Melissa, or "Missy" as the kids call her, was born in NY.  After getting married, she and her husband moved west, first to Oregon and then up to Bellingham.  She has two grown sons.  Missy loves to craft when she's not seeing kids or doing paperwork and "boss stuff".

Hi! My name is Julie Brovak. I have been working at Connections SLP since I graduated
from Western Washington University in 2011 with a master’s degree in Communication
Sciences and Disorders. I enjoy working with all kinds of clients and learning from them
as well.

My husband and I have two wonderful boys, ages 6 and 3, who keep us busy
and fill us with wonder. I am a mountain girl at heart. My favorite places are Glacier
National Park and Whistler. In my free time, I like to read, bake, hike, cross country ski,
and I am just getting into mountain biking. And whenever I get the chance, I love to go
to Disneyland.

Taryn holds a Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from Washington State University and brings over a decade of experience to her work, including 6 years in the Bellingham School District and 3 years of working in Southeast Asia. She enjoys supporting clients of all ages but feels especially passionate about language, literacy, and social communication. Taryn also has a strong interest in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and is dedicated to helping children and their families find meaningful ways to connect and communicate.

Outside of work, Taryn is a busy mom to two young children, ages 4 and 7. She loves traveling with her family, discovering new cultures and cuisines, and caring for their menagerie of pets. When she finds a moment to herself, you’ll likely find her tending to her garden, cooking for others, or enjoying the sweet rewards of her backyard beekeeping hobby.

Aubrey has been a Speech-language Pathologist since 2009 after graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She worked in early intervention in Colorado before relocating to the Pacific Northwest to be closer to family. She took a sabbatical from Speech and Language to stay home with her own four children for a few years before starting with Connections Speech and Language in 2021. She is passionate about early intervention, speech-sound disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, phonological awareness and supporting families in any way she can. 

When not in the clinic, Aubrey can be found homeschooling her free-spirited children, reading in the garden, watching birds, knitting gnomes, quilting and always learning something new.

Ella Miller (MS, CCC-SLP)  joined Connections SLP in September 2023. She received a Master of Science degree from Emerson College in Communication Sciences and Disorders as well as a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Communication from Middle Tennessee State University. Having lived abroad for several years within the UK, South Africa, and Italy, she brings a global perspective to her clinical practice and enjoys helping children from all walks of life find their voice. Ella has special interests in early language development, speech sound disorders, and pragmatic language. 

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Outside of work, Ella enjoys creative outlets such as cooking, gardening, singing, and writing. She enjoys spending time with her family. She is an animal lover and enjoys spending time with her rescue animals as well as volunteering to help animals in need. During her time in South Africa, she partnered with a nonprofit organization working to care for animals and provide humane education to children within township communities, helping them to learn to care for animals within their communities while fostering kindness and compassion.

Kristin Faucher has been a Speech Language Pathologist since 2007 after graduating from Northern Arizona University. She completed her B.S. at The University of Arizona. Kristin has worked in many different settings helping people with a variety of different disorders/communication deficits, ranging from toddlers to adults. She worked as a traveling SLP for a few years, which took her to Colorado, Wyoming, and Alaska. Kristin worked at a private outpatient clinic in Arizona working mostly with the pediatric population before relocating to Washington in 2021. Kristin enjoys working with a variety of people and supporting her clients in any way she can. 

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Kristin was born into a military family, and grew up in different states and countries. During her free time, Kristin enjoys spending time with her husband and family, reading, completing challenging puzzles, gardening, hiking, running, hanging out with her grumpy cat and traveling. She has a love for animals, the outdoors, learning new things, and she hopes to visit every National Park there is.

Isabel graduated from Indiana University with a M.A. in Speech Language Pathology with a bilingual concentration in 2025.  Isabel was born in California and moved up to Washington to complete her undergraduate degree at WWU and Bellingham has been her home since then. Isabel is passionate about early intervention, speech sound disorders and bilingualism. Isabel is bilingual and has spoken both English and Spanish since a young age. She enjoys providing support, assessment and intervention in both languages.

When not in the clinic, Isabel can be found reading, spending time with her family, exploring nature or baking. 

Loran graduated from the University of Puget Sound, with an M.S. in occupational therapy in 2021. Prior to this Loran and her family lived in Kyoto Japan for 15 years where she taught English as a foreign language. In 2010, her son was born at 24 weeks gestation due to complications from pre-eclampsia. He had developmental delays and a pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) requiring the use of a g-tube. Advocating for him led her to pursue a second career as an occupational therapist.

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After graduating in 2021, Loran worked for an early intervention program in Tacoma serving the birth to 3 population. She and her family moved to Bellingham in July of 2022 where they are enjoying the beautiful trails and parks and settling into their new “hometown.” Loran is excited to continue her career in a pediatric setting with a focus on using strengths-based principles to help her clients and their families gain the skills and knowledge they need to thrive.

Laura has been with Connections for just over five years. Her goal is to always have the insurance companies pay the maximum amount, while working to save our families as much as possible. Her tenacious nature makes her well suited for this work. She is also happy to help the families navigate the complex world of insurance.

Laura has lived in Whatcom County since 1979. In 1978 she took a summer job working on a fishing boat out of Blaine Harbor. She was only here a few days when she decided this was home. After the summer was over she went back to Maryland packed up everything and moved here.

She raised her children in Ferndale on an old farmstead that she bought in 1986. Currently she shares her home with two of her grown children and her longtime partner Sam. Sam and Laura are very passionate about beekeeping, and spend most of their spare time tending to their 4 hives.

Taylor has been with us since April 2022. After getting a degree in Early Childhood Education and teaching Preschool for 6 years, she felt ready for a new adventure where she could gain new skills and experience in a different role. Her love for organization and problem-solving makes her a wonderful fit for this position.

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Taylor was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and has a heart for travel. She enjoys exploring new places and diving into their culture. She has spent a year living in Florida, and has also lived abroad as a nanny in Italy. When Taylor is not supporting the SLPs at the office, she likes to spend time with her friends and family, go thrifting, play games, catch sunsets at the beach and roller skate. Taylor loves music, embroidery, yoga, the ocean and new experiences/adventures!

Karina joined the administrative team at Connections SLP in early 2024. She received her degree in Office Administration and has enjoyed working in several administrative support roles in various organizations. After taking a break from work to raise her two children, she is back doing what she has always loved, greeting clients and helping in any way she can to make your day a little less chaotic.

Karina married her high school sweetheart Mark and they raised their two children here in Bellingham. She is a huge animal lover and has two rescue dogs (Leo and Shelby) and a flock of chickens. She loves putting puzzles together, camping with family and friends and gardening.  According to her kids, she makes the best tomato sauce they have ever tasted! She discovered a love for cruises after her family completed a whirlwind 11 day cruise starting in Rome and ending in Portugal. She can't wait for their next adventure.