Board Members

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Board Members

Diana D. Bender, Ph.D. - President

Diana Bender is a graduate of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees in organic chemistry at the University of Munich, Munich, Germany. In her professional career she worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware, followed by 21 years as a research chemist and product manager at a Philadelphia area specialty chemicals company. She was first diagnosed with a progressive hearing loss at the age of 10 and received a cochlear implant in 2004. 

She has been a member of HLAA since 1995. She served as the chapter president of the Montgomery County, PA chapter from1997 until 2001 and has been the editor of that chapter’s newsletter since 1997. She has been a member of the HLA-PA Advisory Council since the state office originated in 2001 and has served as the state director of HLA-PA since 2004. From 2004 – 2006 she represented HLAA on the Courthouse Access Advisory Committee, a committee convened by the U.S. Access Board. She has served on several state advisory committees in Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the Gallaudet University Peer Mentoring Program. 

Committees:   Dr. Bender serves on the Executive Committee as well as the Strategy Planning Committee.

Margaret Wallhagen, Ph.D. - Vice President

Dr. Wallhagen is a Professor of Gerontological Nursing and a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner in the School of Nursing, University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She received her initial nursing degree from St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in New York, her Baccalaureate and Master’s degrees from UCSF, and her doctoral degree in nursing from the University of Washington in Seattle. Since joining the faculty at UCSF in 1988, she has taught gerontological nursing at both the masters and doctoral level, and works as a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner. 

Dr. Wallhagen has conducted a number of research projects in gerontology and chronic care management. Her research and publications focus on studies of: the experience of control in caregivers and in persons with diabetes; successful aging for persons with chronic conditions; self care and symptom management; cross cultural interventions to support family caregivers with dementia; and the impact of hearing impairment on older adults. She recently completed a four year longitudinal study of the experience of hearing impairment in older adults and their partners. In January 2006, Dr. Wallhagen became the Director of the UCSF/John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence as it entered its second five years of funding. 

Dr. Wallhagen was appointed to the HLAA Board of Trustees in June 2010. 

Committees:  Dr. Wallhagen serves on the Finance Committee. 

Michael H. Stone - Treasurer and Stone Family Representative

Michael H. Stone is employed by Donatelli Development. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Wheeling Jesuit, a master’s degree in International and Strategic Affairs from Georgetown University, a law degree from Antioch, and a L.L.M. in Securities Regulation from Georgetown University. He started his career on Capitol Hill as the legislative director to Representative James L. Oberstar (D-MN). He later became a Washington lobbyist representing Fortune 500 companies. He has worked as Deputy Counsel for the Federal Asset Disposition Association (renamed the Resolution Trust Corporation) which is a part of the administrative branch of government. In 1990 he entered private practice and co-founded Mobile Communications Holdings, Inc., which received a license to provide satellite-based telecommunications service. In 1995 he co-founded Eagle Eye, Inc., a company which provides satellite-based tracking services. He has also taught history at a private school and served as an advisor to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. 

Mr. Stone has written numerous book reviews for Best Sellers magazine, has been an adjunct professor of law at George Mason University and has served on numerous corporate boards of directors. As the Rocky Stone family representative to the Board he brings a unique historical perspective of the organization’s history and a passion for people with hearing loss to the board. In addition he also brings legal experience and problem-solving skills. 

He served on the first Board of the organization, then called Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH). He has served his current term since 2005. 

Committees:  As Treasurer, Mr. Stone serves as chair of the Finance Committee, and serves on the Executive, Strategy Planning, Nominating, and Rocky Stone Scholarship Committees.

Patricia Kricos, Ph.D. - Secretary

Patricia Kricos, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus in the field of audiology at the University of Florida. She graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with her bachelor degree, and obtained her master’s and Ph.D. degrees at Ohio State University. Her major clinical and research interests are in audiologic rehabilitation, especially for adults. Dr. Kricos taught at the University of Florida (UF) for 31 years and continues to conduct research and to oversee Living with Hearing Loss programs at UF. During her tenure as a professor of audiology at UF, she served for five years as the Director of the UF Center for Gerontological Studies. Prior to moving to Florida, she taught for five years at the University of Akron, and two years as an educational audiologist in Sarasota, Florida.

Dr. Kricos is past-president of the American Academy of Audiology and past-president of the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology, and she served as Chair of the American Board of Audiology Board of Governors. She serves on the Advisory Council of the Better Hearing Institute and the Ida Institute, and as professional advisor for the Hearing Loss Association of Florida Board of Trustees.

James J. DeCaro, Ph.D.

James DeCaro is a professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, one of eight colleges of Rochester Institute of Technology. He is the director of NTID’s Postsecondary Education Network-International (PEN-International), a multinational collaborative network of colleges and universities serving deaf students that is funded by more than $10 million in grants from The Nippon Foundation of Japan. DeCaro is also director of the NTID Center on Access Technology, a center that focuses on the application of innovative technologies to facilitate access to educational setting for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. 

Prior to holding these posts he served as dean of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf for 14 academic years; two of those years as interim director and CEO. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering and a Ph.D. in instructional technology. 

DeCaro has been a Rotary International Scholar at University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (England) and a Fulbright Senior Scholar at Orebro University (Sweden). He holds an honorary professorship at Tianjin University of Technology (China). DeCaro was also awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Bauman Moscow State Technical University (Russia). In 2008 he received the FESCO award of Japan for his service to humanity. 

