Dr. Ashley R. Walker is a pharmacist, entrepreneur, and an advocate. Dr. Walker holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Bachelors of Science in Biotechnology from Rochester Institute of Technology. She has been a pharmacist for 9 years with experience in retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, home infusion pharmacy, and long-term care pharmacy. In addition to being a pharmacist, Dr. Walker brought to life a new dream when she established her business Med Max Consulting, LLC. Under this business, Dr. Walker can advocate for members of the deaf and hard of hearing community as well as offer medication counseling services to help this unique community maximize and optimize their medication therapy.

Aside from being a life coach, Diana Cho is an ASL tutor who helps people grow in both skill and confidence. She works with ASL learners, interpreting students and working professionals, aiming to support clear and confident communication. For hearing individuals, she keeps an eye on the link between confidence and inner sincerity in their signing, so their communication feels more natural and is better received within the Deaf community.

A Deaf-born Seattle native, Liz is a sonographer and clinical instructor with more than 25 years of field experience and an advocate of ASL signs that appropriately reflect STEM concepts. Liz’s other hats include university instructor at NTID, Director of Healthcare Mentoring with Deaf Hub, PhD scholar, and more!

Eric Epstein is an ASL consultant & educator whose work has been featured in the New York Times article “American Sign Language Reveals Wordplay Beyond Sound”. He has provided multiple nationwide ASL interpreter training programs through various nonprofits, school districts, and government offices. His groundbreaking research in advanced ASL can be found in the website Signplaying.com, which is currently being used as part of the ASL curriculum at various university courses.

Dr. Jaime Wilson is a Deaf prescribing medical psychologist and boardcertified neuropsychologist practicing across Washington State and beyond. With hospital privileges and collaborations with physicians, forensic experts, and allied professionals, he provides extensive neuropsychological insights for global care. He’s a recognized leader in inclusive practice, having served as Past President of the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss (AMPHL). He currently contributes to the Diversity Council of the Society of Prescribing Psychology and chairs the Diversity Committee at the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology. Dr. Wilson is the author of two heartfelt, empowering books:  Preserving the Etchings of the Mind offers an easy-to-read, hopeful guide to protecting the aging brain and safeguarding memory, especially in the context of hearing loss. With over 50 five-star reviews, it’s become a trusted resource for families and clinicians alike: https://amzn.to/3LHl8su  His newly released Bridge of Time: Caregivers & Care Receivers with Hearing Loss in Alzheimer’s & Dementia is a tender roadmap for navigating memory loss and hearing loss with compassion—available now: https://amzn.to/414duQO Born with a profound hearing loss, Dr. Wilson grew up using bilateral hearing aids and primarily communicated using spoken language, although he is also fluent in American Sign Language. He resides in Olympia, WA, with his equally Deaf wife (an RN), their three children, and their spirited King Charles Spaniel, Pepper Jack. Discover more about his work, connect online, or explore his books at www.WilsonClinical.com or via your favorite social media channels: https://linktr.ee/dr_wilson

Jeremy Quiroga is an accomplished professional who channels his passion for life and American Sign Language (ASL) through national workshops and performances. Beginning his career as a medical interpreter, Jeremy became the first staff Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) for the University of Rochester Medical Center, marking a pivotal moment that steered his focus toward medical interpreting. With exceptional ASL mastery and a wealth of life experience, Jeremy delivers dynamic interpreter workshops equipped with a wide array of tools tailored for diverse interpreting settings. Currently, he works as a Video Remote Interpreter (VRI) specializing in the medical field. Outside of work, Jeremy enjoys cooking, hiking, and gardening, pursuits that reflect his zest for creativity and connection with nature.

Kellynette Gomez brings extensive experience as a social worker, advocate, educator, and community leader, with a focus on advancing community collective care, communication access, and equity for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. She is an adult service navigator with the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH), where she supports clients navigating complex legal, family, social, economic, behavioral, and mental health challenges. In addition to her full-time role at MCDHH, she also serves as an adjunct professor of social work at Gallaudet University. Her career spans direct client services, systems advocacy, and organizational development, with leadership roles that include consulting with Innivee Strategies and serving on nonprofit boards. She is also the founder of the Deaf Job Seeker Network, a Facebook community of over 9,000 members that advances equity through resources, job opportunities, and peer support.

Leslie Pertz began her professional career as an HR manager, recruiter and regional trainer for a big box retail store, then shifted to learning American Sign Language and worked for many years as a nationally certified freelance ASL-English interpreter; primarily specializing in medical and mental health, and post-secondary interpreting, some days getting to meet Barack Obama or His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and other days working with a student in-training veterinarian around horses in a horse barn. She then attended graduate school in social work at Michigan State University, and later worked in hospital/medical settings including NICU, labor/delivery, pediatrics, inpatient rehabilitation, ICU, dialysis, and primary care. She worked for many years at University of Michigan Health- Michigan Medicine and helped start the Deaf Health Clinic at that institution. She has been in private practice since 2016 and specializes in reproductive psychotherapy, and is a certified perinatal mental health clinician through Postpartum Support International. Leslie’s current clinical focus is primarily on women and birth givers who have experienced birth trauma, pregnancy/ infant loss, infertility, and postpartum anxiety. She additionally sees people who are in recovery from substance abuse, and complex trauma. Leslie is building to open her own group psychotherapy practice that will incorporate somatic and adjunct healing modalities, she is a reiki master, and a RYT-200 yoga instructor. Leslie enjoys consulting and teaching both interpreters and mental health professionals about working together in that realm and has presented locally, and at state, national, and international conferences, and has consulted with professionals around the world. Leslie lives with her spouse and two bichon frises (Alexis Rose and Keeley Jones) in Ann Arbor, MI, and when she is not working she enjoys cross stitching, being at Lake Michigan, cross country skiing, and binging any serialized television available.

Nigel Howard is an instructor at the University of Victoria in the Department of Linguistics. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Linguistics. At Douglas College, he had worked in the Program of Sign Language Interpretation (INTR), and Child, Family and Community Studies (CFCS) for 25 years. Nigel has been an interpreter for nearly 30 years in various settings such as medical, mental health, legal, theatre, community, and conference/workshops locally, nationally, and internationally. He is an Accredited International Sign Interpreter under the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI), and is also part of the United Nations team of International Sign interpreters and interprets media. Broadcasting and translating are his forte. Nigel advocates for Deaf communities locally in British Columbia, nationally across Canada and globally around the world in human rights, accessibility, signed languages, and Deaf culture. Such examples are being Vice President of the BC Deaf Community Foundation (DCF) and former executive board member of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI). He provides consultations, educational workshops/training and presentations to various governments and organisations/associations to enhance better understanding, appreciation and awareness of Deaf culture and its signed language. It is a big part of his role as advocate, educator, and motivator. Such examples are “Global Diversity in Deaf Culture”, and “Enculturation and Acculturation: Deaf and Hearing Worlds/Spaces”. Nigel was also part of the Editorial board for the International Journal of Interpreter Editor (for over 10 years).

Trenton Marsh has been a communicator since he was knee high to a short chihuahua. Born to deaf parents and deaf siblings, he grew up attending the California School for the Deaf in both Berkeley and Fremont. After a year and a half at NTID majoring in Art, he went back West as a young man. His long and winding journey led him to Salt Lake City, Utah where he got his Deaf Interpreting certification and started interpreting and mentoring in the mid 2000s. Trenton has interpreted in a wide variety of settings and has specialized in medical interpreting over the past two years. He still lives in Salt Lake City with his wife Bonnie and two COCA-CODA kids, Madi and Rider.