Corey Axelrod, MBA

he/him/his

Corey Axelrod, MBA, is the founder and CEO of 2axend, a Deaf-owned strategic consulting and training firm working with organizations to provide user-centric experiences to Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Prior to founding 2axend, Axelrod served in several business development roles for Communication Service for the Deaf, as well as principal and digital marketing consultant for Synergetic Business Solutions, digital marketing coordinator for Purple Communications and director of marketing and business development for Hager Productions. Axelrod earned his master of business administration (MBA) with a concentration in marketing and sales management and his bachelor of science in business administration from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Jennifer Axelrod, PsyS

she/her/hers

Jennifer Axelrod is a school psychologist and school counselor with more than 15 years of experience in working with Deaf and hard of hearing children in mainstreamed settings and schools for the Deaf. Hailing from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Jennifer currently works as a school psychologist for Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL) and Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO). She is responsible for conducting student assessments, data collection, executing the program’s social-emotional curriculum, behavioral plan development, and 1:1 counseling for students. She serves as a member of multidisciplinary committees and teams, often with the focus of implementing the school’s Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program and School Improvement Plan (SIP). Jennifer also independently contracts with school districts and coops to provide psychoeducational evaluations to determine deaf and hard of hearing children’s special education eligibility and services. She has a specialist degree in School Psychology from Gallaudet University and a Master’s Degree in School Counseling, also from Gallaudet University.

Valoree Boyer, NIC

She/her/hers

Valoree Boyer is currently a staff medical interpreter / interpreter coordinator for Bronson Healthcare in Southwest Michigan. Valoree holds RID’s NIC certification with a Medical/Mental Health and DeafBlind endorsement through the state of Michigan. Valoree began her interpreting career as a full time educational interpreter, then transitioned into freelance and travel interpreting work. Also prior to becoming a healthcare interpreter, she spent several years as an agency director. Community advocacy and patient access rights are at the forefront of Valoree’s professional passions. This is evident in her work with Bronson’s Patient Advisory Council and staff education initiatives. Valoree also serves on the board of directors for the Michigan Coalition for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deafblind People and is the camp director of Camp Chris Williams, a summer camp for Deaf Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind youth. When she is not working or serving on boards, Valoree enjoys being mom to a busy teenager and spending time at the many lakes in Michigan where she has been a lifelong resident.

Erika Bravo, M.S. Ed., NIC

She/her/hers

Erika Mercedes Bravo is the first full-time ASL Medical Interpreter at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA. She holds a Master’s degree in Bilingual/Bicultural Education from Western Oregon University and is nationally certified as an ASL interpreter through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). Erika is also CoreCHI certified in medical interpreting and continuously pursues professional development, with training in mental health interpreting, medical terminology, and interpreting in medical settings. Her extensive experience as a freelance interpreter spans a variety of settings, including community, educational, medical, mental health, stage, conference, and trilingual environments. Erika honed her medical interpreting skills as a Medical ASL Interpreter at Wellstar Medical before joining Grady Memorial. Fluent in both ASL and Spanish, she brings an added layer of accessibility to her interpreting services. At Grady, Erika provides in-service training to medical staff on effective communication with D/HH patients and coordinates interpreting services when she is unavailable or when specific needs arise.

Vonessa Costa, CoreCHI-P™

She/her/hers

Vonessa Costa is Chair of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, serving as Commissioner since 2020. She is Sr. Director of Quality for the Health Care Interpreter Network, a collaborative of hospitals that share interpreter resources. Vonessa is former director of Multicultural Affairs and Patient Services at Cambridge Health Alliance, named number one in Massachusetts for Health Equity and Community Benefit by the Lown Institute (2021). She is former director of the Cross Cultural Communication Institute at CCCS, Inc. Vonessa has co-authored articles published by AMA Journal of Ethics, The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, and the European Medical Writers Association. She is a Core Certification Healthcare Interpreter - Performance™, Portuguese language proficiency, and has worked in the healthcare language access field since 2001.

Ben Daniel

HE/him/his

Ben Daniel, born deaf, has navigated a world where communication requires relentless effort and resilience. His personal journey, particularly the challenges faced during the medical complications of his first child's birth, highlighted the shortcomings of accessibility in critical moments. These experiences fueled Ben's mission to revolutionize the sign language interpreting landscape, ensuring that the Deaf community has comfortable and accurate access to vital information. In 2016, Ben co-founded 5 Star Interpreting, a company dedicated to providing high-quality sign language interpreting services across the country. Ben holds a degree in Business Management from Brigham Young University and gained valuable experience in budgeting, analysis, and forecasting during his time as a Financial Analyst at Communication Services for the Deaf, a non-profit organization. He has effectively combined his business expertise with his dedication to advocacy and accessibility. Outside of work, Ben is also a devoted husband and father of four children. Ben is also an avid sports enthusiast and a loyal Atlanta Braves fan.

