Retirement

Dr. Lisa Lucks Mendel, Professor Emerita, retired from the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders in August 2023. During her 20+ year tenure with the School, she served in a variety of roles including the Director of the Speech Perception Assessment Lab, the interim director of Clinical Education in Audiology, the Admissions Coordinator and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. Prior to her tenure at Memphis, Dr. Lucks Mendel was a member of the faculty and an administrator at the University of Mississippi. Over the course of her career, Mendel served as the chair or on the committees of 20 thesis and dissertation writers. She also published and presented extensively.

Dr. Lucks Mendel’s career is a testament to her passion for the field and her unwavering commitment to the development of her students and her peers. Mendel’s interest in communication sciences began after she was introduced to the field by her Rabbi’s wife, a speech-language pathologist. She went to the University of Georgia to study speech-language pathology. However, it was during her very first audiology class that she found her true calling. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in audiology at Georgia. Her thirst for knowledge and a fortuitous conversation with a mentor led her to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of California Santa Barbara.

In addition to her impressive record of teaching, research and administrative service in the School, Mendel’s career also included extensive service to the profession. Her service included work on various ASHA, AAA and CAPCSD committees, editorial work for a variety of journals, serving as the chair of the National Advisory Committee for the Audiology Praxis exam, and service as the President of CAPCSD. She was named a Fellow of ASHA in 1998 and was given the 2022 Honors of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD). This award is presented to those individuals whose contributions to the Council and/or to academic education in CSD have been of such magnitude that their impact is recognized throughout the professional community. The Honors of the Council is the highest honor it bestows.

Dr. Lisa Lucks Mendel’s counsel, enthusiasm, and wisdom will be missed.