About the Mealtime Connections Staff

Marsha Dunn Klein, Med, OTR/L (Partner)

Marsha is a pediatric occupational therapist, author and educator who specializes in eating and mealtime issues with infants and children. She founded Mealtime Notions, LLC (www.mealtimenotions.com); from which she offers national and international seminars, and distributes her feeding videotapes, the Duospoon©, books and other feeding products. Marsha also provides feeding evaluations and consultation and family support through Mealtime Connections, LLC in Tucson. Her energies are focused on evaluating mealtimes and eating skills for infants and children who have special motor, sensory, medical and mealtime challenges; and providing treatment and family support.

Marsha has a bachelor of science degree in occupational therapy from Sargent College of Allied Health Professions at Boston University and a masters of education in special education from the University of Arizona. She is trained in neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT).She has over 36 years experience assessing, treating and working in partnership with families of children who have multiple medical challenges, cerebral palsy, neurological issues, prematurity, sensory processing disorders, visual impairments, genetic and metabolic disorders, as well as autism. She especially enjoys working as a part of a team to help children transition from tube-feeding towards oral mealtimes.

Kimberly Edwards, MS, OTR/L (Partner)

Kim is a pediatric occupational therapist. She received a bachelor of science degree in exercise physiology in 1995 and a masters of occupational therapy from Arizona School of Health Sciences in 1999. She has worked in pediatrics since graduation and her love of feeding has led her to take multiple postgraduate feeding courses and seminars.

Kim considers herself a semi-native, having lived in Tucson for nearly 30 years. This has been an asset in helping her understand the Tucson community and pediatric therapy services here. Prior to her association with Mealtime Connections, LLC, Kim provided pediatric developmental and feeding services through the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities, school systems and private referrals.

Kim enjoys helping infants and young children with mealtime challenges; including, prematurity, neuromotor, medical and sensory challenges. She approaches mealtime challenges from a holistic perspective. As she partners with families, Kim considers mealtime relationships, food and nutrition, and medical, sensory and experiential influences in determining the best course of action for her clients. Having two young children of her own has provided Kim with valuable experience and empathy for the challenges families face at mealtimes.

Mandy Guendelsberger Carlsen, MOT, OTR/L (Partner)

Mandy is a third-generation Tucsonan. She graduated from the University of Arizona in 2000 with a bachelor of science degree in special education and served as the inclusion director at the Tucson Jewish Community Center for two years. In 2003, she received a masters of occupational therapy from the University of Washington School of Rehabilitation Medicine. After graduation, Mandy worked at the UW’s Experimental Education Unit, a research-based developmental preschool, where she learned to appreciate the importance of collaborating with a team to insure a child’s development and success.

 

Although Washington was good to Mandy, the sun, her family and therapist friends called her back home in 2004. Since then, Mandy has increased her knowledge of pediatric feeding disorders by working with children and families through Arizona’s Early Intervention Program and completing multiple post-graduate courses and seminars. Mandy believes that each child has unique abilities and presents different challenges. She most enjoys helping parents devise creative therapy strategies to complement their parenting style and make meals a fun, nurturing experience.

Janet Marie Toney, BS, OTR/L (Partner)

Janet attended the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University where she received a bachelor of science degree in occupational therapy in 1998. After several years working with adults in an out-patient rehabilitation hospital, she transitioned to school-based occupational therapy. Through this experience she realized that pediatric therapy is where she wanted to remain.

 

Although raised in the southeast, and a Southerner by heart, Janet moved to Arizona in 2005. It was in Tucson that she began her training as a feeding therapist with Marsha Dunn Klein and fostering feeding development through the “Get Permission” approach. Janet has completed a number of postgraduate courses and seminars in pediatric feeding. Feeding therapy is ideal for Janet, blending her skills as an occupational therapist with her love of food and cooking and interest in health and nutrition. Janet greatly enjoys helping the children with whom we work enjoy different food experiences, discover the joys of cooking and learn to participate in family mealtime routines.

 

Beyond her therapy work in Tucson, Janet is a traveler. She has especially enjoyed volunteering and is beginning to study pediatric services and therapies in Southeast Asia and Eastern Africa. It is her goal is to use her skills as a Feeding Occupational Therapist in other countries where children are in desperate need of skilled support and love.

Emily Areinoff, MS, OTR/L

Emily Areinoff is a Tucson native. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from Stanford University. She received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from University of Southern California where she specialized in school based occupational therapy. After graduation she traveled through Mexico working on her Spanish skills and enjoying the Mexican culture. She works with many of our Spanish speaking clients. She has specialized training in treating children with Sensory Integration disorders and is certified in administration of the Sensory Integration and Praxis tests. She became entranced with the joys and challenges of helping children learn to eat when she returned to her home city at the end of 2008 and began working with the team at Mealtime Connections.

Karina K. Budd, M.S., OTRL, CIMI

Karina Budd is a pediatric Occupational Therapist and Certified Infant Massage Instructor. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Arizona and a Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Colorado. She also completed a teaching certificate at the Normal Superior de Sinaloa en Mexico. She began her pediatric feeding training in Tucson while she was an Early

Interventionist. She has taken various continuing education courses and seminars in pediatric feeding and favors implementing those that are relationship-based, including the “Get Permission” and DIR®/Floortime approaches.

