H&V Board of Directors

Cheryl DeConde Johnson, Ed.D

cdj1951 @ gmail.com

Cheryl Johnson is co-founder of Hands & Voices and currently an educational consultant and advocate for deaf and hard of hearing children through the ADE-vantage, Audiology-Deaf Education vantage. I support and facilitate initiatives in deaf education and systems improvement with states, nationally, and internationally. My special interests include promoting outcomes for all children who are deaf and hard of hearing, language and communication access, and family involvement.

Anita Dowd

Anita.Dowd @ ky.gov

Anita Dowd has been profoundly deaf since early childhood and is Mom to two DHH adult daughters. A certified ADA coordinator, she is also the Executive Director at the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the previous president of Kentucky Hands & Voices.

Janet DesGeorges

Executive Director

janet @ handsandvoices.org

Janet DesGeorges is a co-founder and is the current Executive Director of Hands & Voices since 2011. Janet is the mom of a now adult Deaf/Hard of Hearing daughter and has served as an advocate and parent representative in many systems, including EHDI, education, and community and national partnerships. She passionately Represents Hands & Voices philosophy and mission to the systems that serve families. Janet has a passion for leadership development so that H&V will continue support families for generations to come.

Tammy Breard, BA

tbreard @ cthandsandvoices.org

Tammy Breard is one of the founding members of Connecticut Hands & Voices. Over the past 12 years she has held various positions within the Chapter, to include Guide By Your Side Coordinator and President. She was also a Regional Coordinator for Hands & Voices HQ. Tammy has been involved in advocacy for families with children who are deaf/hard of hearing in Connecticut for the past 12 years. She is the proud mom of two young adult children, one HOH and the other profoundly deaf.

Rashaun Davis, D.Min

drrashaundavis @ gmail.com

Rashaun Davis is a 21st Century Advocate, Educator, and Strategist specializing in helping others maximize their potential so that they can maximize impact. A Multifaceted, strategic, and goal oriented professional with a passion for equity, Dr, Davis possesses over 20 years of experience working in training and development and leadership roles with varied populations. Dr. Davis considers himself a self-motivated, and energetic problem solver that places emphasis on inclusion, a drive for results, and leveraging innovation.

Tony

HQ Emeritas director

Tony is an involved dad, husband, and engineer. With his wife Jenny, they have two children: Their hearing son Austin and their Deaf daughter Dakota. Tony has a particularly strong passion for all children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing achieving Kindergarten Readiness and for those children to have the benefit of full family inclusion. Tony is the EHDI Family Leadership Award Winner 2024

Christine Yoshinaga-Itano, PhD

HQ Emeritas director

christie.yoshi @ colorado.edu

Harold Johnson, Ed.D

HQ Emeritas director

3hajohnson @ gmail.com

Dr. Harold Johnson, a former professor of special education at Michigan State University and Kent State University, has worked as a teacher, school administrator and university professor in the field of Deaf Education from 1971 until 2013. In 2006, Dr. Johnson initiated a nation-wide collaborative effort to understand, document, prevent and respond to the maltreatment of children with disabilities. This work included the collaborative development of the Hands & Voices O.U.R. Children Project and the 2018 CEC Policy on the Prevention of and Response to Maltreatment of children with disabilities.

Rick Hauan

HQ Emeritas director

Mr. Hauan has been involved in Deaf Education since the early 1990s. During his 30-plus year career, he built a statewide system of support for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in Washington state in his role as Executive Director/CEO for the Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth. Rick is committed to developing and growing local, state, and regional partnerships across in the United States designed to support children and families in educational settings. He has facilitated and co-facilitated several national groups including a group of professionals known as the Common Ground Project. Rick received his bachelor’s degree from Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD, master’s degree from Western Oregon University, and School Leadership and Administration Certificate from Western Washington University. He currently serves as Director Emeritus on the Board of Directors for Hands & Voices Headquarters. He is committed to working in partnership across a wide sector of the national community organizations to break down barriers for underserved communities and help children learn, grow, and thrive.

Leeanne Seaver, M.A.

HQ Emeritas director

lgs @ seavercreative.com

Leeanne Seaver M.A. is co-founder of Hands & Voices. She was its first executive director from 1996 to 2011 when it grew from a small parent group in Denver, Colorado, to the largest family support organization of its kind nationwide. The Seaver Vision Award was established in her name, and is presented annually to recipients who demonstrate outstanding, visionary leadership in the DHH field. She’s the proud mom of three young adults including Dane, her eldest, who is profoundly deaf.