About Us

SMSD was started in 2018 by Jessica Pogue as a part-time business whose goal was to provide pediatric speech-language services to children located within her Signal Mountain community. These services began in the children’s homes then moved to a small home-based office before transitioning into a shared space with Treehouse Therapy in Ashley Plaza.

With the introduction of the pandemic, services at SMSD transitioned to only being provided either through teletherapy or at the clinic with precautions. SMSD then made the short move next door to its current home in Suite 115 during the winter of 2022.

Since that time, Jessica has been joined by a small team of talented professionals who offer one-on-one services at the clinic for speech-language services and literacy tutoring. Speech-language services may also be provided at several Signal Mountain preschool locations.

Jessica Pogue, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist, Founder

Jessica is a licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and the owner of Signal Mountain Speech and Development, LLC. She specializes in individualized speech, language, and fluency interventions that are family and community centered.

Jessica received her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Berry College, Georgia before becoming an elementary school teacher. After her experiences working closely with children in exceptional education programs through collaborations with reading specialists and inclusion classroom settings, Jessica decided to return to school to follow her passion for helping exceptional learners and their parents. Jessica graduated with her Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2009 from Radford University, Virginia.

Before founding Signal Mountain Speech and Development, Jessica provided evaluations and treatment in numerous settings including outpatient clinics, schools, and early intervention in the home and childcare environments. She is nationally certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and locally licensed through the state of Tennessee.

Jessica lives in Signal Mountain, Tennessee with her husband and two sons. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities, volunteering, traveling, and gardening.

Laura received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders from Biola University in 2001. After taking several years off to start a family she completed her Master’s degree in Communication Disorders from California State University Northridge in 2010. Laura has found her passion in working with the pediatric population in the early intervention and school-based settings. In her work as a school-based SLP, Laura has assessed and treated speech sound disorders, fluency, pragmatics of language, and language disorders. Laura has worked in exceptional education classrooms ranging from preschool through middle school during her tenure working the public school system. She was also a member of her school district’s Assistive Technology and Augmentative Alternative Communication team. Laura is nationally certified through the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is locally licensed through the state of Tennessee.

Laura and her husband are the proud parents of four children. In her free time, Laura loves spending time with her family, traveling, reading and taking walks.

Gretchen is a certified Exceptional Education teacher who currently teaches here in Hamilton County Schools. She has previously taught from pre-K3 through first grade, and for the past several years has worked with students in grades six through eight supporting multiple academic areas. A particular focus is English/Language Arts, and these include literacy skills, fluency, decoding, spelling, and multiple aspects of reading comprehension as well as multiple aspects of writing. Based on student needs, she also provides support in executive functioning skills including organization and time management. 

Gretchen holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and upon moving to Texas, completed her Teacher Certification. Being on the parent side of the IEP table for many years revealed that more support for students, their families, and their teachers was necessary, and led Gretchen to earn her Master’s of Education in Special Education at Sam Houston State University. 

Being a Signal Mountain native herself, Gretchen, her husband, and their three children moved back to the mountain in 2023 after time in Texas and years of frequent visits to see family here. Returning to be part of the Signal Mountain community as well as teaching at the high school she attended is a homecoming in multiple ways. Her spare time is filled with reading, exploring new places, and genealogy research. 

Katie graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South in 2004 and earned her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Medical University of South Carolina in 2008. She spent 15 years practicing pediatric occupational therapy, working with children from birth through early adulthood across a variety of settings, including outpatient clinics, home-based therapy, and schools.

After taking time away from clinical practice to focus on raising her four children, Katie returned to the pediatric therapy field with a renewed appreciation for supporting children and families. She is excited to be part of the team at Signal Mountain Speech, where she brings both professional experience and a parent’s perspective to her work behind the scenes supporting the clinic and its mission.

Katie values building strong relationships with families and helping create a warm, encouraging environment where children can grow in confidence and communication. Outside of work, she enjoys exercising, listening to audiobooks, traveling, playing mahjong, and cheering on her children in their many activities, including theater, ballet, lacrosse, and soccer to name a few.