Dr. Chantelle Varnado, Executive Director of Launch, has been working with children with disabilities and their families for over twenty years. She earned her Bachelor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University. She worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist for 14 years in Livingston Parish Public Schools and at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2015, She earned her Doctorate of Philosophy in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Louisiana State University.
She founded Launch, a non-profit organization that serves children with disabilities and their families, in June of 2015. She has served as adjunct faculty, guest lecturer, and clinical supervisor for local universities since the time. She is a member of American Speech, Language and Hearing Association, Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. She also works with Special Olympics Healthy Athletes, BREC’s Inclusive Activities, Different Abilities, Incredible Kids of Denham Springs, STARS Soccer Club and numerous community organizations that promote extracurricular and inclusive activities for children with disabilities. Dr. Varnado lives in Denham Springs with her husband, Brad Varnado, of 21 years and two children Braden and Addison.
To learn more about Launch, please visit www.launchpeds.com or Facebook @launchpeds. To learn more about BRAF, head over to braf.org.