Lindsey Hiebert, PhD

Lindsey Hiebert, PhD, is a speech-language pathologist, researcher, educator, and project manager whose career centers on improving language development and educational outcomes for diverse learners. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Northern Arizona University, where she combines her clinical and research expertise to advance the field of speech-language pathology. Her academic background includes a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The University of Texas at Dallas, as well as postdoctoral research experience at the University of Delaware.

Lindsey’s professional journey has been shaped by extensive experience working with children and families from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. After earning her master’s degree in speech-language pathology, she spent several years providing services in primarily low-income communities, including work with Hispanic and Native American families. These experiences inspired her research into Spanish-English bilingual language development and later into developmental language disorder. Her work focuses particularly on understanding bilingual language development, improving the diagnosis and treatment of language impairments in bilingual children, and promoting culturally responsive practices in clinical and educational settings.

Beyond her research and teaching, Lindsey is passionate about equity, lifelong learning, and culturally responsive education. She advocates for approaches that recognize the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of students rather than treating differences as deficits. Her interdisciplinary perspective—drawing from language, education, research, and clinical practice—allows her to approach complex challenges with curiosity and openness. She is also an advocate for embracing nontraditional career paths, learning from experience, and remaining open to change, while balancing her professional life with her love of travel and life as a dog mom.