Vestavia resident becomes Children’s director of hearing and speech

Jill Smith has always loved working with kids, and as Children’s of Alabama was being built, she knew that was where she wanted to work.

“I came here in 2000 to do an internship and never left,” the Vestavia Hills resident said.

Smith, who for the past eight years has been the hospital's audiology supervisor, recently was promoted to director of hearing and speech.

When she was first promoted, Smith said her first task was talking to the staff and learning about the speech side of the Charity League Hearing and Speech Center. While she has experience with hearing and audiology, she wanted to learn more about speech, where she has less experience, she said.

Looking forward, Smith said she hopes to hear suggestions from staff members and be an advocate for the hearing and speech center, as well as customers.

“Since I’ve worked a little bit, I’ve had my hands in a little bit, getting and digging in deeper,” she said. "Getting to know what drives them [staff] and what motivates them is exciting.”

Another role Smith will take on is acting as a support network and cheerleader when it comes to rolling out new technology. Technology for audiology changes frequently, she said, and that means it is almost impossible to have one individual keep up with the updates. Instead, she will hear suggestions from team and staff members, communicating with them to keep up-to-date.

As she has worked through various roles at Children’s, Smith said helping kids and families as they go through hard times is one of the most rewarding aspects.

“We get to see a variety of patients and walk sometimes the big walk with them and sometimes a little part of their walk,” Smith said.

After 15 years at Children’s of Alabama, Smith was invited to an anniversary celebration, where individuals are celebrated for their time with Children’s. Smith said she took her dad with her, and he couldn’t believe how many people had spent and extended amount of time with Children’s. He said it was “like Hotel California,” she said.

“It’s certainly a great place to work and a great place to be,” she said. “It’s just kinda home. It is home.”