Jenée Luquette James, B.A., SLPA
Speech-Language Pathology Assistant
Jenée Luquette James is a speech-language pathology assistant, as well as a professional opera singer, in the Denver Metro area. She first began her professional journey with an undergraduate degree in Music - Vocal Performance from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Next, she continued her educational path in music at Louisiana State University, where she obtained her master’s degree, again in the field of Music - Vocal Performance. Much later Jenée completed the speech-language pathology assistant program through the University of Colorado at Boulder, and she has thoroughly enjoyed the world of speech therapy ever since!
While it may seem like vocal performance and the field of speech-language pathology have nothing in common, they actually do have quite a bit of overlap. When Jenée was performing operas and musicals all over the United States, she became a private voice and piano teacher. After nearly six years of teaching music privately, she realized that her primary interests were actually in the areas of language, diction, and the vocal mechanism, prompting her to explore career options in the field of speech therapy. While researching professional options, Jenée realized that she had actually previously taken nearly three quarters of the prerequisite classes for her speech-language pathology assistant certification throughout her previous degrees. As a result, she was able to finish her program in under a year and with a perfect GPA. Her extensive background as a voice and music teacher has allowed for her to make a smooth transition into the field of speech and language therapy. While she loves working as a speech-language pathology assistant, one day Jenée aspires to be a dual singing and voice therapy specialist.
When not working, Jenée is the soprano section leader at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Denver, and also performs with the Central City Opera as a touring artist. In her free time, Jenée loves spending time with her husband and step-daughter, playing with her two dogs, Trixie and Pepper, and cuddling with her cat, Ed.
Xena Land, B.A., SLPA
Speech-Language Pathology Assistant
Xena Land is a speech-language pathology assistant in the Denver Metro area. Xena obtained an undergraduate degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver), where she majored in speech, language, and hearing sciences, with a minor in early childhood education. During her time at MSU Denver she also completed her speech-language pathology assistant certification, and from there began her career in the special educational world.
After graduation, and before Xena began working as a speech-language pathology assistant, she worked as a learning specialist at an interdisciplinary school for students with multiple diagnoses and learning challenges. At this school, many of the students Xena worked with were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and it is through this opportunity that she realized her passion for providing services for children with this diagnosis. This is something that has pushed her to begin pursuing her career goal of becoming a certified speech-language pathologist.
Outside of work, Xena enjoys reading, spending time with her friends and family, and playing fetch with her dog, Buddy. She loves watching hockey, and roots specifically for the Colorado Avalanche during the winter months.