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Joe Benedetto, Chair
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Denver, Colorado
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represents the Deaf Community
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Term expires June 30, 2010
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| Deacon Joe received his B.A. in Government from Gallaudet University in 1970 and his Master’s Degree in Deaf Education from McDaniel College (Western Maryland) in 1974. He considers it a great privilege and honor to have served the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community in a variety of professional and community service activities for close to 40 years. In addition to his wealth of experience, the most important qualification that he brings to the Commission is Heaven’s Gift of Deafness: one has to be Deaf to understand what it means to be Deaf. This personal experience of deafness has provided insight and inspiration for addressing issues and concerns facing our Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community. Deacon Joe is an ordained Roman Catholic Deacon for the Archdiocese of Denver, and is assigned to the Holy Cross Deaf Ministry Program in Thornton. |
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Debbie Mohney, Vice-Chair
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Boulder, Colorado
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represents the Hard of Hearing Community
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Term expires June 30, 2010
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Debbie has been hard of hearing all of her life, with a high frequency
hearing loss. She serves as the Colorado State Coordinator for Hearing Loss Association of America (formerly SHHH). As a liaison in Colorado for InsightCinema, she keeps moviegoers up to date on current open-captioned movie showings, and advocates for more theater locations and captioned showings. Hard of Hearing people face their own communication challenges, as many are not deaf or hearing, but somewhere in between. They need the best information they can get about hearing aids, cochlear implant technology, assistive listening devices, captioning, and the list go on. Debbie is a strong advocate for the hard of hearing, and she believes in educating all people about hearing loss, technology, access, and skills for living with hearing loss. |
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Shelly Strickfaden, Secretary
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Morrison, Colorado
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| represents the Parent Community |
Term expires June 30, 2012
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| Shelley Hanson Strickfaden lives in Morrison in the foothills of Colorado. Shelley has two sons; Evan is 6 and is Hard of Hearing, Birk is 4 and hearing. She began her journey when they discovered Evan’s hearing loss at six months of age and has since been absorbed in learning ASL, understanding ASL/English bilingualism, Deafblind services and technology and attending Deaf and Hard of Hearing preschools, programs and activities. She is currently the President of the Board of Directors of Hands & Voices Colorado, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing non-biased information and support to families with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. She is also involved with Rocky Mountain Deaf School as a parent coordinator and is an advocate for the rights of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. Ms. Strickfaden currently works as a Director for a consultancy firm based in Washington DC negotiating Hotel Contracts with Fortune 500 companies. She hopes to bring some of her business acumen to the commission. Her 'get it done' attitude and enlightened perspective as a parent have been a great asset to every activity she engages in. |
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NancyJean Eubanks
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Aurora, Colorado
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represents the Interpreter Community
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Term expires June 30, 2010
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| NancyJean received her interpreting training and graduated with honors from St. Petersburg College in 1996. She continued her education in Deaf Culture Studies and graduated Summa Cum Laude from North Central University in 1999. NancyJean has almost a decade of interpreting experience and currently works for the Cherry Creek School District. She is also an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God and is the pastor of Front Range Deaf Assembly. She is a firm believer in the value of education and has a strong commitment to excellence. She is pursuing her masters’ degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Colorado Christian University. |
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Jennifer Peterson
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Arvada, Colorado
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represents the Public
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Term Expires June 30, 2012
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Jennifer was a Vocational Rehabilitation counselor with the Division of Rehabilitation under the Department of Human Services and is currently working as a mental health therapist at the Mental Health Center of Denver. She has served on the Commission Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force, an important system-level advocacy effort that the Commission is embracing, and will remain in this capacity with the Implementation Team. Jennifer also serves as board president of Dove, which provides advocacy for abused deaf and hard of hearing women and children, in Denver. She graduated from Gallaudet University with a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling in 2004 and lives in Arvada.
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Leslie Ralphe
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Colorado Springs, Colorado
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represents the Late-Deafened Community
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Term expires June 30, 2012
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Leslie is an adjunct English professor at Pikes Peak Community College. Leslie holds a Bachelor Arts degree from the University of Virginia, a Masters of Fine Arts from Washington University in St. Louis, and an Associates degree from the Interpreter Preparation Program at Pikes Peak Community College.
She values her connections to the deaf and hard of hearing community in Colorado Springs. She also has the perspective of knowing the frustrations and challenges of communicating with a hearing loss due to developing Meniere's syndrome as a teenager. She and her husband, Greg, enjoy hiking with their dogs. They have two children, Amelia and Nathan, both at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
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Barbara Jenkins
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Centennial, Colorado
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represents the Professional Community
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Term Expires June 30, 2012
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Barbara is a board certified doctor of audiology and has over 20 years of experience working with hearing loss. She is involved with Sertoma and is a co-founder of Mexico’s first school for deaf children. The school has a USA affiliate program, The Tehuacan project, to provide funding for hearing aids and other supplies. She also works with the Coalition for the Homeless, heading the hearing program division of the health fair for homeless and needy children in Denver. She lives in Centennial and enjoys hiking, biking and roller blading. She has two grown daughters and a killer mini dachshund.
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