President's Column

From Dr. Dawn Gleason, President & CEO

Columbus Speech & Hearing Center

In 1923, Clarence Birdseye developed a method to quick-freeze food and created a whole new industry. Garrett Morgan patented one of the first automatic traffic signals, after witnessing a collision between an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage. And nine graduates of a lip-reading class formed an organization which is known today as Columbus Speech & Hearing Center. A lot has changed in 85 years! Just as Mr. Birdseye never imagined turkey bacon or Hot Wings and Blue Cheese flavored tortilla chips, I’m sure that the founding members of the Center could not have envisioned what the future would hold for the Center.

Innovation and change have become a way of life in our society, sometimes for the better (think pre-packaged salad mix) and sometimes not (cheese in a can—what were they thinking?) The Center, like every other business, is under continuous pressure to change. External influences like the economy, the political climate, reductions in State programs and our funders’ changing priorities, all affect our ability to provide services. Other factors are driven more by the needs of the community, our clients or changes in technology. There is never a shortage of questions to answer.

As we move forward and think about the future, we’re taking time to look back and reflect on the past. It will be important to recognize our core strengths and make decisions that sustain the organization. We believe that change is a strategy that allows us to accomplish our goals. We will remain focused on and true to our mission, while being open to finding new ways to accomplish it. This has been the key to our longevity all along.

Sincerely,
Dawn Gleason, Au.D.
President & CEO