Dr. Kimberly Ward, an associate professor in The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Speech and Hearing Sciences, has been elected to serve a three-year term as vice president for academic affairs on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Board of Directors.
ASHA is the national professional, scientific and credentialing association for more than 240,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, speech, language and hearing scientists, and affiliated professionals. Its mission is to advance science, foster excellence in education and professional practice, establish standards, and advocate for accessible, quality care for all.
Ward’s responsibilities include helping develop, promote and host a gathering of academics at the annual ASHA convention, recommending actions to advance undergraduate and graduate education in audiology, and supporting recruitment into the study of human communication sciences and disorders. She will also work to identify sources of financial support for students, among other duties.
“Being elected to serve on the ASHA Board of Directors is both a deeply personal honor and a profound professional responsibility,” Ward said. “This opportunity represents the culmination of years of mentorship, collaboration and dedication to the professions, as well as the trust my colleagues have placed in me to help shape our shared future.”
Ward is a Fellow of the Association, one of the highest honors ASHA bestows. She recently served as the 2024 ASHA Convention Audiology co-chair in Seattle and has held leadership roles with the Scientific and Professional Education Board, the Medicaid Committee, and the Healthcare Economics Committee. She is also a member of the Educational Audiology Association (EAA) and the Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA), where she has received both the Honors of the Association and the Clinical Achievement Award.
At Southern Miss, Ward teaches courses in pediatric audiology, audiologic counseling and cochlear implants. She also provides pediatric hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings and cochlear implant services at the Southern Miss Audiology Clinic, where she supervises graduate students in the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) program.
Her work has been recognized with multiple Lucas Faculty Excellence Awards and other honors for teaching, service and mentorship. She is currently leading several research projects, including an interdisciplinary study titled Evaluating the Effects of Misophonia Triggers on Attention, Memory and Subjective Well-Being, funded by the REAM Misophonia Research Fund, in collaboration with colleague Dr. Mark Huff, principal investigator.
“Dr. Ward’s election to the ASHA Board of Directors is a significant honor and represents an important opportunity for her to enhance the national visibility of our School of Speech and Hearing Sciences in the Southern Miss College of Nursing and Health Professions,” said Dr. Steve Cloud, director of the school. “In this role, she will influence national audiology education standards, promote research integration in the field at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and help address the teacher shortage of Ph.D.-level professionals in the field. I congratulate her on this achievement.”