Directory
The MCDHH Board is comprised of Advisory Council Representatives and At-Large Members. Advisory Council Representatives are selected from the 8 statewide Advisory Councils that advise the Department of Human Services Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division. At-large Members can be selected from any area of Minnesota. All MCDHH Board Members bring the concerns of their communities to MCDHH and help to communicate the work that MCDHH is doing back home.
Advisory Council Members
Advisory Council Representatives are selected from the 8 statewide Advisory Councils that advise the Department of Human Services Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division.
Adrienne Haugen
Region: West Central
Email
Ade Haugen is a severely hard of hearing and blind person, who has a guide dog named Abbey. Together Ade and Abbey visit different schools, nursing homes, and state organizations to talk about deafness, blindness, and deafblindness. Ade is also a member and past trustee of the Minnesota Deafblind Association (MDBA). Ade is a dedicated volunteer and leader for the rights and needs of deafblind people in Minnesota.
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Jack Bender
Region: North East
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Dave Kyler
Region: Upper North West
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Liz McDevitt
Region: Metro
Email
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Toni Fairbanks, Executive Committee
Region: North West
Email
Toni was born deaf, grew up in Texas, graduated from college in New York, was both a bank and a law firm worker, and then she decided to became a Minnesotan. Now she is busy being an SSP for deafblind people, a mentor for deaf kids, a college level ASL teacher, and being a sign language mentor for both teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing and interpreters. She lives in northwestern Minnesota with her deaf husband, Clay, her three children (one set of twins), and five horses. Toni joined MCDHH to have a better experience with the government.
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Amy Deneen
Region: South East
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I have an Associates degree from Inver Hills Community College with an emphasis in Human Services, and a BA from the College of St. Catherine in Occupational Therapy. I am the parent of a son with a hearing loss. I work part time for Fairview Red Wing Health Services as an OT, and am the South East Minnesota Parent Guide for MN Hands and Voices/Lifetrack Resources.
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Jill Rohman
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Jill Rohman, South West Advisory Council Representitive
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Region: South West
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Jill has been working in the deaf/hard of hearing field for 16 years. She graduated from Augustana College with a degree in Deaf Education and Elementary Education. She is currently a regional consultant for SW/WC Service Cooperative, serving deaf/hard of hearing students in Southwest Minnesota. She also serves on the MN DeafBlind Network, MN DHH Network, and her regional Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Team. In the past, she worked for the New London-Spicer School District as a Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Jill lives in Spicer with her husband Alan, and three children, Mya, Emma, and Gabe.
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At-Large Members
At-large Members can be selected from any area of Minnesota.
Monique Hammond, Executive Committee
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Monique Hammond
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Email
Monique Hammond was born and raised in Luxembourg, Europe. She studied Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota and graduated with High Distinction. She is married and has one daughter.
Currently, Monique is a pharmacist at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. She has worked in health care for over thirty years. Her major priorities have always been health education and disease prevention.
Monique entered the world of the hearing disabled in Fall 2005 when – in a matter of four hours – she went totally deaf in her left ear. In no time at all, life had changed forever!
Looking for a support group, she joined the Twin Cities’ Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America ( HLAA TC). There she learned from a very inspiring speaker about the political ramifications that affect the deafblind and the hearing disabled. This was the start of a new calling! Monique has since become HLAA TC Vice President.
Her quest and dream are to move the issues of the deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing to the forefront and to raise public awareness. There is so much to do, so little time!
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Elise Knopf, Chair
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Elise Knopf is the Director of PEPNet Midwest. In the past Elise worked as the Program Coordinator for the Minnesota Employment Center for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (MEC), with Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, CSD of Minnesota, and for the Massachusetts Commission of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Elise has a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Gallaudet University and a Bachelor’s degree in History from Cornell College in Iowa.
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Kim Wassenaar
Email
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Patti Morelli Teachout, Vice Chair
Email
Patti Morelli Teachout is married, has two sons, and is an occupational therapist. Patti’s youngest son is hard of hearing and uses hearing aids. When Patti’s insurance company would not pay for her son’s hearing aids, Patti became involved in the deaf and hard of hearing community. Patti and other parents fought to make insurance companies in Minnesota pay for hearing aids for children who are born deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind; the parents won.
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Dr. Susan Rose
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Vacancies
There are three vacancies on the board.
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Ex Officio
Bruce Hodek
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Bruce Hodek
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For 23 years Bruce Hodek has worked for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS) with a master’s degree in Deafness Rehabilitation from New York University, a bachelor degree in Vocational Rehabilitation from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and a certificate in the administration of Deafness Rehabilitation from San Diego State University. Bruce is now division director of DHHS and is married to Jan Radatz. On nights and weekends Bruce and Jan are either busy with maintaining their yard, keeping up with their 3 children, or chasing after their one year old yellow lab.
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Staff
Mary Hartnett, Executive Director
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Mary Hartnett, Executive Director
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For over 30 years Mary Hartnett has worked with the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind communities in many different roles. Mary has been an educational sign language interpreter, a freelance sign language interpreter, a lobbyist, a community organizer and an executive director of three different nonprofit agencies. Mary has received awards from the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens, The Minnesota DeafBlind Association, the Ramsey County Bar Association, The Dispute Resolution Center, Lifetrack Resources, the Public Policy Award for Age and Disability from the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Antonia Branca Award for Excellence in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention from the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management and the Center for Disease Control.
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Cynthia Weitzel, Public Policy Coordinator
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Our Public Policy & Civic Engagement Coordinator, Cynthia
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Cynthia Weitzel is Public Policy & Civic Engagement Coordinator for the Minnesota Commission Serving Deaf & Hard of Hearing People. She was born hard of hearing to Deaf parents. With progressive hearing loss, she later became Deaf herself during her high school years. Cynthia attended Gallaudet University and traveled the country extensively before embarking on a 15-year career as counselor, advocate, consultant, trainer and program manager in the non-profit sector serving the deaf and hard of hearing community – both in Minnesota and Tennessee. She also attended the University of Minnesota and Austin Peay State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business management and fine art. Cynthia believes the best solution towards influencing change is team work – relationship building is key. While one person can make a difference; an entire community can make history.
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Jamie Taylor, Civic Engagement & Access Specialist
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Jamie Taylor, Civic Engagement & Access Specialist
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Email
A Minnesota native by heart, Jamie was born deafblind to hearing parents.
Later she would attend the University of Minnesota, earning a bachelor’s degree in Deaf Studies. She has travelled extensively in the US and abroad as an ambassador, access specialist, mentor, and lecturer at several professional conferences and workshops on a variety of subjects ranging from communication methodology to the psychological importance of support groups in the lives of young adults with deafblindness.
Currently, in addition to her continued involvement on behalf of the deafblind community, she is finishing up her master’s degree in Deaf Education at the University of Minnesota and working as Civic Engagement and Access Specialist for MCDHH. Jamie hopes to strenthen Minnesota’s deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing community and increase their civic participation.
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