Dr. Speaks graduated cum laude from Athenaeum of Ohio and Gregorian University in Rome, Italy with STL (Masters Degree) in Theology. He has his Master in Education from Xavier University, and has a double major in Counseling and Educational Psychology from the University of Cincinnati.

From 1965-1970, Dr. Speaks served as a pastoral assistant at St. Aloysius Church in Cincinnati and also taught and was a counselor and Guidance Director at Elder High School. From 1970 to 1973, he was a counselor at Newport High School as well as a graduate assistant at the University of Cincinnati. He came to Finneytown High School in 1973 as a counselor. He was appointed high school assistant principal in 1985 and became principal in 1990.

He initiated the first meeting of the Cincinnati and Suburban School Counselor Association. He was a candidate for President of the Ohio Personnel and Guidance Association and was a long time local representative to that organization as well as to the Ohio School Counselors Association. He was also an officer in the Archdiocesan School Counselor Association. He chaired the planning committee for the 1976 All-Ohio, an annual statewide meeting of counselors and other school personnel. He is a past president of the Greater Cincinnati Association for Counseling and Development and in 1990 was received the Mary Foster Corry award from that organization.

Dr. Speaks has served as an adjunct instructor at local universities including the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and Northern Kentucky University. Courses taught included Developmental Psychology: The Early Years, Adolescent Psychology, Educational and Vocational Guidance, Counseling Lab, and Counseling Techniques.  Dr. Speaks also served on the Finneytown Schools Career Education project and was active in the initial planning contingent housed at Great Oaks. 

Dr. Speaks passed away on January 19, 2012.