Meet the Team at Tidal Therapy Solutions
At Tidal Therapy Solutions, our team is the heart of what we do. We are a group of passionate and experienced professionals dedicated to helping individuals achieve their communication and functional goals. Get to know the talented individuals who make our therapy services exceptional!
Meet the Occupational Therapy Team
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Sheena Cannady
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Sheena is from Asheville NC and moved here in 2006 to attend Occupational Therapy Assistant school. She met her husband in 2007 and they got married in 2010. They have two boys 10 and 7 who are very active and love all things sports. Sheena has been an Occupational Therapist Assistant for 12 years working with ages birth to 100 before moving into the non-clinical role as the Operations Manager for Tidal Therapy. "I love helping the families here at Tidal therapy. I strive to make them feel right at home from the beginning". In her down time you can find her at one of her child’s sporting events, on the water or going for a run!
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Rachel Walke
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT
Rachel is originally from Mooresville, NC and moved here in 2020. She and her husband have a son and 3 crazy Corgis! She has been an Occupational Therapy Assistant for 8 years receiving her degree at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences. Now moving to a non-clinical role with Tidal Therapy as the Authorization Specialist. She has a passion for helping families and making sure the necessities are set up for your child to receive the services they need. In her free time she enjoys spending time on the beach looking for seashells and shark teeth with her family!
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Conner Grindstaff
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Conner graduated from Lenior-Rhyne University in 2020 with her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree. Prior to obtaining her MOT, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology, Exercise Science from Longwood University. Conner grew up in Martinsville, Virginia before moving to Hampstead, NC in 2022. "I have a passion for pediatric occupational therapy but have also enjoyed her time with the adult and geriatric populations". She has experience in pediatrics, lymphedema, and home health therapy. She can be found spending most of her free time kayaking, shopping, at the beach and/or pool, watching tv shows and movies, and with her boyfriend Gabe and lab, Lucy.
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Sydney Watkins
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT
Sydney is originally from Greensboro, NC but moved to Wilmington about 10 years ago. She graduated from UNCW in 2016 with a degree in exercise science and decided to go back to school a few years later to become an occupational therapy assistant. She has been a COTA for almost 3 years working in the pediatric population. "I love my job working with kids and helping them grow to their full potential". When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her dogs, going to new restaurants with her husband and hanging out on the boat or by the pool.
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Alison Slomba
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Ali is a Buffalo native and Bills fan who relocated to North Carolina in 2022. She has been practicing pediatric Occupational Therapy for 3 years and has a passion for working with kids. In her free time, Ali enjoys spending time at the beach or pool, spending time with family and friends, and reading. Ali has joined our team on as needed basis and is ready to support our team and help your child grow to their fullest potential.
"I love helping the families here at Tidal therapy. I strive to make them feel right at home from the beginning."
Sheena
Operations Manager
Meet the Speech Language Pathology Team
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Sarah Vargas
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
Sarah is a speech-language pathologist licensed by the North Carolina Speech-Language Pathology Board and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Sarah graduated from the University of Virginia with highest honors and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a Minor in Health and Well-Being. After which, she earned a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University. Sarah has experience across a variety of settings to include: pediatric/adult private practice, pediatric home health, early intervention, adult acute care, and adult outpatient services. Her primary areas of clinical interest include pediatric feeding disorder, pediatric/adult dysphagia, and early intervention. Sarah is passionate about providing a holistic, individualized approach to treatment and strives to promote a client-centered approach with extensive patient and family/caregiver education for optimal support.
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Kelly Walker
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
Kelly graduated from the University of Akron with her masters in Speech- Language Pathology. She recently moved to coastal Carolina from Ohio with her fiancé. She has a passion for working with the pediatric population and believes in a play-based, patient centered approach to treatment. When she is not working, she is playing with her new puppy, hanging out at the beach, or reading!
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Ruth Kirbaran
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY ASSISTANT
Ruth Kirbaran is a Bilingual (English/Spanish) SLP-Assistant who graduated from Caldwell Community College and Technical Institution (CCC&TI) with an Associates Degree in Speech Language Pathologist Assistant and Audiologists (A.A.S) in 2020.
Recently, Ruth currently works to treat the pediatric community with speech delay’s and disorders. She has been approved with the NCBOC to assist with feeding/oral motor stimulation (ODM). She has had the opportunity from past supervisors to learn hands on with a member from the NC Chapel Hill Feeding team to utilize the best treatment to improve kids with speech delay or disorders. Ruth continues to work under her current supervisor Danielle McLean MS,CCC-Speech Language Pathologist who is also a member of Feed The Peds Association and owner of Tidal Therapy Solutions LLC.
Ruth is not only a full time therapist but a mother of five kids with her husband Mario De La Torre. She always strives to imbed good morals/principles by putting God in her life with everything she does. Some of her favorite things to do apart from spending time with family or with church events are hiking, kayaking, boxing, surfing, spending time at the beach, and exploring the mountains just to name a few.
She is passionate in working as a SLP-Assistant and will go beyond to help her families to provide the best speech services.
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Makenzie Stutzman
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
Makenzie was born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania. She graduated from Bloomsburg University with her Bachelor's degree in Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology in 2016 and earned her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 2018. Makenzie has experience with various settings and ages, but working with the pediatric population is her favorite! She moved to Wilmington in the summer of 2021 with her dog, Sully, and loves living on the coast! In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, spending time with her dog, and traveling.
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Beth Johanson
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
Beth is originally from Connecticut, moved to the Charlotte area in 2015, and just recently relocated to the coast. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders and Psychology from the University of New Hampshire and went on to receive her Master of Science degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has been an SLP for over 30 years working primarily with pediatrics. Working with kids to maximize their skills to reach their greatest potential is her goal for every child. She loves spending time with her family, and has three daughters. Her favorite things to do are reading, decorating, and exploring new places.