Come Meet Our Audiologists at Eastside Audiology & Hearing Services
At Eastside Audiology & Hearing Services, we’re committed to helping our patients restore their hearing and improve their quality of life. Armed with the latest hearing loss treatments, we’ll help you get back to doing what you love. Meet our team of highly qualified audiologists.
Eastside Audiology & Hearing Services Team
Nichole Kingham, Au.D.
Doctor of Audiology
Dr. Nichole Kingham was awarded a master’s degree in Audiology at the University of Washington and obtained her clinical doctorate from A.T. Still University.
She was a member of the 2012 class of James Jerger Future Leaders in Audiology and is a Past President of Washington State Audiology Academy. Dr. Kingham has worked in private practice since 2003, where she hired the first Audiology Assistant in Washington State and has trained and promoted Audiology Assistants since 2009. She currently sits on the Washington Department of Health Speech and Hearing Board and is a Member at Large and Treasurer for the American Academy of Audiology Board of Directors.
Dr. Kingham’s mission is to empower the small business owner by providing resources to help engage today’s savvy consumer. Through experience, trial and error, research and mentorship, she has developed key insights for delivering exceptional patient experiences.
When she’s not at work, Dr. Kingham is spending time with her husband, her 8 children and 1 grandbaby. Dr. Kingham also spends her free time traveling to lecture in large groups of other audiologists on topics of patient satisfaction, technology updates and staff training.
- American Academy of Audiology Video
- Learn more about Dr. Kingham
- Audiology Academy Interview
- Best Practice Pro
Michele Hillard, Au.D.
Doctor of Audiology
Dr. Hillard was born and raised in Kirkland, WA, and obtained her Master’s Degree in Audiology from Western Washington University and her Doctorate from A.T. Still University.
She has been practicing audiology since 1996, providing professional and caring services to those with hearing loss. She has worked in a variety of settings, including an Ear, Nose, and Throat physician’s office and with a nonprofit hearing and speech center. She loves her time spent with the residents of Timber Ridge Senior Living in Issaquah, a volunteer service provided by Eastside Audiology & Hearing Services to its residents.
Dr. Hillard has been married since 1996 and has 2 children. She loves to spend her spare time reading novels and playing the piano.
Natalie White, Au.D., CH-TM
Doctor of Audiology
We’re proud to have Dr. Natalie White, as part of our Eastside Audiology family. She provides excellent care to our patients in the Mill Creek clinic.
Not only is she well versed in the latest technology and techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss, she also holds a Specialty Certificate in Tinnitus and is a Dr. Cliff preferred provider.
After completing her undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Western Washington University, she went on to earn her clinical doctorate at Arizona State University.
As a Pacific Northwest native, she returned to the area and completed her clinical externship at Swedish Medical Center. Here, she gained broad exposure to multiple specialties within audiology including adult diagnostics, vestibular testing, cochlear implantation, and fitting a wide variety of hearing aids.
Throughout her graduate career, she also gained experience in a variety of clinical settings including private practice, hospital, and Ear, Nose, and Throat Physician’s offices.
Dr. White strives to provide exceptional patient-centered care by combining her enthusiasm and positivity with the latest innovations in the field of audiology.
As a Seattle sports fan, when she’s not in the office, you can find her at a Mariners, Seahawks, or Kraken game. She also enjoys hiking and kayaking around the area, puzzling, and caring for her many plants.
Carl Pascual, B.A.
Audiology Assistant
Carl Pascual proudly serves as our Audiology Assistant in our Issaquah clinic. Carl is currently studying to become a Hearing Instrument Specialist.
He earned his B.A. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Washington State University.
Carl’s undergraduate exposure to the field of Audiology, from cochlear implant activation and mapping at an Ear, Nose, and Throat clinic to working with children at a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Pre-School/Kindergarten, all have fueled his passion to help individuals with hearing loss receive the intervention and instrumentation needed to communicate and maintain their hearing ability.
He looks forward to working with the amazing women at Eastside Audiology as well as meeting and serving all of you who let us be a part of your lives.
Although he grew up in Hawaii, Carl has grown to love the Pacific Northwest and enjoys hiking, kayaking, and snowboarding. He also loves to play all sorts of sports like football, volleyball, tennis, and ultimate frisbee.
Peggy Kyllonen
Billing Specialist and Business Administration
Peggy, a resident of Graham, WA, has worked in the healthcare industry for over 31 years. She has served in various capacities since 1990, including helping open the Eastside Audiology – Issaquah office in 2005.
She intimately knows the workings of Eastside Audiology and is the person to go to with questions or concerns about insurance and billing issues. Peggy works at keeping our busy office running smoothly for our clients and audiologists.
On her own time, you can find Peggy reading fantasy or romance novels, working in her garden, catching up on some of her favorite TV shows such as Blindspot or Scandal, or checking out HGTV or Food Network. When the weather is nice, Peggy also loves camping with her husband and children.
