Meet Our Team
Kristen Kesler DeSena, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist & Owner
- - - - - - - - - -
Kristen is the founder and owner of STAR. She received her BA in English and Linguistics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, followed by her MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Emerson College in Boston.
Kristen has professional experience evaluating and treating children ages 0-21 years and presenting with a wide range of communication and feeding impairments. Kristen has worked with individuals with
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delay, Learning Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Visual/Hearing Impairments, Expressive/Receptive Language Impairments, Feeding/Swallowing Disorders, Fluency Disorders, and Speech Sound Disorders.
​
Kristen has expertise in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
She has worked at Boston Children’s Hospital’s internationally-acclaimed Augmentative Communication Program, as a graduate instructor in AAC, and as an AAC consultant in private practice. Kristen is especially passionate about following a family-centered approach to therapy and implementing AAC systems and strategies when appropriate to ensure every individual is given an equal opportunity to communicate.
Kristen is licensed by the board of North Carolina, has her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association, and is a member of the North Carolina Augmentative Communication Association.
Aside from being an SLP, Kristen enjoys going to the beach, training for marathons, and cheering for Michigan sports. Kristen currently lives in Durham, NC with her husband and daughter.
Clare Rahill-Graca, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist &
Head of Business Development
- - - - - - - - - -
Clare is originally from small town Ohio but is proud to call Durham her new home. She is a speech-language pathologist, receiving both her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and Speech-Language Pathology and her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is licensed by the board of North Carolina and has her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association.
Clare’s professional experience includes evaluating and treating children ages 0-21 years and presenting with a wide range of communication and feeding impairments. She has worked with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delay, Learning Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Visual/Hearing Impairments, Expressive/Receptive Language Impairments, Feeding/Swallowing Disorders, Fluency Disorders, and Speech Sound Disorders.
Clare is specially trained in treating echolalia and is registered in the national Meaningful Speech™ registry of Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) trained clinicians. She is also certified and trained as a sensory-based speech-language pathologist and is particularly enthusiastic about incorporating your child’s sensory needs into each and every speech therapy session. Family- and child-centered therapy is a pillar of Clare’s therapy, recognizing the importance of diversity, inclusion, and meeting each family where they are.
​
Clare lives in Durham with her husband. She enjoys crafting, yoga, and
snuggles with her cat.
Quincy Romero, MS, CF-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
- - - - - - - - - -
Quincy received her Bachelor of Science in Film, Television and Digital Production from Miami Dade College in Miami, FL and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Quincy is provisionally licensed by the board of North Carolina and a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association.
Quincy’s clinical experience includes providing speech-language services for patients across the life span. She has treated and evaluated children in early intervention through school-age from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and presenting with a variety of receptive/expressive language impairments and speech sound disorders. Her patients’ communication disorders have been concomitants of autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, learning disabilities and/or intellectual disabilities. Quincy has also evaluated and treated patients with dysphagia and tracheostomized patients completing speaking valve trials.
During her graduate program, Quincy participated in research focused on identifying
contributors of stress in caregivers of children who communicate with
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), as well as caregivers’
perceived facilitators and barriers of AAC. Quincy’s academic and clinical
experiences have shaped her beliefs about best practices and positive patient
outcomes related to early AAC implementation and a family-centered approach
across populations.
Quincy lives in Raleigh with her husband and dog Toby. She enjoys hiking,
dancing salsa and exploring new restaurants.