Meet Jamie Suppanz

When she’s not working, Jamie enjoys spending time with her close-knit family. They’re a musical family and sometimes get together for family jam sessions. Jamie plays the piano and the family has a guitarist and drummer as well.

Meet Jamie Suppanz

Jamie Suppanz, a speech language pathologist at Cerebrations, said she took to her career “like a fish to water.”

Though her parents did help guide her to the vocational rehabilitation pond.

Jamie said she was fortunate enough to have parents who were her “vocational specialists” and always asked her thought-provoking questions about her future. What did she enjoy doing? What could she see herself doing in the future? What were her interests and strengths?

“I’m thankful I had parents who knew how to ask those questions,” Jamie said.

Jamie knew she wanted to go into healthcare but didn’t want to become a doctor. Being a teacher didn’t feel quite right, either.

Her parents knew some speech pathologists, and that allowed Jamie to get valuable insight into the profession even before pursuing it.

“They let me shadow them and I fell in love with it,” Jamie said. “I thought, ‘This is for me, this is exactly what I want to do.'”

Jamie became curious about aphasia, swallowing disorders, and what a stroke was, exactly. She started to learn a bit more about the conditions speech pathology addresses and became even more certain it was the right field for her.

Once committed to her career path Jamie walked towards it, graduating from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in Audiology and Speech Science and earning her master’s degree in Communications Disorders in 2003.

There was one thing that made Jamie a bit unique in her field, however. She always knew she wanted to work with adults. In a vocation where the vast majority of professionals aspire to work with kids, that’s unusual.

In fact, during her first SLP class as an undergraduate at Purdue, the professor asked who wanted to work in pediatrics and who wanted to work with adults. Only Jamie and one other student in the class raised their hands to work with adults.

Jamie attributes that preference to being an old soul who has always enjoyed being around adults, even when she was younger.

From there, she worked in skilled nursing facilities and did some PRN work before taking some time off to have her son.

When she returned to work, she was working in vocational rehabilitation at Arizona Neurorehab. She joined Cerebrations in 2023 and works at both places today. Both Cerebrations and AZN have a “whole-istic” approach to vocational rehab that was a bit different for Jamie but ultimately immensely satisfying.

At both facilities, clients are treated by a team of specialists who all work together.

“We talk to each other every day, all the time, and I love that,” Jamie said.

That’s a bit different from Jamie’s earlier career experience in skilled nursing, where she was part of a team but worked more with more of a focus on the individual clients. Although both sectors require working in teams, the teams Jamie worked with prior to transitioning to vocational rehab were more multidisciplinary versus interdisciplinary. It’s a subtle but noticeable change. The ability to learn from other, related fields has allowed Jamie to better serve her clients and is deeply fulfilling for her as well. 

“I’m constantly learning from my clients and I’m constantly learning from the team,” Jamie said.

Best of all, however, is when a client successfully transitions to the workforce.

“It’s super exciting when someone gets a job and they keep it,” Jamie said.

As a speech pathologist, Jamie is acutely aware that a job is never simply work, but a crucial part of a person’s identity, self-esteem and purpose. The ability to help clients identify their needs and successfully learn to have them met so they can be professionally successful is an extraordinary thing to be a part of and witness.

“I love it,” Jamie said. “It’s easily the best work I’ve ever done. I never want to stop.”

When she’s not working, Jamie enjoys spending time with her close-knit family. They’re a musical family and sometimes get together for family jam sessions. Jamie plays the piano and the family has a guitarist and drummer as well.

“We sing, we dance, we play instruments, it’s kind of a hoot,” Jamie said.

She also loves planning future trips around the world. Having explored a family connection to Slovenia with a trip to that country, she has an eye on exploring Oceana in the future, hoping to experience the Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand and Australia.

“I probably could have been a travel agent if that still existed,” Jamie said, laughing.

It’s aspirational, but it’s still fun to research and plan.

Most of all, though, Jamie loves being a mom to her teenage son.

“I’ve enjoyed every age, but I think having a teenager is fun,” Jamie said. “I love it, and just the exchange of ideas and how you can really see who this person will become.”

One thing is certain: Jamie’s son is growing up seeing what following a passion into a career looks like.

It’s an example everyone can learn from.

ABOUT BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA

The Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with all types of brain injuries through prevention, advocacy, awareness and education. BIAAZ also houses the Arizona Brain Health Resource Center, a collection of educational information and neuro-specific resources for brain injury survivors, caregivers, family members and professionals.

What began in 1983 as a grassroots effort has grown into a strong statewide presence, providing valuable life-long resources and community support for individuals with all types of brain trauma at no charge.