Marilyn Fairchild

Marilyn Fairchild is a speech-language pathologist and clinical educator at the University of Minnesota (UMN). She has master's degrees in teaching English as a Second Language and Communication Disorders.

She has experience with pediatric and adult populations with a variety of developmental and acquired communication needs. Areas of interest include assessment of individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, voice, literacy skills in children with speech/language issues, and formative assessment in clinical education.

Marilyn is active in service and advocacy in her profession at the local, state, and national level. She is active in the Minnesota Speech, Language, Hearing Association (MNSHA), serving as a member of the Advocacy and Governmental Affairs Committee, Policy Council, Multicultural Affairs Committee, and Future Professionals Committee. She has also served as co-president of the association. She is actively involved in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), where she has participated in the Leadership Development Program, served on the Multicultural Issues Board, mentored in the Student-to-Empowered-Professional (S.T.E.P.) program, and reviewed applications for the Grant Program for Projects on Multicultural Activities, the Distinguished Early Career Professional Certificate, and the Leadership Development Program. 

She has coordinated and delivered trainings in a variety of settings, collaborating with individuals, school districts, and businesses to support effective communication, multilingual assessment practices, voice therapy, and clinical supervision. She is co-author of Talk With Me: A Resource Guide for Speech Language Pathologists and Educators Working with Linguistically Diverse Young Children and their Families.