Ms. Nina Coyer, Chair
Kentucky Association of the Deaf Representative

Nina Coyer was appointed by the Governor as a representative for the Kentucky Association of the Deaf (KAD). Ms. Coyer received her B.S. and MAeD from Eastern Kentucky University in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education. Formerly, Ms. Coyer was a teacher at the Kentucky School for the Deaf and presently is an Assistant Professor at her alma mater, EKU, in the Interpreter Training Program. Ms. Coyer was the first deaf professor to be tenured in the state of Kentucky. She was also appointed by the Governor to be one of the first board members for the Kentucky Licensure Board for Interpreters. Ms. Coyer's term will expire June 30, 2013.

 

Mr. David Bayersdorfer
Alexander Graham Bell Association Representative

David Bayersdorfer was appointed by the Governor to represent the Alexander Graham Association for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing. Born deaf, he received the necessary lipreading and mainstreaming skills during his early years and managed to mainstream exceptionally well. After graduating with a B.A. in Business Administration from Transylvania University, he has been employed at Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare for 20 years, most of them in Human Resources. After suffering further hearing loss, he decided to get a cochlear implant in 2002. He has been very pleased with the results as it seems his hearing levels may be better than his best years during high school. He continues to maintain the commitment of the oral option through his association with AG Bell. He is also member of Hearing Loss Association of America and is happy to assist those late deafened individuals with their issues through his organization.

 

Ms. Susan Brown
Kentucky Speech-Language Hearing Representative

Susan Brown received her MA in audiology from the University of Kansas Medical Center in 1990. She has been the audiologist and a lecturer in the areas of audiology and aural rehabilitation at Murray State University for ten years. Prior to coming to Murray, Ms. Brown worked as a rehabilitative audiologist for the Australian Hearing Services. Ms. Brown's term expires June 30, 2013.

 

Ms. Becky Bush
Parent Representative

Becky was selected by the Commission Board to serve as the Parent Representative. She has two daughters who are deaf, Makayla and Amanda. She graduated in May 2010 from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in Interpreter Training. She is currently a temporary licensed, freelance sign language interpreter working toward her national certification. She is a member of the National Association of the Deaf, Kentucky Association of the Deaf, Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, the Kentucky Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, as well as a former board member for the Kentucky Chapter of Hands and Voices serving as treasurer and secretary to the board. Becky is excited to be representing parents with children who are deaf and hard of hearing. She currently resides with her husband, Mike, and their children in Somerset, Kentucky.

 

Ms. Rebecca Crawford
AARP Representative

Rebecca Crawford was appointed by Governor Steve Beshear to represent AARP. She is a graduate of Georgetown College where she earned her BS degree. Later she graduated from the University of Kentucky, Elizabethtown campus, where she earned her Associate's Degree in Nursing. She is now retired after serving as a school nurse at the Bardstown City School for 25 years. After several rounds of hearing problems and surgeries, she now wears two hearing aids. She has been active in the Hearing Loss Association of America and was one of the leaders in the formation of the Kentucky Home Chapter of HLAA. Her term ends in June, 2013.

 

Ms. Marilyn Fenwick
Hearing Loss Association of America Representative

Marilyn Fenwick is from Springfield, Kentucky. She graduated from Fredericktown High School and Charm College of Cosmetology. Marilyn worked at Parkers, inc. in Springfield as a Quality Control Technician for 26 years. While at Parkers, she served a 4 year term as the local union President (International Paperworkers Union). Marilyn is presently retired and lives on a farm in Washington County where she enjoys flower gardening, fishing, swimming, four wheeler cruising, and helping attend to the beef cattle and horses. From her immediate family of five, four are hearing impaired. Over the years she has dealt with hearing loss in the work and home environments, in addition she has dealt with a child with hearing loss in the school system, she truly understands the challenges facing the hard of hearing.

Marilyn is a member of the Hearing Loss Association of America.

Member and past secretary of Hearing Loss Association of Kentuckiana, Louisville, Ky.

