Courtney Overton, MA ’13

Helping children find their voice—through reading, writing, speaking, and listening—is at the heart of Courtney Overton’s career. It’s also the inspiration behind her company, Speech of Cake, a playful name that reflects her belief that learning communication skills can—and should—feel accessible, even fun.

Based in Maryland, Overton, MA ’13, the mother of two young children, is a speech-language pathologist and literacy specialist, and founder and CEO of Speech of Cake. She launched the pediatric practice after noticing a gap in services while working in schools: students with mild to moderate needs often lacked support during the summer. In 2017, she and a colleague created a summer program blending literacy and speech instruction with hands-on activities like cooking and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) projects, helping students build skills in an engaging, collaborative environment.

“We do different activities like make s’mores or slime—or talk about gravity,” said Overton, who is a three-time 40 Under 40 award recipient in Washington, DC; Alexandria, VA; and Northern Virginia.

Overton also serves as director of a preschool clinic at the University of Maryland, where she teaches graduate students and mentors future clinicians.

She credits Emerson with preparing her for both roles. Clinical training at Emerson’s preschool clinic at the Robbins Center gave her early confidence in working with young children—experience she now draws on daily. Just as important, she says, were the relationships with faculty, to whom she still turns for guidance.

“Emerson really made me who I am professionally.”