Karina’s work experience includes teaching in Mexico, being an early interventionist and later starting her occupational therapy career in Arizona. She worked in the public schools in North Carolina, and then returned to southern Arizona. She enjoys a team approach to working with clients and their families. Having been raised south of the border she is fluent in Spanish. She also enjoys learning about cultural customs and traditions and finds the border has a lot to offer in this regard. She has made her home in Santa Cruz County and finds it rewarding to support children and their families in their homes to meet their goals to improve mealtime challenges (or other occupational performance areas).

Selah Delgado, MS, OTR/L

Selah is originally from Australia, but grew up in Kona on the island of Hawaii. She relocated to Los Angeles for school where she received both her Bachelor's of Science and Master's of Arts in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California. Upon graduating, she worked in Southern California in both early intervention and school-based settings. Selah moved to Tucson with her husband Jose in March of 2008 to work with Mealtime Connections to continue on her path in working with children with feeding and mealtime challenges.

Selah's passion for providing support to children and families was developed while working extensively with at risk children and youth throughout Polynesia and Central America. She credits much of her professional growth to her wonderful daughter, Naomi, who has taught her first hand the challenges and trials that families face with children that require medical and feeding intervention.

Tracy Kaplan, MS CCC-SLP
Tracy has a Master of Science degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders from New Mexico State University. She is certified as a Speech-Language Pathologist through the American Speech-Language- Hearing Association and the State of Arizona.

 

Although Tracy’s clinical training and experience spans people of all ages with a variety of conditions, her passion lies within early intervention. She specializes in helping infants and children with communication disorders and feeding/ swallowing difficulties. Tracy has been with Mealtime Connections for nearly one year, and thoroughly enjoys being part of an interdisciplinary team serving the Greater Tucson community.

Among her other involvements, Tracy participates in social thinking groups with Tucson Alliance for Autism. She also plans to integrate her clinical experience with public health training through the Family and Child Health program within the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. Tracy hopes to one day effect policy changes at the local, state and national levels to improve quality and access to care for children and families whom require developmental support.

Randi Morgan, MA, CCC-SLP
Randi is a Tucson native who graduated from Catalina Foothills High School. She attended graduate school at the University of Iowa, and completed her graduate degree in Speech Pathology in 2002. Following graduate school, Randi accepted a position as Lead Acute Care Speech Pathologist at Genesis Medical Center – East in Davenport, Iowa. There she enjoyed working with a variety of age groups including infants (NICU and Mother-Baby Unit), children, and adults in the areas of speech, language, cognition, and feeding/swallowing. Randi was a member of the Quad City Cleft Palate Team.

In 2004, Randi moved back to Tucson. She specialized in childhood speech and language development, feeding, and swallowing. As a Speech Pathologist at Tucson Medical Center, Randi worked in conjunction with Occupational Therapists to provide a comprehensive team approach to feeding and swallowing with medically fragile infants and children. Development of a collaborative team approach to therapy is one of Randi’s most important goals when working with children and their families. Randi taught the Aqua Kids therapy program in conjunction with both Occupational and Physical therapists, enjoying every minute of watching children learn and grow in skill development while having fun! Randi began to support families in their homes through the Arizona Early Intervention Program in 2006. She joined the Mealtime Connections team in 2009. Randi is a certified pediatric TAMO handler. She is also certified in the Frazier Water Program and Cervical Auscultation as a tool for swallow safety assessment and treatment.

Robyn Lundeen, COTA/L
Robyn is a certified occupational therapy assistant who has worked with young children who have special needs for 25 years. She has been working as pediatric feeding therapist since December 1998. Robyn began her career working with infants and toddlers with special needs in 1985 as a paraprofessional in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She worked with a pilot program serving children birth to three before IDEA was mandated by the federal government. She volunteered with organizations such as Pilot Parents of Minnesota, therapeutic horseback riding programs, and Cofounded “Parents of Children with Special Needs” support organization in Minnesota. Robyn is the parent of a son who has Down Syndrome with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

In 1995 Robyn moved to Tucson where she worked for Blake Foundation’s Children’s Achievement Center as an early interventionist in a center based classroom. She was Program Coordinator for the special needs childcare program there. She went on to receive her Associate of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy from Apollo College, graduating valedictorian of her class!. She was a COTA working with Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, Arizona School for Deaf and Blind, and with Childrens Clinic for Rehabilitative Services until she became an employee of Mealtime Connections when the company was initially formed.

Katie Lister

Katie is Mealtime Connection’s Office and Billing Manager. She attended Northern Arizona University and received her Bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Manager. After a few years in hotel and property management she was excited to join Mealtime Connection’s team for a more fulfilling and exciting career. This change also offers her additional time to do what she loves such as running, reading but above all spending time with her husband Lonnie and 3 kids: Audrey, Andy and Maddy.

