graduate students providing speech therapy services at a charter school system and observing 2nd year graduate students at their medical placements. Professor Volk’s drive in her teaching is helping incoming SLPs learn the critical thinking skills and application of learned knowledge to real world settings needed to make them competent and caring clinicians.

Professor Volk has a passion for brain injury and has served as a Member at Large on the Brain Injury Association of Ohio for the last 4 years. She has experience with brain injury as a clinician and as a family member. Other areas of interest include neurological rehabilitation, concussion care, voice therapy, head and neck cancer care, dysphagia, childhood apraxia of speech and difficulty with learning to read.