Toni Iacolucci

Toni Iacolucci currently works part-time in donor services at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. She worked for several years as a social work administrator, supervising adolescent group facilities in New York City. As a second career, Ms. Iacolucci produced and managed non-profit dance companies and was a founding partner of Orbis Design Group, an event design company based in Manhattan. 

Toni joined the HLAA-Manhattan Chapter after becoming profoundly deaf in 2006. She has served on the Manhattan Chapter Planning and Advocacy Committees and was recently appointed NY Downstate Chapter Coordinator. She co-chaired the NYC Walk4Hearing for two years, and has served as team coordinator since the first NYC Walk in 2008. Toni has worked to bring CART to city agencies and captioning to outdoor film festivals in New York City.

Toni holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Adelphi University and a master’s degree in social work from Hunter College. She is also a graduate of the Gallaudet University Peer Mentoring program. 

She was elected to the HLAA Board of Trustees in March of 2012.

Jeannette E. Kanter

Jeannette E. Kanter has an M.S.S.S. from Boston University School of Social Work and has worked as a social worker and a marriage and family therapist. She coordinated a graduate program in Community Services at the University of Rochester supervising the field work component. In addition she served as coordinator for Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She is an active member of the HLA Rochester Chapter, having served on many committees and as secretary, vice president and president. Most recently she has organized and facilitated an HLAA Cochlear Implant Group which is a sub-group of the Rochester Chapter. She brings skills in the areas of advocacy, mental and physical health, education and cochlear implants to the board. 

For over 30 years, Ms. Kanter wore hearing aids, but in 2000 she received a cochlear implant which “gave me back my life.” She can now use the telephone, hear music, listen to the radio, but most importantly, she can hear her grandchildren and the birds. She still delights in hearing new sounds and considers the cochlear implant her most important miracle in recent years. She has been on the HLAA Board of Trustees since 2005. 

Committees:  Ms. Kanter serves on the Membership and Fund Raising Committees. 

Paul Lurie

Paul Lurie is an equity partner in the Chicago office of the law firm of Schiff Hardin LLP. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and its law school. He specializes in arbitration and mediation for the construction industry. He is involved in many local not-for-profit companies involved in the arts and has served roles such as general counsel and chair of capital campaign committees. He is past chair and current member of the Executive Committee of The Family Institute at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, a clinical and research institution specializing in issues of mental health of individuals in families. He is a trustee of the Foundation for Hearing and Speech Research in Chicago, an organization that supports pediatric cochlear implants. He is a long-time member of the Cochlear Corporation’s Consumer Advocate Panel. 

Mr. Lurie was responsible for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance of the FBI Washington, D.C., tour facility for people with communication disabilities, for landline telephone compliance of the Amtrak station in Springfield, IL, and for an assistive listening system in a local major performing arts facility. He brings to the board experience in advocacy, cochlear implants, hearing assistive technology, mental health and legal issues. He has been on the board since 2006. 

Committees:  Mr. Lurie serves as chair of the Fund Raising Committee as well as the Strategy Planning and Nominating Committees.

Nancy Peterson

Nancy Peterson is Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for AlliedBarton Security Services, a national security guard firm with more than 53,000 employees.  She has extensive experience in all aspects of transactional law with specific expertise in the negotiation of commercial agreements, compliance management and general corporate matters. 

Ms. Peterson previously served as General Counsel for a nationwide candy manufacturer and licensing company and as Assistant General Counsel for ARAMARK Corporation. Before commencing her work as an in-house lawyer, Ms. Peterson was an associate in the real estate department in one of Philadelphia’s largest law firms. 

Ms. Peterson received her law degree from Villanova University where upon graduation she received the Herman Schwartz Award (presented annually to the person in the graduating class who, in the opinions of the faculty, has contributed the most to the achievement of equality of opportunity and treatment for women). Ms. Peterson received her bachelor’s degree in History from Colorado College. In addition to her appointment to the HLAA Board of Trustees, Ms. Peterson has served on the Boards of The Please Touch Children’s Museum and Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech. She is also a member of The Forum of Executive Women and chairs its Forum Award Committee. Ms. Peterson has bilateral hearing aids, as do her two children and other family members. 

Ms. Peterson was nominated to the HLAA Board of Trustees in 2012.

James C. Saunders, Ph.D.

Dr. Saunders is Professor of Research Otolaryngology, Physiology and Neuroscience at the Perlman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.  He received his B.A. in Psychology from Ohio Wesleyan University; an M.A. in Experimental Psychology from Connecticut College; and  Ph.D. in Sensory Psychology from Princeton University in 1968.  He has held appointments at Monash University, Australia, and the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis.  In 1973 he joined the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Human Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and served as Director of Auditory Research until 2007. He serves on the Editorial Board of Hearing Research, and is a member of the Medical Advisory Board of the National Organization for Hearing Research and the Council of Scientific Trustees of the Hearing Health Foundation (formerly the Deafness Research Foundation).

Dr. Saunders has published extensively on topics in hearing research that range in scope from the mechanics of middle ear function, the consequences of exposure to intense sound, the structural organization and micro-mechanics of hair cell stereocilia, and most recently the properties of neural coding in the peripheral and central auditory pathways. Recognition of his research efforts includes the Claude Pepper for research excellence from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). 

 Dr. Saunders is currently a Professor Emeritus and lives outside Philadelphia. He was appointed to the HLAA Board of Trustees in November 2011.

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