Rosemary Ford, MBA, OTC, NHICS-A/Licensed

Rosemary Ford is the System Director of Interpreter Services for Covenant Health, Inc. (CHI), a regional Catholic health delivery network consisting of three acute care and thirteen post-acute care organizations throughout New England. She is a nationally certified Oral Transliterator and a New Hampshire advanced-screened/licensed American Sign Language interpreter. During her 12+ years as System Director at CHI, Rosemary has spearheaded the development of its Interpreter Services Department and has created a robust standardized program utilizing certified/qualified on-site interpreters, telephone and video remote interpreters, as well as professional translation services. Rosemary also sits on the executive board of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care and previously served as the NH Registry of Interpreters President and as a representative on the NH State Licensure Board of Interpreters.

Leticia Fox

She/her/hers

Leticia Fox is the owner of ScreenLine Captioning. She has over 20 years of 20 years of experience providing Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services in various settings, including meetings, conferences, events, medical appointments, and classroom settings. Leticia has an Associate Degree in Court Reporting from Lansing Community College.

M. Cody Francisco, M.S, CDI

He/Him/HIS

M. Cody Francisco serves as the MasterWord’s Director of Interpreting Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and is additionally tasked with leading business development efforts as the Director overseeing the proposal team. He stands out as one of only three Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDI) in the Houston area. Cody's academic journey includes a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource: Organizational Development from Oklahoma State University, as well as earning a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a Master's in Multidisciplinary Studies, emphasizing Deaf Studies and Counseling, from Rochester Institute of Technology.Before his tenure at MasterWord, Cody held leadership positions with a prominent Video Relay Service provider and various interpreting agencies and served as the Region IV representative for the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. With over two decades of experience in the field, Cody has also contributed to the education of future interpreters as an adjunct professor in Interpreter Training Programs across Oklahoma and Texas. He has led numerous educational trainings on legal advocacy and strategies for effective communication, including Emergency Management Training and Medical Interpreting. Cody's expertise is further validated by his certification as a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

James Huang, MD

He/Him/HIS

Dr. James Huang is the Director of Student Health Service at Gallaudet University. His current work focuses on improving healthcare delivery to the deaf community. He completed the Social and Family Medicine Residency Program at Montefiore Medical Center, where he was also a chief resident. He is a Senior Atlantic Fellow, after completing the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity year-long fellowship at George Washington University in 2018. He is a former NHSC member and worked for over 10 years in an FQHC. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Huang is Vice President of the board of the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss (AMPHL) and a member of the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the AAFP. He is also a member of the DC Food Policy Council and co-chair of the Health and Nutrition working group. He lives in Washington DC with his husband, 2 sons, and their dog Heathrow.

Maryam Hussein

(she/her)

Maryam Hussein resides in the suburbs of Chicago, IL. She identifies as DeafDisabled and is a wheelchair user. She received an Associate's in Graphic Design at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf in 2013 and received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Visual Media with a minor of Print Media at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2016. Currently, she is a graduate student at Prescott School (online) majoring in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is working on a Post Grad Certification for Expressive Art Therapy.

Katie McCarthy, MBA, CPACC

(she/they series)

Katie McCarthy is the Outreach and Support Services Coordinator for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program within the Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement at Boston Children's Hospital. The outreach component extends care beyond the clinic with an emphasis on the whole child approach. Katie creates programming and networking opportunities for d/Deaf and hard of hearing children and their families to embrace a positive sense of identity and connect with peers with all types of hearing levels and communication modalities. Katie has presented the DHHP outreach model at statewide, nationwide and international conferences, bringing a much-needed perspective about supporting the whole child beyond the medical model. Katie also coordinates hospital-wide training workshops regarding accessible and inclusive patient care and contributes her expertise to various disability and accessibility-oriented committees. As a culturally and linguistically Deaf person, Katie is passionate about being a change agent for accessibility and belonging for all children and families.

Michael McKee, MD, MPH

(he/him/his)

Dr. Michael McKee is a Professor at the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan. He is a deaf family medicine physician, researcher and educator with extensive experience caring for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. He is an expert in communication and accessibility in health care.

Christa A. Moran NIC, M.Ed, CoreCHI-P

She/her/hers

Christa Moran is an ASL/English interpreter, trainer and supervisor in the Interpreter Services Department at the University of Michigan Hospital. She is a Certified Healthcare Interpreter (CoreCHI-P) through the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters and also holds NIC certification through the registry of Interpreter for the Deaf (RID). Christa combines her interpreting and teaching through the workshops and trainings she has developed for interpreters and staff, faculty and learners at Michigan Medicine. Additionally, she works to advance health equity and inclusion for patients with disabilities.

