Archives West Finding Aid

In 1975, the Montana Legislative Assembly passed a bill creating the Board of Speech Pathologists and Audiologists "to protect the public from being misled by incompetent, unscrupulous, and unauthorized persons, and to protect the public from unprofessional conduct by qualified speech pathologists and audiologists, and to help assure the availability of the highest possible quality speech pathology and audiology services to the communicatively handicapped people" of Montana.

The Board consists of five members, four of whom are appointed by the governor from names submitted to him by the Montana Speech and Hearing Association. At least two members are to be speech pathologists, and two audiologists. One member is "to be a public member who is a consumer of speech pathology or audiology services." The Board's functions include evaluating the qualifications of applicants for licenses, investigating alleged violations of the law, and governing the ethical standards of practice, as well as serving as an advisory body to the governor and other state officials regarding audiology and speech therapy. The original members of the Board included Charles Parker, Missoula; Darrell Micken, Bozeman; Shirley DeVoe, Helena; Douglas Wing, Great Falls; and Jeanne Holtz, Helena.

As of 2025, the Board of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists operates within the Professional and Occupational Licensing Bureau, which falls under the Employment Standards Division of the Department of Labor and Industry.