Audiologist Kelly Pack was born and raised in the small Louisiana village of Choudrant, which covers 4.28 square miles of land and is home to under 1,000 residents. “No one ever knows where it is, so I usually just say Ruston,” she laughed. Though there are charms to small-town life, Kelly knows firsthand the struggles of which big-city dwellers are totally unaware.

“Access to quality medical care wasn’t always available to me growing up,” she explained, “so it is something I am very sensitive to. One of the things I set out to do with my practice [Professional Hearing Services] was to identify the areas I could serve that were being underserved in our community.”

Audiologists like Kelly primarily diagnose, treat and manage hearing loss and balance disorders. Empowering patients through hearing aids is a key aspect of her day-to-day work—and it is incredibly rewarding.

“Yesterday, a farmer told me he heard a bee for the first time in a really long time,” she said. “Sometimes people tell me they forgot how beautiful the rain sounded until they got their hearing aids, or that they can now hear the birds again. It’s those little things we all take for granted that I think make our life so full. Once my stepfather was bow hunting in Canada, and he heard a bear coming up behind him; we joke that hearing aids actually saved him from being eaten by a bear.”

Kelly has been living and practicing in Texarkana since 2014, when her husband, Andrew, was transferred here by his employer. “At the time, we didn’t think Texarkana would be our forever home, but we absolutely fell in love with the community and never looked back,” she said.

As she came to know the needs of the community, Kelly recognized that tinnitus patients were being underserved—so she added tinnitus management to her practice. “That was hard, as it’s not something I had been well trained in, and it took a long time to learn, but the service was needed,” she said. “And then one day a patient told me they no longer felt suicidal because they finally felt that their tinnitus was controllable, and I cried, in front of the patient. I knew that God had put me on that path for a reason.”

Soon, another need made itself apparent: “Patients began to tell me that they could not travel to Dallas or Little Rock to get access to cochlear implant services,” Kelly said, “so we have expanded to include services for all cochlear implant devices and brought in an amazing new audiologist, Dr. Stephanie Winfield, to head that up.”

Kelly continues to learn, innovate and grow her practice. She noted that soon, PHS will expand to offer more pediatric services. She and her team are also committed to helping patients from all socioeconomic backgrounds. “We want to remove more barriers for people who aren’t able to afford hearing services,” she said. “We may have big things cooking on that front . . . Stay tuned.”

FSLM asked Kelly ...

What’s something most people don’t know about you? I once had to bail my goat out of jail.

What’s your favorite local spot to spend time? You will frequently find me at any of the local gardening centers—especially Little Country Greenhouse and Twitty Nursery—perusing the plants for inspiration and absorbing the knowledge from the owners.

What words of wisdom would you offer to your past self? Brené Brown wrote, “There is no innovation or creativity without failure.” I wish I had known what a beautiful first step to success that failure can be.

Shane Darby’s words on Kelly Pack
It took less than two seconds. When asked if I knew anyone worthy for the 2023 Tribute to Women, I had zero hesitation: it had to be Kelly Pack. I don’t know anyone who works so hard and loves so much. She’s a wonderful mother and wife—not to mention a very successful audiologist here in town. Chances are, if you’ve ever had issues with your hearing, you have met Kelly (or you will, because someone told you how great she is). She has been known for her kindness and intelligence ever since we were kids growing up together in our small Louisiana hometown. Fast-forward an undisclosed number of years (so as not to reveal anyone’s age), and she moved with her husband to Texarkana, where they have made a wonderful home with their eight-year-old son, John Preston. The life she’s built here inspired me to move here, too. As I establish myself in the community, I encounter more and more people who have been blessed by Kelly, both professionally and personally. I love seeing how Texarkana has embraced her as the incredible person I have always known her to be. Kelly moves mountains for her friends, family and patients, and I feel very lucky to know her.

Feature Stories

Tribute to Women: Kelly Pack