Nikki Moran

She/her/hers

Nikki Moran is the Chief Operations Officer for Heritage Interpreting. She resides in Takoma Park, MD, just outside Washington, DC. Her lifelong career path has been rich with experiences in honing her skills as a leader. She worked for a number of years in the education field, advocating for and supporting Deaf education, primarily with young children from birth through elementary age. After five years in the education field, she made the jump into corporate healthcare, working for a large corporate healthcare system as their Deaf/HH Communications Manager. She established robust accommodation services for five major hospitals, over 300 medical and specialist offices and their mental health services. Her tenure as the DHH Communications Manager included training medical professionals in appropriate approaches to working with interpreters and deaf/hard of hearing patients, working directly with Interpreting Agencies and Freelance interpreters to coordinate services, and overhauling the system's video remote interpreting services. In 2020, her desire for more depth and involvement with the Interpreting field, along with elevating her leadership skills, became stronger, and I left corporate healthcare to pursue a career working in the Interpreting Agency field. She joined Heritage Interpreting as the Operations Manager, and in 2023, took on the role of Chief Operations Officer for the company.

Emily Mudrick, BSN, RN, CPAN

(she/her/hers)

Emily Mudrick has been a registered nurse since 2010, and is currently certified and works in the adult recovery room at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY. In addition to nursing responsibilities, Emily is passionate about educating fellow employees about various communication needs of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population. Being deaf herself she feels it is beneficial information that staff and co-workers can utilize to improve their interactions with those with hearing loss, whether it'd be patients or co-workers. She has a rescue pup named Daphne, and a goofy cat named Chasey. Outside of work she enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and biking, and would pick the mountains over the beach any day!

Shawn Norris, Ed K-12, NIC, CoreCHI-P

He/Him/HIS

Shawn Norris is a healthcare language access leader, holding multiple key positions including President of the Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (FRID) and Commissioner for the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). With a background enriched by his Deaf parents, Shawn is an active advocate in the Deaf community. He’s spent over a decade in the interpreting field, mentoring emerging interpreters and founding a local agency to enhance language accessibility in Jacksonville. Currently, he’s developing Hello Interpreters, an online community for interpreters and translators and is the COO of AI Deaf. Shawn is one of the few practitioners to have held ADA Coordinator, Section 1557 Coordinator, and Interpreter Services Coordinator roles concurrently within a hospital system.

Kimberlee Pelkey, MSW, CoreCHI™, NHICS-A

(she/her/hers)

Kimberlee Pelkey is the Director of Interpreter Services for Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, part of Beth Israel Lahey Health in Burlington, Massachusetts. She earned her MSW from New York University, with post graduate studies in mental health and interpreting from Gallaudet University and a post-graduate Certificate in Diversity, Equity and inclusion from Cornell University. Kim is a clinically trained social worker, certified healthcare interpreter, and NH advanced-screened/licensed American Sign Language interpreter. After many years as a social worker providing counseling and advocacy for Deaf children and families in New York City, Kim transitioned her experience and skills into the field of healthcare, building systems to support language access and accessibility for diverse patient populations. Since 2013, she has lead Language Access/Interpreter Services Departments in hospital systems in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Kim’s career across both fields has inspired a passion to advocate for compassionate, effective, and accessible patient-centered care.

YASHAIRA "YASH" ROMILUS

SHE/HER/HERS

Yashaira “Yash” Romilus’ identifies herself as DeafBlind Latine Queer. Yash’s ethnic roots came from her parents who were born and raised in Puerto Rico. She brings to this world knowledge and experience that cannot be duplicated. Yash specializes in training and instruction in Protactile (PT) language. She has studied Social Work and Spanish at Gallaudet University. She has worked as a PT Education Specialist since 2016 on both national and international levels. Her work in various leadership and mentorship roles has allowed her to share her many accomplishments with others through education and outreach connections. She has experienced mentoring, advocating, educating, consulting and training DeafBlind youth/adults, families, professionals and interpreters. Her work has also been recognized as a PT trainer under DBII (DeafBlind Interpreting Institute) located at Western Oregon University. In addition, her work in PT theatre is a testament to her creativity and passion to work with the DeafBlind community.

William P. Rivers, PhD

He/Him/HIS

Dr. Bill Rivers has more than 25 years’ experience in culture and language for economic development and national security, with publications in second and third language acquisition research, proficiency assessment, program evaluation, and language policy development and advocacy. For eight years he led the Joint National Committee for Languages - National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) as their Executive Director. Prior to that, he served as Chief Scientist at Integrated Training Solutions, Inc., a small business in Arlington, Virginia, where he focused on strategic planning, management, and advanced technologies for language and culture programs in the public sector. In 2003, he was one of four co-founders of the Center for Advanced Study of Language at the University of Maryland. During his career, Dr. Rivers has also taught Russian (beginning through advanced), graduate courses in language policy, qualitative and quantitative methods, Russian linguistics, and second language acquisition at the University of Maryland and at several universities in Kazakhstan. He has worked as a freelance interpreter and translator.

