2010 Board of Directors

Linda Drattell, President

"We know what we are, but know not what we may be." -- William Shakespeare

Linda is a member of ALDA-San Jose and has previously served on the ALDA Board of Directors as President-Elect and as Region IV Director. She has served on various ALDA committees, including the International, Advocacy, and ALDAcon 2008 Program Committees. She works for the Deaf Counseling, Advocacy and Referral Agency (DCARA) as their Hard of Hearing/Late-Deafened Support Specialist in San Leandro, California. She is also a volunteer advocate, serving on the Disability Rights California PAIMI Council and on the BART Accessibility Task Force. Linda holds a Masters degree in business administration and a Bachelors degree in social work. She is married with two grown children.

Cynthia Amerman –  President Elect

[We] “Who are only undefeated/Because we have gone on trying…” T.S.Eliot

Cynthia currently serves as Group Leader for ALDA-Sonora in Arizona. She is a co-founder and Past President of ALDA-Garden State and represented late-deafened people on the New Jersey Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advisory Council. A member of ALDA’s International Committee, Cynthia has worked to create ties between the Guatemalan and US deaf/of hearing communities.  She served as Newcomer Chair for the 2009 convention in Seattle. Recently she became a Board Member of ALOHA, the Adult Loss of Hearing Association, in Tucson.

Cynthia earned an M.Litt. degree from Drew University and a Master of Social Work from Gallaudet and taught English, Spanish and Creative Writing for many years.  In Arizona, she and her husband share a house they are renovating with their daughter and granddaughter.  In New Jersey, Cynthia represented late-deafened people on the Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advisory Council.  Later, she earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Gallaudet University, interning in Guatemala and connecting people with hearing loss there to US deaf and hard of hearing communities.  She recently joined the Board of the Adult Loss of Hearing Association in Tucson, where she and her family have lived for two years.

Kathy Schlueter, Past President

Kathy’s Motto: “Lift Your Wings and Soar”

Kathy Schlueter is an advocate for hard of hearing and late-deafened people. She has a profound hereditary hearing loss. Formerly a client of the Center, the supportive staff there gave Kathy confidence to use her talents to benefit other people with hearing loss. She joined ALDA in 1988, where she now serves as Chapter/Group Coordinator, manages the ALDA, Inc. Web site content, and works as ALDAcon 2010 Planning Co-Chair and as President of ALDA-Rock in Rockford, Illinois.

Kathy has received the Bob Hawley Fearless Leader Award, the President’s Special Recognition Award, and the prestigious I. King Jordan Award. Quota International recognized her as Deaf Woman of the Year. She received the President of Lions International’s Certificate of Appreciation, as well as becoming the first late-deafened woman President of the Dakota Lions Club. Kathy now serves the Dakota Lions Club as Secretary. In addition, she was the recipient of the Voices, Women of Excellence Award. Kathy also serves as Secretary/Treasurer and is head of Public Relations for the National Snowmobile Racing Association. She continues to promote deaf awareness in her surrounding communities with presentations about late-deafness, her life, and ALDA.

  
 Brenda Estes – Secretary

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. "Author unknown 

 Brenda Estes is the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Outreach Coordinator at the Endependence Center, Inc in Norfolk, Virginia. She previously served as SHHH Youth Mentor, Past President of HLA-Virginia Beach, Past President of ALDA-Potomac, established an International Deaf Exchange Program between her office and Salford, England (2000-2007) and represented ALDA on the Virginia Relay Advisory Council (2001-2008). Due to Menieres Disease and history of measles and meningitis, she has bilateral profound hearing loss and wears a Phonak hearing aid in the left ear and utilizes total communication. Brenda has one son, two grand children and a hearing dog, “Calvin”.

Vaughn Shaw- Treasurer

“It’s not important what we accomplish in life, but what we overcome.”  (Johnny Miller/golfer)

Vaughn Shaw is the Chief Financial Officer for a small manufacturing company he co-founded 25 years ago in northern California. Previous to that he served as CFO or treasurer with several large firms in the securities industry. He has been a member of ALDA, Inc. off and on since 1989 as well as a longtime member of a California chapter of ALDA, Inc. that is no longer active. He attributes ALDA for helping him recover from one of his most serious challenges in life – his loss of hearing.

Vaughn wishes to thank the ALDA community for electing him Treasurer and will do his utmost to serve to the best of his abilities.

Matthew Ferrara –   Region Director 1

Matthew’s Motto:  “If you don't succeed at first, try the outfield.”

Matt has been involved with ALDA since 1992. He serves as ALDA Board Treasurer for more than nine years and served previously as Region I Director.

Matt has also been the Business Manager/Treasurer for seven ALDAcons (From 2001 to 2007) and as Co-Business Manager for ALDAcons 2008 to 2010.

He has also served on the ALDA-Boston Board of Directors as Member-at-large, Treasurer and Vice President

Matt is the Treasurer of the Home Owners Association where he lives.

He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1961. He is retired from Partners Healthcare Systems (Massachusetts General Hospital) where he was the Manager of IBM Financial Systems.

Matt is hard of hearing and depends on his two hearing aids. He is married to his wife Helen for fourteen years. They have five children and nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Matt is looking forward to being back on the Board as Regional I Director

Marsha Kopp– Region Director 2  Mark edit this one too please

“Every great achievement was once considered impossible”  Unknown

Marsha Kopp joined ALDA-Chicago and ALDA, Inc. in 2003. Currently, she is serving her second year as President of ALDA-Chicago. She has previously served ALDA-Chicago as Vice President, Treasurer and as a committee member for two ALDA-Chicago mini-cons. She helped promote neighborhood support groups for newly joined members. She is an advocate for Hearing Aids Action in the State of Illinois and captioning at theaters in the Chicago area. As a strong advocate for membership growth, she participated in five exhibits for ALDA-Chicago in the past two years. For seven years she served on the Board of Directors of the Progress Center for Independent Living where she was involved with fundraising activities. She served as Silent Auction Chair for two years. “With my broad experience with different nonprofit organizations, I am honored to be your Region II Director.”

Dave Litman – Region Director 3

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” --Margaret Mead

Dave Litman became deaf at the age of 26 from Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2). At the age of 28, Dave went back to college and received his BA in Deaf Studies/Child Psychology and his Masters in Social Work. Presently, Dave lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He works as a mental health counselor, primarily with deaf children and adolescents and their families. When Dave is not working, he enjoys reading, working out, and hiking. Dave is excited at the opportunity to serve you as Region III Director and looks forward to working with fellow Board members to help ALDA continue to grow.

 Michelle Lewis –   Region Director 4

Motto - "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift: that's why its called 'the present'" - Eleanor Roosevelt

Michelle Lewis is an Arizona native who is proud to be a co-founder of the new ALDA-Sonora chapter. She also serves on the Disability Advisory Commission for the city council where she resides. Recently she was asked to teach a two hour deaf awareness class to city employees that was taped and broadcast to the entire city. It is also being used as an educational tool for businesses and for residents who want to learn more about deafness. Michelle has worked for a nonprofit sport horse registry for the past ten years. Before losing her hearing because of NF2, she worked for ten years in the field of developmental disabilities. Michelle attended the Phoenix College Liberal Arts program while focusing on being the only deaf student in their interpreter training program (which is one of the few such programs offered at a community college in the US). She currently spends much of her time raising her two-year-old son Patrick along with her husband of 13 years. She also shares her home with her eight-year-old Chihuahua, a certified hearing dog that Michelle trained herself with help from the great people at Handi-Dogs. In November of 2009 Michelle was given an award by Hamilton Relay for her advocacy efforts in the deaf and hard of hearing communities.