Meet the Board
Lesley Mateer
President
Lesley is a Speech Language Pathologist and received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Louisiana State University. Lesley has over 30 years' experience in the Rehab industry as a treating clinician, rehab director, trainer, auditor and business owner. She has worked with the pediatric indigent population; in the psychiatric environment; in outpatient clinics; for home health agencies; and in long term care settings, which she will tell you is her favorite. Lesley has worked for some of the greats such as HealthSouth and NovaCare as well as smaller practices. She is currently the owner of CIAO Seminars which she started in 1999 during a challenging time for therapists. Lesley started CIAO with a mission to train OTs, PTs and SLPs in specialty areas in order to improve their value in the marketplace. CIAO Seminars now provides continuing education in over 40 countries around the world. In the past two decades, Dysphagia treatment as a specialty has become more prominent. Lesley realized these specialists deserved a much higher recognition and elevation in status, leading to her founding of Dysphagia University.
Craig Mateer
Chief Financial Officer
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Craig received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. Craig worked throughout the southeast in the Petro-Chemical industry for twenty years for Air Products and American Cyanimid among others. In 1999, it was he who suggested to his Speech-Language Pathology wife, that she begin a company which would make great things happen for therapists. He has been the CFO and the Director of IT for CIAO Seminars for the last 15 years. Craig is an active member of Knights of Columbus, the Optimist Oratorical Contests and National History Day. Craig lives on Pensacola Beach with his wife, Lesley. They met in New Orleans and have been married for over 20 years. Craig and Lesley have taught a marriage class for couples entering second marriages for the past ten years. Lesley and Craig have three children, Maddie, Macy, and Max - plus the youngest member of the family, Magic, their rescue pointer.
Cory Tompkins
Director Of Operations
Cory graduated with a BA in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida. She is currently the Director of Growth and Operations for Career Improvement and Advancement Opportunities (CIAO), a nationally recognized continuing education company. Prior to this Cory was the Continuing Education Administrator for CIAO. Cory sits on ASHA's advisory board for Intersections which connects ASHA Approved Continuing Education Providers and exchanges ideas in order to better accomplish their CE activities. Cory has a specialized knowledge of standards for continuing education training ensuring compliance with state and national CE rules/regulations. She has significant experience in the successful accreditation process with the Institute of Credentialing Excellence. Cory lives in Gulf Breeze with her husband and rescue pets.
Juliana Barrett
Program Director
Juliana graduated with a BA in Communication Arts/Public Relations from the University of West Florida. She is a small business owner with more than ten years' experience in education as a former elementary school teacher and continuing education administrator. She lives in Pensacola, Florida with her husband and young son. Juliana is Program Director of Dysphagia University and she looks forward to granting you your NDC credentials!