Angela Box, MS, OTR/L

Angela was born and raised outside St. Louis, Missouri. There, she received a masters of occupational therapy at Maryville University, St. Louis in 2005. She has worked in a variety of settings, including early intervention, school based therapy, rehabilitation, and acute inpatient hospital. When she started working at a St. Louis children's hospital, her passion for feeding developed.  There, she worked in the NICU with infant massage and developmental feeding issues, especially related to prematurity. She also worked on an outpatient basis with feeding in a sensory processing realm, helping children with sensory processing deficits to explore more food variety and food preparation.

Angela moved to Tucson in 2008 with her husband, to enjoy the culture and the warm weather. Angela works full time in the school district, working with children who have a wide variety of diagnosis and abilities, from Pre-K to middle school aged.  She loves creating and implementing new ideas to work on improving fine motor skills, and designing sensory play experiences to improve motor planning and sensory processing.  Angela became a member of the Mealtime Connections team in September of 2010, as a way to expand her knowledge an experience in feeding related therapy, while collaborating with families and other team members.
When Angela is not working with children, she loves to garden, cook and enjoy the sunshine with her husband and her chihuahua, Rita.

 

 

Carrie Williams, MS, CCC-SLP

Carrie is a Speech Language Pathologist. Born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Arizona State University in 2005 along with a Master of Science Degree in Communication Disorders in 2007. She was fortunate to transition into a lead SLP role in a rural area of New Mexico and provide acute/ICU, rehab, and home health services for her first three years as an SLP. There, she served an array of patients younger than two years of age up through 102 years of age in the areas of dysphagia providing Modified Barium Swallow Studies, aphasia, TBI, autism, oral aversion, language development delays, and many others. Also in her short time in New Mexico, Carrie served as the New Mexico Speech Hearing Association’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs- Medical and worked along with the OT to create an outpatient pediatric clinic within the rural region.

Upon returning to Arizona, Carrie worked a year in the public school systems. This was a great experience for her to concentrate on the needs of our children. Once Carrie attended Marsha Dunn-Klein’s “Get Permission Approach” course, she was determined to join the Meal Time Connection’s team in order to help with the challenges families may face with such an important part of life.

Carrie is passionate about working together with the parents and child to grow and learn together in order to be the best they can be!

 

 

Katie Ward, MS, OTR/L

Katie is a Tucson native who graduated from Canyon Del Oro High School. She worked extensively with children who have special needs in a variety of community settings before pursuing her master's degree in occupational therapy, which she received from Colorado State University. Katie is excited to be working with the amazing team of therapists at Mealtime Connections in order to support children and their families who are experiencing feeding and mealtime challenges. Katie has lived and traveled internationally and hopes to combine her love of travel and occupational therapy to serve children and families in underdeveloped countries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ellen Duperret, RD

Ellen has a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Arizona.  After graduation she completed a yearlong internship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  She has been a registered dietitian since 1982, and has worked exclusively in pediatrics since 1996.  Ellen has worked closely with Marsha Dunn Klein since 1996, and she joined the Mealtime Connections team in 2011.  Ellen been a coauthor of several articles published on Homemade Blenderized Formula for tube feedings.  She also contributed chapters for the Homemade Blenderized Formula Handbook.  Since 1996, Ellen has volunteered at the St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic in Nogales, Arizona.  At this clinic, Ellen works with developmentally disabled children from Mexico in helping to improve their nutritional status. 

 

 

 

 

Nina Isaac, M.S., CCC-SLP, IBCLC

Nina Isaac is a bilingual (Spanish/English) Speech-Language Pathologist and board certified Lactation Consultant, specializing in infant feeding and swallowing with newborns, infants and toddlers. She received her Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing from the University of Arizona in 1993. She then completed her Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology in 1997, also from the University of Arizona. Nina received her certification as an IBCLC (Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant) in 2010.

She has gained valuable clinical experience throughout Southern Arizona, in settings such as schools, hospitals and home-based therapy.  Over the past several years, she has volunteered for a non-profit organization helping mothers and babies breast feed successfully.  Nina has followed her passion by combining feeding and speech pathology and focusing her additional training in these two areas.

As both a Speech-Language Pathologist and a Lactation Consultant, Nina has a rare sensibility.  She is able to help babies with feeding challenges learn to breast feed successfully.  She combines her love of babies, language, and feeding into her practice.  She is passionate about helping mothers and babies develop a bond through their positive feeding experiences.  She understands that each child and each situation is unique. Nina’s holistic approach incorporates the special needs of the child and parent to develop a treatment plan that works for each individual family while meeting the medical needs of the child.
Nina enjoys raising her three daughters and spending time as a family.  A few favorite family past times include hiking, camping, and enjoying the “little” moments that life has to offer.

 

 

 

Sara Heckle, Authorizations and Referrals Coordinator
Sara is the Authorizations and Referrals Coordinator here at Mealtime Connections. She attended Pima Community College and received her Advanced Certificate in Travel Industry Operations. She began her career in the travel field, but after the events of September 11th, 2001, her path changed drastically, and she found her niche in the organization and administrative side of business. She takes great pride in her position with us, and is very happy to be part of a team of people who help children. She is happily married to her high school sweetheart, Chad, and they have a beautiful little girl named Arami.