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In Memory of Cassandra Faux

Oct. 26, 2025
Headshot of woman with medium brown shoulder length hair and glasses wearing a dark shirt smiling at camera

In Memory of Cassandra Faux, Clinical Educator Extraordinaire

Retired Clinical Professor Cassandra (Cass) Faux died on October 18, 2025, leaving a huge hole in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences – and greater Tucson – community. Cass retired from the department in 2020. Her legacy is as strong as ever. 

Cass earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Arizona. After starting her career as both a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and the interim director of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation in Tucson, she moved her clinical practice to Colorado. The University of Arizona was fortunate to lure Cass back in 1999. Our department benefitted from Cass’s exceptional clinical, supervisory, and leadership skills for more than two decades.

Cass’s enormous contributions and talents were recognized through prestigious awards including the Outstanding Clinical Achievement Award from the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Copernicus Award from the Galileo Circle in the College of Science. These awards recognized her exceptional skills as a clinician and her innovative program development that simultaneously served the graduate students she was training and the community. Examples of these programs included collaborations with music therapists, parent training programs, clinics for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple programs for children with hearing loss, and a program for children who used Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Many of these programs were interdisciplinary and all were creative (e.g., one of which culminated in a play!) and engaging. It is no surprise that Cass was often able to garner financial support from the community to run these innovative programs. 

Cass was beloved by the graduate students she taught and supervised. Her combination of deep clinical knowledge, high expectations, and equally high support and respect made her a favorite. Cass also created new clinical supervision programs – such as the Clinical Assistant Program – which allow undergraduates to experience clinical practice and exist to this day. 

Cass was also a major contributor to our profession, earning the Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s President’s Award for her service to the field. This included a host of leadership roles for our state association, board memberships, and service on countless committees. 

Cass Faux made indelible contributions to our field. The work she did to train future SLPs positively impacted countless lives, as those SLPs skillfully serve students and train the next generation of SLPs. Beyond the significant good she did for our profession, we will always remember the warmth, joy, and compassion she extended to each of her colleagues. 

Cass’s passing is a profound loss which is eased by the bountiful positive memories she created for so many people.