Dr. Sonja Pruitt-Lord is the LYS Executive Director with almost 30 years of dedicated service to the youth of Louisiana. In her non-LYS life, Sonja and her family live in San Diego, CA where Sonja is the Vice Provost at San Diego State University.
She first attended LYS as a delegate in 1995 from New Orleans' Riverdale High School, where she was named the 1995 Most Outstanding Delegate. She continued her involvement as a Junior Counselor in 1996, followed by roles as a Counselor, member of head table, and Program Director from 2000-2003. Sonja is a member of the LYS 5-year club and LYS Hall of Fame. She currently serves on the LYS Board of Directors in addition to her role as Executive Director.
Dr. Pruitt-Lord earned her Bachelors, Master’s and PhD. from Louisiana State University in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Since graduation she has served as a dedicated Speech Language Pathology Coordinator and Associate Professor of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences. She serves as the Director of the M.A. Program in Speech and Language Pathology and is the Speech-Language Division Head. Dr. Pruitt-Lord has been the principal investigator on multiple federal and local grants, continuously securing awards since 2011 to support her work with dual language and English learners at Rosa Parks, as well as receiving several major NIH grants.
Her research focuses on child language acquisition and disorders within culturally and linguistically diverse contexts. She has co-authored numerous professional articles and presented her work at state, national, and international conferences. Dr. Pruitt-Lord is known for her strong history of school partnerships and transdisciplinary research.
Dr. Pruitt-Lord is a former Associate Editor of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in the Schools and currently serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Her established publication record addresses diagnosing language impairments in culturally and linguistically diverse populations, with significant research involving dual language and English learners and other CLD learners. She is also a committed mentor, recognized with seven Outstanding Faculty awards by her students.
Through her work at her adopted home in California or her home in Louisiana, Dr. Pruitt-Lord is passionate about tapping into the potential of young people and their ability to make a difference in the world.