Shana Ames is an ASL interpreter with more than two decades of experience serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. She graduated from the Interpreter Preparation Program (IPP) in 2000 and began her career working in higher education. She later spent over 10 years providing Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services while also maintaining an active freelance practice across a variety of settings. In 2022, Shana accepted a position with OSF HealthCare as their first-ever staff ASL interpreter. In this role, she supports a large and diverse healthcare system that includes 17 hospitals and more than 200 clinics—many located in rural areas throughout Illinois—helping to expand access to effective communication and equitable care.

Melissa is a Gallaudet-trained psychologist and clinical researcher who strives to provide accessible behavioral healthcare to members of the U.S. Deaf community. She founded DeafYES at UMass Chan Medical School in 2014, where she has continually provided outpatient therapy and conducted research on Deaf mental health.

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.

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.

As Associate Director of Language Accessibility under the Office of Civil Rights, Chris Bruce oversees translation, bilingual staff, technology, and accessibility programs across the enterprise. Previous Advocate Health roles over 21 years include Manager of Language Services and Sign Language Staff Interpreter. During his career Chris has expanded bilingual teammate initiatives, implemented organizational language compliance plans, and introduced technology solutions that improve real-time interpreter access, communication, and accessibility for surrounding communities. Chris has integrated language access into patient care workflows and strengthened a culture of equity throughout the organization by listening to patients and partnering with clinical, operational, and civil rights leaders. Chris’s duties are driving enterprise-wide initiatives to enhance patient experience, ensure compliance, and achieve health equity through innovative technology and process improvements.

Vonessa Costa is Operations Manager for Interpretation and Translation at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Previously, she served as Sr. Director of Quality and Member Engagement for the Health Care Interpreter Network, a collaborative of health systems sharing interpreter resources. Prior to that, Vonessa was Director of Multicultural Affairs and Patient Services at Cambridge Health Alliance, recognized as Massachusetts’ top hospital for Health Equity by the Lown Institute (2021). Earlier, she led the Cross Cultural Communication Institute at CCCS, Inc., specializing in interpreter training and provider education in language access. A CoreCHI-P™ credentialed interpreter with Portuguese proficiency, and CCHI Commissioner since 2020, Vonessa has also held leadership roles in IMIA, ATIF, and FOCIS. She has co-authored articles on improving care for minority language patients in leading journals and received the 2019 Tony Windsor Award for advocacy in medical interpreting. Vonessa is a graduate of the America’s Essential Hospitals Fellows Program.

Sheryl grew up amid the turbulent 1960s, witnessing riots and the fierce struggle for civil rights. At 13, she became deaf due to spinal meningitis. Her great aunt taught her the Old English two-handed alphabet, fostering her ability to communicate and igniting a lifelong passion for advocacy. At 22, Sheryl became the founding president of the National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) organization. In October 2023, she returned as NBDA’s president. Her advocacy took her to Chicago, where she served as Director of Social Services and Advocacy at the Chicago Hearing Society. Following that she moved to Michigan and created initiatives such as the Macomb School to Work program and the Deaf HEAL and Shield programs at Deaf C.A.N! She made history as the first Black Deaf woman to lead a state-mandated Deaf agency, directing Michigan’s Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She is the primary author Michigan’s original Sign Language interpreting regulations. A Gallaudet University alumna with a B.A. degree in Social Work and a M.A., in Rehabilitation Counseling from NYU, Sheryl now resides in Colorado, continuing her work as a Disability Community Equity and Engagement Specialist.

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.

Malvina Gregory is the Director of Interpreter & Cross-Cultural Services at MaineHealth. She is an award-winning advocate for language access and immigrants’ rights, with more than two decades of experience in cross-cultural work and language access. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the Boston University Medical and Legal Interpretation programs. She was at the forefront of the establishment of standards and training for spoken language medical and legal interpreters in the state of Maine, including the development the Southern Maine Community College Medical Interpreting Program and the Maine State Courts’ interpreting program. In 2003 she won the Maine People’s Alliance Rising Tide community organizing award for her work around immigrants’ rights and healthcare reform. In September 2023 she received the 2023 Special Commendation Award from the State of Maine Commission for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened, an award given to an individual, agency or business whose activities in and with the Deaf Community deserves recognition.

As a person who is Deaf, Scott understands the unique challenges faced by the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing community when accessing medical care. In his role as Manager, Language Services at Provincial Language Services (PLS), a program under Provincial Health Service Authority, he has worked hard to cement a relationship between PLS and the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing community. Prior to joining PLS, Scott was a health care interpreter for 10 years and worked on the frontlines alongside health care providers, administration, patients, and their families. By addressing language and communication access issues and barriers, Scott supports health authorities in developing equitable and accessible health care services for their linguistically and culturally diverse patients and clients, including immigrants, refugees, official minority language speakers and members of the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing community.

Sara Jodi serves as the Manager of Interpreter Services and Cross-Cultural Services at MaineHealth. She has been with the organization since 2014. She is a seasoned Medical Interpreter with an extensive background in the hospital and healthcare industry. Throughout her tenure, she has remained dedicated to bridging communication gaps and enhancing the quality of care for diverse patient populations.

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.

Rhys is a hard of hearing speech-language pathologist who lives at the intersection of many communities. Rhys’s work focuses on reducing access barriers for individuals and communities and working toward communication equity for all, and he’s thrilled to be part of the DeafYES team.

Laurie Monell is a Case Manager with the Utah Division of Services of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, where she has served for 14 years. She is a dedicated advocate for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals and brings extensive experience supporting access, services, and equity. Laurie is a graduate of Gallaudet University.

Holly Rioux is a Deaf social worker in New Hampshire who has been locally serving in social work and human services for over twenty years. Holly first worked in human services directly supporting individuals with developmental disabilities and later individuals with severe mental illnesses in the community. Holly is the former Director of Deaf Services and Language Access at Greater Nashua Mental Health. Since December 2023, Holly now serves as the Communication Access Administrator at NH Department of Health and Human Services. Throughout her career, Holly has worked with clinicians of various communication abilities and cultural backgrounds who are best able to serve their respective populations. Holly also enjoyed her experience as an adjunct professor teaching Sociocultural Perspectives on Deaf Culture, and Mental Health Interpreting at University of New Hampshire, and Micro Interventions in Social Work Practices with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Gallaudet University. Holly’s self-care activities include time spent with her partner and pups, being outdoors in warm weather and binging questionable doses of streaming television in the winter.

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.

Jessica Williams, MD is a NIDA T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Transdisciplinary Training in Addictions Research program and an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She serves as the lead psychiatrist for the BJC Behavioral Health Deaf Services Clinic, where she provides culturally and linguistically affirming mental and behavioral health care for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) individuals. Dr. Williams’s work centers on improving equity in mental health care and healthcare education for people with disabilities, with a particular focus on the D/HH community. Her research examines structural and data-driven contributors to health disparities and emphasizes the development, implementation, and evaluation of disability-inclusive clinical and educational interventions. She is actively involved in designing curricula aimed at strengthening clinician competence in Deaf mental health care and disability-inclusive practice across medical training programs. She has been invited to lecture nationally on disability-inclusive care, Deaf mental health, and accessible healthcare delivery. Through her clinical, educational, and research efforts, Dr. Williams is committed to advancing actionable strategies that improve mental and behavioral health outcomes for the D/HH community.

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