About Us
Our Story
Having grown up only a few miles from one another in small mountain towns on either side of the NC/VA line, Dayna Nowicki and Emily Halsey met through a mutual friend in Winston-Salem, NC. They became fast friends, bonding over their love of live music and their chosen career paths. Both worked for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system, and after 5 years, Emily came on board with the preschool department where she partnered with Dayna to help cover growing needs in multiple Head Start locations throughout the county.
The partnership was seamless from the start. Dayna and Emily quickly realized that not only did they both have a passion for serving the children in their community, but they also shared a moral and ethical compass when it came to the type of services they provided. During a weekend conversation that ultimately led to a brainstorming session for work, Dayna’s husband casually said, “You two should really start a practice together.”
Fast forward six years, countless conversations, and a shared desire to return to a mountain community, and a thought turned into a dream that is now a reality. Emily and Dayna look forward to providing pediatric speech therapy services to Asheville and the surrounding areas.
Meet the Team
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Emily Halsey
SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLGIST / CO-FOUNDER
Emily has been a practicing SLP for thirty years and loves coming to work every day! Since participating in a sign language activity as a child in summer camp Emily has been drawn to the field of speech-language pathology, and she has never looked back!
After growing up in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of Mouth of Wilson, VA, she chose to remain in a mountain community, completing her undergraduate degree at Appalachian State University. She then was able to enjoy time in the Shenandoah Valley while pursuing a graduate degree at James Madison University. She worked for private practices in both North Carolina and Arkansas, but the majority of her career has been spent with the WSFC school system, the last ten years of which were in the preschool department, providing itinerant speech therapy services to Head Start locations throughout the county. Having a private practice has always been a dream of Emily’s, and she has spent the past year in the private sector preparing to do just that!
When she is not at work, you can find Emily spending time with family, friends, and her dog, paddle boarding, or catching a live music show. She is excited to come full circle and once again call the mountains home!
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Dayna Nowicki
SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLGIST / CO-FOUNDER
With over 30 years of experience in the field of speech-language pathology, Dayna Nowicki is passionate about helping children develop strong communication skills. During her career, she has worked for school districts in NC and TN, as well as private practices. For the last 18 years, she has worked for Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools’ preschool department serving preschool children in a variety of settings, including school-based EC classrooms, NC PreK classrooms, Head Start sites, daycares and homes.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s degree in Communication Disorders from Western Carolina University (Go Catamounts!) Dayna is excited to be building a private practice with her friend and colleague Emily, where together they will implement their personalized approach to therapy and create a supportive and engaging environment for children and families.
When she is not working, you will find Dayna setting up house in Weaverville with her husband Matt, playing with her small dogs, cooking, going to see live music, and visiting her daughter in Chicago.