Claudia Garcia
Assistant to the Director
Claudia has diverse work experience, early in her career she worked at a law firm and in the hospitality industry; among others, she gained experience in various departments including sales, business management and human resources.
In the hospitality sector, she started at the front desk; in a short period, she was promoted to sales coordinator and then management.
After switching gears to work for a criminal and civil law firm, Claudia assisted attorneys and paralegals in preparation for court trials. She also maintained a real estate license during her tenure at the law firm. She is typically involved with business organization, training development, onboarding and participates in safety planning committees.
She enjoys working with databases, has a passion for researching, collecting, tabulating and analyzing data.
On a personal note, hosting is a strong suit, she is considered a super host by family and friends. Claudia thoroughly enjoys helping others in many ways, whether it’s to help others achieve their goals, purchasing a business or connecting people together; as well as helping others organize their time and themselves. She has helped and continues to help entrepreneurs with small startups.
She enjoys attending sporting events and supporting the local teams. She is a phenomenal cook who has recently retired from cooking and looks forward to the cooking of others. She loves local foods, and would like to eventually support local farms. Earth Day holds a special place in her heart.
Claudia’s favorite part of Eastside Audiology are the patients. She also enjoys the work life balance that allows her to spend time with her family.
Juanita Hell
Patient Care Coordinator – Mill Creek
Juanita has always enjoyed working in fields that help the community. She enjoys interacting with others and tries to find out about their interests to help better connect.
She thrives on a job well done and works to provide others with a better quality of life. Juanita has experience in ICD-10 coding, HR, medical reception and enjoys being a go-to confidante for her teammates. She has enjoyed working at Eastside Audiology, where she has learned a whole new realm of information!
She is continuing to learn more and more about the billing process, insurance, appointment types and audiology needs.
She really enjoys meeting new and established patients and just wants them to feel at home and comfortable while dealing with hearing loss.
Juanita enjoys spending time with friends and family, especially while vacationing. She loves a good laugh and a good meal and is willing to try almost anything! She loves her home in the Pacific Northwest and hopes to never move. She also enjoys walking, hiking, camping, geocaching, road trips and traveling, in general.
Katie Bong
Patient Ally
Katie was first introduced to Eastside Audiology as a Summer Intern in 2022. She later joined Eastside after finishing her schooling at Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington.
Katie has served in various customer service roles that have expanded her knowledge of acknowledging and understanding patient needs, reinforced by her commitment to providing patients with the quality of care they deserve. Today, Katie works as Eastside Audiology’s Patient Ally, assisting with patient needs by actively listening, addressing concerns, providing knowledgeable information, and facilitating a supportive environment throughout the hearing healthcare journey.
In her current role, she works remotely outside of Washington State due to her husband being an active-duty military service member. They are currently stationed away from home. Katie believes that distance should never compromise the quality of care and support our patients receive. Every patient, regardless of location, deserves personalized care and understanding. Despite working outside of Washington State, she overcomes the distance by ensuring seamless communication to better support Eastside Audiology and provide efficient service to patients.
She enjoys embracing challenges and the opportunities that come with fostering a sense of community and support. Katie’s favorite part of Eastside Audiology is connecting with patients and providing them with the highest level of support.
On a personal note, at the heart of her world, Katie has a deep appreciation for the bonds of family and the friends around her. She enjoys being supportive to those around her whether lending a listening ear, offering guidance, or celebrating achievements within her professional or personal environment. She is a firm believer in the power of positivity and approaches life with an optimistic lens to strive to make the most out of any situation.
Joe Furness, COO
Chief Operating Officer
In his current role as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Hear Northwest, Joe leads the charge in revolutionizing the Audiology landscape. Hear Northwest, under Joe’s strategic guidance, boasts two clinics, five providers and five supporting staff.
His vision transcends the use of traditional prescription hearing aids as the sole treatment provided in audiology private practice. Instead, he believes in looking at the whole person and transforming lives by offering complete and individualized hearing healthcare solutions for patients.
Joe’s background is in Information Technology. As the COO, Joe is dedicated to optimizing Hear Northwest’s operational efficiency and driving its expansion. Still, his commitment to privacy and HIPAA compliance is unwavering, ensuring that all business operations uphold the highest standards of data security and patient confidentiality.
Additionally, by collaborating closely with vendors, Joe ensures the seamless expansion of services for the betterment of patients while fortifying against potential security risks.
With his multifaceted expertise, Joe not only leads Hear Northwest as COO into a new era of Audiology services but he continues to be a trailblazer in IT, bridging technology and business with finesse and foresight.
In his free time, Joe loves the outdoors and loves to be in one of his jeeps, running trails in the Cascades. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Audiology Academy, an online training business for the Audiology industry.