Leadership member of Kentucky Home Hearing Loss chapter in Bardstown, Ky.

Marilyn’s term on the commission expires July 1, 2013.

 

Dr. Patricia Freeman
Member At-Large

Dr. Patricia Freeman is a Member At-Large. She has been appointed by the Commission to serve until June 30, 2012. Dr. Freeman is the mother of two hard of hearing children. Dr. Freeman holds her doctorate in pharmacology and currently serves as a part-time faculty member at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing and as a community-based faculty member for the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.

 

Ms. Barbie Harris
Kentucky Association of the Deaf Representative

Barbie Harris was appointed by the Governor to be a representative on the KCDHH board for the Kentucky Association of the Deaf (KAD). Barbie was born in Amarillo, Texas and was a “foreign student” traveling around USA as her father was in the Navy during war times. Barbie graduated from Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, Ohio and she was the only deaf student in public school with no interpreting services at that time. After graduation she attended Gallaudet University where she first learned American Sign Language and about the Deaf Culture. She transferred to James Madison College in Harrodsburg, Virginia while her husband worked as a teacher at the Virginia School for the Deaf. She obtained a B.S. degree from James Madison College in Virginia and an M.S. in Arts Education from the University of Kentucky. Barbie, a 38 year veteran teacher at Kentucky School for the Deaf, loved teaching deaf and hard of hearing children of all ages in Art Education and ASL/Deaf Studies. She holds a Sign Language Proficiency Interview certification. Barbie is an avid artist who enjoys being involved with the KCDHH’s DeaFestival artist showcases. Not only was Barbie a teacher, but she also served as a Ky Chapter-Jr NAD Advisor, an SBG Advisor and the Miss Deaf Kentucky Ambassador Director. Barbie is also currently a member of the Kentucky Association of the Deaf, the National Association of the Deaf, KSDAA, GUAA, JMUAA and the Mini Deaf Olympics Board. Barbie is also a “history buff” who conducts genealogy research for KSD’s Jacobs Hall Museum. She is married to Archie P. Harris, co-founder of KCDHH, and they have 4 children (1 CODA and 3 Deaf) , 6 grandchildren with a 7th on the way. Her hobbies are traveling, camping, arts/crafts, and stained glass art.

 

Ms. Amy Hatzel
Kentucky Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Representative

Amy Hatzel has been an interpreter since 1991. During her 19-year career, she has served the deaf and hard of hearing community at the local, state and federal levels. Specific experience includes an internship with KCDHH, an appointment to one of the first boards of the Kentucky Licensure Board for Interpreters, and most recently, participating as the KYRID Representative to the Kentucky Board of Interpreters Policy Committee. She served two terms as KYRID Vice President before being elected President in the Spring of 2010. She holds NAD-V certification, a Bachelor’s degree in interpreting from EKU and a Master’s degree in special education from Georgetown College. She is currently employed as a special education teacher in Carter County, but also maintains an independent sign language practice. She resides near Ashland with her husband, Gerry, and their three daughters.

 

Mr. John Horsley
Kentucky Association of the Deaf Representative

John is a late-deafened adult who also has Meniere's disease. He moved from Kapolei, Hawaii to Lexington, KY in 1997 and currently works in the Project Management Office at Lexmark International, Inc. He is a Certified Project Manager (CPM) through Xavier University and George Washington University. He is expanding his horizons and is currently attending Indiana Wesleyan University pursuing a degree in Business. He and his wife, Becky, of 16 years have two children; Johnny and Dale. John is an avid fisherman and a sports enthusiast, particularly the Chicago White Sox. His quest and dream is to move the issues of Deaf and hard of hearing people to the forefront and to raise public awareness through the efforts of KCDHH. His term expires June 30, 2012.

 

Mr. Joseph U. Meyer
Education and Workforce Development

In his role as secretary of Kentucky’s Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, Joseph U. Meyer also serves as director of the Office of Educational Programs. His commitment to education goes back 26 years to his time as a state senator, local board member and attorney for local school districts.

