Welcome, Mrs. Sue Maxfield, Speech-Language Pathologist, to McGraw Elementary. She is a Homer CSD graduate who is married to Reverend Dan Maxfield. They have three children and ten grandchildren. Mrs. Maxfield’s mother, Judy Riehlman, was Cortland County Clerk for 19 years, and her father, Hugh Riehlman, is one of the founding curators of the Central New York Living History Center and Brockway Association.
Mrs. Maxfield graduated from SUNY Cortland in 1998 with a bachelor of science degree in speech and hearing science, and from Syracuse University in 2000 with a master of science degree in speech-language pathology. Her accomplishments while at SUNY Cortland included securing a dedicated space on campus for non-traditional students, being invited to sit on the Vice Provost's round table, securing bus stop shelters on campus, and creating the Alpha Sigma Lambda scholarship award (a national non-traditional student honor society with scholarship awards) with the late Dr. Anthony Papalia, who was an advocate of and for non-traditional students.
Before joining the McGraw staff she says, “My career in speech pathology has taken me on quite the career adventure, beginning with early intervention and preschool diagnostics and therapy at Enable of Central New York (now Access CNY). I then entered the field of acute care at Community General Hospital (now Upstate at Community) working with adults recovering from strokes, traumatic brain injury, and degenerative neurological diseases. In 2014 I was invited to work in acute care at St. Elizabeth's hospital in Utica, where I did an intensive study in head and neck cancer and post-surgical patients. Not long after, I was invited to work at Syracuse University as a clinical supervisor at the Gebbie speech and hearing clinics, and was lead supervisor for the Combined Diagnostics evaluation team working with Upstate's Golisano Behavioral and Developmental departments as well as with voice patients of all ages. In 2017 the Communication and Disorders Department (CSD) offered assistant teaching professorships to staff. I began teaching undergraduate courses on campus which was an amazing experience, as I was able to meet students from many majors from all eleven colleges at SU. In 2021 I was invited to work on the NICU at Crouse Hospital, where I also continued to see acute adult patients. Working with tiny humans, helping medical staff determine whether they were ready to take oral feeds, and to ensure their vital stability while feeding, was an experience that I will never forget.”
In her free time, Mrs. Maxfield likes to garden, spend time with family, and play piano. She is currently editing her first book. She’s a pianist, organist, and Sunday School teacher for her church in Chittenango, NY. Mrs. Maxfield’s singing voice has been affected by a condition called Prodromal Parkinson’s and she has joined a study with the Parkinson’s Research Foundation to help find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. An interesting fact about Mrs. Maxfield is that she has sung twice at the White House at Christmas with a chorale from Syracuse. She is excited to continue this last stop of her career and really enjoys the staff and students at this “gem of a school district.” Thank you, and Welcome, Mrs. Maxfield!