C

ate Merrill is a Pensacola native and 

received a Master’s in Communication 

Disorders from the University of 

Louisiana in Lafayette. Cate’s professional 

experiences following graduate school 

developed her desire to focus on early 

intervention in the area of speech and 

language pathology.  

While living in the Mississippi Delta region, 

she began a small business that focused on 

providing these early intervention speech, 

language, occupational, and physical therapy 

services to an area which was in critical need. 

Upon moving back to the Pensacola area, Cate 

began working with the Escambia County 

School District. Her passion has always 

been working with families, and certainly 

addressing the challenges faced by the families 

affected by autism. “The most satisfying 

part of my job has always been my ability to 

support a family through their diagnosis and 

steer them in the direction most appropriate 

for their child and their family’s needs.”

Her relationship with Autism Pensacola 

began in 2008 when she accepted the request 

to serve on the Board of Directors. In 2013, 

she chaired the annual Connecting the 

Pieces gala and is now excited to serve the 

organization as the new president and chief 

executive offi cer (CEO) of Autism Pensacola, 

Inc. Cate has three children: Kit, Caroline, 

and Collier Jr.

President/CEO

Autism Pensacola 

CATE

 MERRILL

850.434.7171

3916 N 10th Ave, Pensacola

D

r. Ashley King is one of Pensacola’s 

only female, fellowship-trained 

urologists. She completed her 

fellowship in Cleveland, Ohio, with a 

training focus on Female Pelvic Medicine 

and Reconstructive Surgery. Prior to her 

fellowship at the renowned Cleveland Clinic, 

Dr. King earned her medical degree from 

Virginia Commonwealth University—which 

is also where she completed her residency and 

surgical internship

Dr. King is an avid researcher and writer. 

She is published extensively within her fi eld, 

and enjoys researching and discussing some 

of the most complex and debated issues 

within female urology. Dr. King uses her 

practice to focus on female pelvic medicine 

and reconstruction. Her specifi c interests 

include the medical and surgical treatment of 

incontinence, pelvic-organ prolapse repair, 

complex reconstruction of the lower urinary 

tract, and vaginal complication management. 

In her free time, Dr. Ashley King enjoys 

reading, running, and spending time with her 

family.  She and her husband raise their three 

small children together, all currently under 

eight years old.

She is an active member of the American 

Urologic Association and the Society of 

Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and 

Urogenital Reconstruction. 

Dr. King has been providing patient-

focused care at Woodlands Medical 

Specialists since 2015. 

850.351.0600

1401 Indian Bayou Trail, Destin

Woodlands Medical 

Specialists 

850.696.4000

4724 North Davis Highway

Pensacola

DR. ASHLEY

 KING

D

r. Karen Kennedy has been in private 

practice in the area for 18 years. She 

manages any gynecologic issues and 

focuses on health and wellness to prevent 

disease. She is a member of the International 

Pelvic Pain Society and uses ultrasound 

greatly to guide pelvic pain and diagnosis. She 

takes pride in giving individualized care for 

each problem and wellness issue with each 

person because not every person responds 

the same to a treatment and managements 

vary slightly with each case. She also excels 

in offering different options for management 

of a condition, whether one wants to be more 

conservative or comprehensive.

To clear her mind from dedication and 

extensive patient care, Dr. Kennedy turns to 

fl ying airplanes on the weekends.  She equates 

fl ying to patient evaluation and management 

in that both require complete attention to 

detail. She enjoys navigating to area airports 

and fl ying formation with other local pilots. 

She fi nds joy in giving others the gift and 

experience of fl ight. It is also fulfi lling to see 

our local area from a birds eye view. She is 

always looking for further accomplishments 

in fl ight; she is preparing one of her planes for 

aerobatics.

KAREN E.

 KENNEDY, MD

850.916.7766

1118 Gulf Breeze Parkway

Suite 201

Gulf Breeze

30      |    VIPPensacola.com

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