Sarah Serralta, NIC

She/they

Sarah Serralta is a healthcare interpreter and Coordinator of Interpretation Services for Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL. She graduated from the University of South Florida’s interpreter training program and is currently a Reaching Out MBA Fellow at Case Western Reserve University. She is on the board of Northwestern’s Disability Championship Network, where she shares her passion for culturally responsive education and volunteerism within the disability community. She lives perpetually indebted to her trusted confidante; her 2-year-old rabbit named Mochi.

Kruti Parikh Shah, PharmD

She/her/hers

Dr. Kruti Shah is a clinical operations pharmacist with a focus area in psychiatry at RUSH University Medical Center, Chicago. Recognizing the significance of intersectionality in healthcare, Dr. Shah has spearheaded health system-wide initiatives aimed at fostering wellness and inclusion. She serves as a co-chair of the Pharmacy Wellness Committee at RUSH, and as a co-chair of the DEI committee of Illinois Council of Health Systems Pharmacists (ICHP). During the pandemic when medical masks became a barrier to lipreading, she advocated for clear masks to improve access to communication for employees, patients and visitors. As a former Disability Lead fellow, and a Public Voice Fellow, Dr. Shah utilizes her platform to raise awareness and promote disability affirming care. She is a guest co-host on the Docs with Disabilities podcast, where she elevates stories of pharmacy professionals with disabilities. She works tirelessly to make pharmacy profession equitable, diverse and inclusive.

Morgan Underwood, MS

She/her/hers

Morgan Underwood is the Manager for ASL Interpreter Services for Patient Care at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) in Rochester, NY. URMC is home to one of America’s largest ASL/Deaf interpreter programs specializing in healthcare as well as an active Deaf Patient and Family Advisory Council. Morgan is an American Sign Language interpreter with over 15 years of professional experience in various settings. She earned BS (American Sign Language- English Interpretation) and MS (Communication Media Technologies) degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology. She enjoys partnering with other language professionals and healthcare systems to develop strategies and best practices for excellence in healthcare interpreting and improved patient experience for the Deaf community.

RHONDA VOIGHT-CAMPBELL

She/her/hers

Rhonda is an adjunct faculty member at the Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf in the ASL and Interpreting Education Department. Specifically, she teaches undergraduate students the necessary skills to work effectively with DeafBlind people. Rhonda also has expertise in Protactile communication strategies and collaborates with many DeafBlind folks from all backgrounds and in different environments/platforms, such as retreats, through direct trainings and on listservs. Rhonda believes in the full inclusion of DeafBlind people by fostering fuller access to information through the sense of touch.

Jaime Wilson Ph.D., ABN, ABPP

He/Him/HIS

Dr. Wilson is a prescribing medical psychologist and board-certified neuropsychologist in full-time private practice inside and outside Washington State. He holds privileges at several area hospitals and has worked extensively with physicians, other healthcare providers, and forensic experts, providing neuropsychological evaluations across the U.S. The field of neuropsychology is dedicated to learning about and diagnosing conditions related to the brain and nervous system. As a Past President of the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses, Dr. Wilson also serves on the Diversity Council for the Society of Prescribing Psychology and as Chair of the Diversity Committee for the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology. Dr. Wilson has also published a book on the what, how, and why of dementia and the hearing loss tie-in. In Preserving the Etchings of the Mind, Dr. Wilson discusses how we can protect ourselves against the disease of dementia while maximizing the quality of our lives during the Golden Years. This book offers a rare and unique perspective into the world of dementia through the lens of hearing loss. The book can be found here: https://bit.ly/3XAJwAI

Mara Youdelman, J.D., LL.M.

She/her/hers

Mara Youdelman, J.D., LL.M. is the Managing Director, Federal Advocacy at the National Health Law Program’s Washington D.C. offices. Mara has worked at the National Health Law Program since 2000 on issues that include Medicaid & CHIP, the Affordable Care Act, language access, and civil rights (including Section 1557 and demographic data collection). Mara coordinates the National Health Law Program’s federal legislative and administrative work, leading the organization’s efforts at protecting and expanding access to and quality of health care for low-income and underserved populations. Mara also co-chairs The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ Health Care Task Force and its Policy & Enforcement Committee. Recognized as a national expert on language access in healthcare settings, Mara has written a number of reports and participated on expert advisory panels on the subject. Mara was named a 2010 Health Reform Champion by SHIRE (Summit Health Institute for Research and Education) and a 2011 NCIHC Language Access Champion. Mara also served as a Founding Commissioner for the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). In 2023, she rejoined CCHI as a Commissioner for a three-year term.