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Influential Women Profiles Deborah Decker Magers: Speech-Language Pathologist and Pediatric Therapy Advocate
Deborah Decker Magers is a highly respected speech-language pathologist, entrepreneur, and pediatric therapy leader whose career has spanned more than 40 years of dedicated service to children and families. As the CEO and Founder of Decker Therapy Services, LLC in Tampa, Florida, Deborah has built a practice centered on compassionate care, clinical excellence, and meaningful relationships that support children in reaching their fullest potential.
Founded in 2010, Decker Therapy Services has become a trusted resource for pediatric speech-language therapy in the Tampa area. Deborah continues to remain actively involved in direct patient care while simultaneously overseeing every aspect of the organization’s operations, including recruiting and retaining clinicians, expanding caseloads, mentoring staff, supervising therapy services, and maintaining close connections with the children and families her practice serves.
Her clinical expertise focuses particularly on feeding therapy and early language development, though her experience extends across a broad range of pediatric speech and language specialties. Over the course of her career, Deborah has developed extensive expertise in apraxia, articulation disorders, autism spectrum disorders, central auditory processing, cleft palate, developmental disabilities, fluency disorders, language acquisition and delays, oral-motor and feeding disorders, swallowing disorders, phonological awareness, and early literacy development.
Deborah’s commitment to quality pediatric care is deeply rooted in her belief that children thrive through meaningful personal connection and individualized support. While her organization offers telehealth services when appropriate, she strongly advocates for in-person therapy whenever possible, believing many children benefit most from face-to-face interaction, hands-on treatment, and direct engagement with therapists.
Her educational background reflects her longstanding dedication to the field of communication sciences and disorders. Deborah earned degrees from the University of South Florida and the University at Buffalo and maintains active memberships with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists.
Throughout her career, Deborah has remained deeply committed not only to patient care but also to mentoring and strengthening the pediatric therapy profession itself. She has developed consultation, mentoring, and professional training programs designed to support clinicians across speech pathology, occupational therapy, and related pediatric disciplines. Her focus on collaboration, continuing education, and professional growth has helped countless clinicians strengthen their skills and improve the quality of care they provide to children and families.
One of Deborah’s proudest professional achievements came in 2021, when Decker Therapy Services was honored with the Small Business of the Year Award by the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, recognizing the organization’s impact, leadership, and commitment to the local community.
In addition to leading her therapy practice, Deborah also founded Practice Pathways, a coaching and consulting company dedicated to helping small business owners in speech pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and related healthcare fields build sustainable and successful practices. Through Practice Pathways, she provides mentorship, operational guidance, and strategic solutions that help therapy business owners navigate growth while maintaining strong organizational cultures rooted in collaboration and care.
Deborah attributes her success first and foremost to her genuine compassion for children and their families. Throughout her four-decade career, she has remained deeply committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of the children she serves and helping families feel supported throughout every stage of the therapeutic journey.
For Deborah, her role has always extended beyond simply delivering therapy services. She sees her work as an investment in the well-being, confidence, and future success of the children and families she supports. Her passion comes from witnessing children thrive and ensuring parents feel understood, encouraged, and cared for during often challenging developmental journeys.
The most influential career advice Deborah ever received came from a supervisor at a VA hospital during graduate school, Tom Scanio, who reminded her that the highest-paying opportunities are not always the most fulfilling. He encouraged her to follow her heart rather than financial incentives alone, advice that profoundly shaped the direction of her career and helped sustain her passion for more than 40 years.
Today, Deborah continues sharing that same wisdom with young women entering the field. She encourages them to pursue work that genuinely excites and inspires them, explaining that while passion-driven careers may not always offer the highest salaries, they often provide the deepest sense of fulfillment and purpose.
According to Deborah, one of the greatest challenges currently facing pediatric therapy is finding clinicians who remain passionate about working with children in person. While telehealth has become increasingly popular, she believes many children still require direct, face-to-face interaction and hands-on therapy to achieve meaningful developmental progress. She worries the broader shift toward remote work has made it more difficult to recruit therapists who understand the importance of in-person pediatric care and relationship-based therapy.
At the core of Deborah’s professional and personal life are the values of compassion, honesty, and integrity. She is deeply committed to ensuring every child receives the highest quality care possible while also creating a supportive environment where employees feel valued, respected, and appreciated.
She believes treating people with kindness, transparency, and genuine care forms the foundation of strong relationships and positive outcomes for both families and clinicians alike. These principles continue to guide Deborah’s leadership, business philosophy, and lifelong commitment to helping children and families thrive.
Through her clinical expertise, mentorship, advocacy, and unwavering dedication to pediatric therapy, Deborah Decker Magers continues to make a profound and lasting impact on children, families, clinicians, and the broader healthcare community throughout Florida and beyond.
Learn More about Deborah Decker Magers:
Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/deborah-magers or through her website, https://www.deckertherapyservices.org/
Influential Women
Influential Women provides a platform where women from all backgrounds can connect, share their perspectives, and create content that empowers themselves and others. Through storytelling, thought leadership, and creative expression, Influential Women amplifies voices that inspire change.
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Influential Women
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