Prior to his appointment as deputy secretary, Meyer served as senior policy advisor to Governor Steve Beshear. He previously worked in that role for state auditor Crit Luallen, where he played a substantive role in the preparation of “Kentucky Jails, A Financial Overview” and the auditor’s briefing report on the impact of rising college tuition.

Meyer has served as chief of staff for the chair of the House majority caucus and as general counsel and deputy director for the Kentucky Association of Counties. From 1979 to 2003, he practiced law, where he served as city attorney for the City of Bellevue and was general counsel for the Covington Board of Education and the Ludlow Board of Education.

As a state senator, Meyer represented Kentucky’s 23rd Senate District from 1989 to 1996. During that time he served as chair of the Senate Education Committee and Senate State and Local Government Committee. Meyer also represented the commonwealth’s 65th House District as a state representative from 1982 to 1988, where he chaired the House Cities Committee.

Currently a member of the Southern Regional Education Board, Meyer has served on many boards including the Education Commission of the States, the Kentucky Long Term Policy Research Center and the Covington Business Council.

A native of Covington, Meyer received his law degree from Northern Kentucky University, a master’s degree in urban affairs from St. Louis University and a bachelor’s degree from Bellarmine College. He has been married to his wife, Dale since 1974. They have four grown children.

In his “spare” time, Meyer acts as an international election monitor for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He has observed elections in Bosnia, Albania, Georgia and Tajikistan.

His term on the Commission is based on law and does not have an expiration date.

 

Ms. Michelle Niehaus
Program Administrator for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

Michelle Niehaus, LCSW is the Program Administrator for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) within the Division for Behavioral Health (DBH).  Through collaboration, training, advocacy, and outreach, she strives to create a linguistically and culturally affirmative system of mental health care in the state. Michelle previously worked as a therapist with Seven Counties Services, Inc. coordinating their mental health program and at Deaf Network in Indiana as a clinician.  She is currently the chair of the mental health Special Interest Section of ADARA.

 

Mr. Joe Scott
Service Provider Representative

Joe Scott is a Louisville native who now resides in Berea, KY. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 2006 from Eastern Kentucky University as a graduate of the Interpreter Training Program. He is a Rehabilitation Counselor of the Deaf with the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Joe completed his Master of Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Kentucky, is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and has experience with Deaf/Blindness in which he has served as a SSP/Interpreter for an individual in the Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board program of Connections for many years. Joe previously served individuals with significant disabilities while employed at Caritas Peace Center and Lifeskills Inc. He has a personal connection to the deaf community by way of his aunt, Dianna Scott, who is deaf. His personal experiences of growing up around his aunt and his extensive professional experience provide a strong foundation for understanding the issues and needs of the community. He was appointed to serve as the Service Provider Representative on the Commission effective July 1, 2010 and hopes to use his knowledge and skills to improve the services, access, and opportunities for the deaf community throughout Kentucky.

 

Ms. Sharon White
President of Kentucky Association of the Deaf

Sharon D. White was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois. Currently, she resides in Frankfort, KY. Her personal hobbies include playing bingo, relaxing at home, reading books, and spending time with her grandchildren. She is employed with the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) as an Administrative Assistant to the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services Branch. She is also the first Black Deaf President of the Kentucky Association of the Deaf (KAD). In addition, Sharon became the first Black Deaf Officer and Board Member of KAD when she became the organization's Secretary in 2003, a position she held until her election to the presidency in 2009. Sharon is also the Secretary for National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) and first became involved 2003 as part of her work with an interest group on the establishment of a new chapter of NBDA in Kentucky. Kentucky Black Deaf Advocates became the 31st chapter in 2005. Sharon was elected as the chapter’s first President. Prior to becoming NBDA Secretary in 2009, Sharon served for one year on the Board of Directors as the Midwestern Regional Representative and two years as an Alternate Midwestern Regional Representative.