As our CSD seniors are getting ready to graduate and take their next big step in their lives, one of our CSD faculty members is preparing for a big change as well. Dr. Ryals is retiring after 27 years at JMU. Dr. Ryals is an audiology professor and Editor-in-Chief of Ear and Hearing , the official journal of the American Auditory Society. Dr. Ryals has had a full career that started with an interest in communication during high school. When she started her undergraduate career at East Carolina University, she was originally interested in speech-language pathology, but after learning more about audiology, she decided to change her career path when she entered graduate school at the University of Tennessee. After receiving her Masters degree, she had a busy career working in private practices and ENT offices, owning a private practice of her own, earning her Ph.D. from UVA, working with both the infant and geriatric populations, and eventually coming to JMU to continue her