Aletha L. Cook has been selected as the new clinic director of the University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing Clinic.

Cook has practiced in a variety of clinical settings including residential health care, education and private practice. Cook's areas of clinical interest include management of written language disorders using multisensory structured language education, assessment and management of alternative and augmentative communication needs, and analysis of the impact of foreign language phonology on English language learning. Cook speaks both Russian and Spanish and has a degree in Russian studies from the University of Arkansas.

Since 1960, the U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic has offered comprehensive speech, language, hearing, and swallowing evaluation and intervention to the Northwest Arkansas community. The clinic also provides specialized programs for accent modification, assistive and augmentative communication, auditory-verbal therapy, vocal disorders and written language disorders.

In the Epley Center for Health Professions built on the northwest edge of campus in 2012, the clinic houses clinical supervisors who serve clients of all ages while providing cutting-edge research-based instruction to undergraduate and graduate clinicians. The student clinicians are studying communication disorders and speech-language pathology in the College of Education and Health Professions.

Prior to her career in speech-language pathology, Cook was director of communications and media and information specialist for the University of Arkansas Honors College. She served five years in the Honors College developing and maintaining websites for the Honors College, the Office of Academic Scholarships, the office previously known as Post-Graduate Fellowships, and the Advanced Placement Summer Institute. Cook also managed all data collection and reporting. Preceding her time in the Honors College, Cook worked in transfer credit for both Admissions and the Registrar's Office at the university.

Throughout her career, both in technology support and speech-language pathology, Cook has been dedicated to implementing best practices to strengthen quality of service for both students and clients. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arkansas.