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, 2010.

 

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, 2010.

 

 

Ms. Cristal Collins
Parent Representative

Cristal Collins was appointed by the Commission to serve as Parent Representative effective July 1, 2005. She is the parent of a toddler daughter who has a mild to moderate hearing loss. Ms. Collins has been involved in the First Steps Program with her daughter, Morgan, since Morgan was eight months old. Ms. Collins is very proactive in learning about services for her daughter and in becoming involved in the programs and services for the deaf and hard of hearing in the state. She has recently joined the Support Network for Families with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. Ms. Collins will serve her term until June 30, 2011.

 

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.

 

 

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
Division of Mental Health Coordinator

Michelle Niehaus, LCSW is the Statewide Coordinator for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at the Division for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Addiction Services.  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.

 

Ms. Edie Ryan
Kentucky Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf

Edie Ryan is a native of Chicago, IL who now resides in Paducah, KY. She is a licensed interpreter certified by the National Association of the Deaf and has worked as an educational interpreter for the past 22 years. She also does private practice interpreting in the Western Kentucky area and is active in the Deaf community. Edie has served on the West Kentucky Deaf Alumni Board and mentors several interpreters in the state of Kentucky. Edie is currently President of the Kentucky Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

 

Mr. Ed Schickel
AARP Representative

Ed Schickel was appointed by the Governor as a representative for AARP to fill a term vacancy. A former Chemical Dependency Therapist who lost his job because of his hearing loss, Mr. Schickel has been active as an AARP volunteer in their 50+ Work Program. He also acts as a hearing loss resource for AARP and the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). As a volunteer for these professional organizations, Ed presents programs on hearing loss throughout Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio and also presents to Senior Centers, Social Workers and University Students across Kentucky. Ed’s hearing loss became significant in 1990 when he began wearing hearing aids and he received a cochlear implant in September of 2009. Currently Ed serves as Co-Chair of the Kentucky Assistive Technology Services (KATS) Network Advisory Board and also serves on the board of the Center for Accessible Living in Louisville. Mr. Schickel is a graduate of Indiana University, Xavier University and has attended the University of Louisville and Spalding University to obtain his Rank I and Chemical Dependency certifications. His term on the Commission expires June 30, 2011.

 

Joe Scott
Service Provider Representative

Joe Scott is a Louisville native who now resides in Berea, KY. He obtained a B.S. 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 is currently completing his studies in the Master’s of Rehabilitation Counseling Program at the University of Kentucky, is working toward his Certified Rehabilitation Counselor certification, and has experience with Deaf/Blindness as serving 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, Dianne 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.

 

Mr. Bob Stuckey
Hearing Loss Association of American Representative

Bob Stuckey is from Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. Stuckey graduated in 1972 with a B.A. Degree in Sociology from Gallaudet University. Mr. Stuckey was a former Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and an Outreach Coordinator for the Kentucky Relay Service. He currently serves as a Community Support Specialist for Rauch, Inc. Interpreting Service in New Albany, Indiana. Mr. Stuckey is a member of many organizations that serve the deaf and hard of hearing population in Kentucky including the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Kentucky Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Kentucky Association of the Deaf and a Kentucky Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America (formerly Self Help for Hard of Hearing), Black Deaf Advocates, National Association of the Deaf and Bluegrass American Sign Language Teacher's Association. Mr. Stuckey also teaches GED classes for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Mr. Stuckey's term will expire June 30, 2010.

 

Ms. Betty Timon
Kentucky Association of the Deaf Representative

Betty Timon, from Northern Kentucky, was appointed by the Governor for a three year term which ends on June 30, 2011. She has served on the Commission since June of 1995. She is an advocate for deaf and hard of hearing persons, and is also a member of a Kentucky Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America (formerly Self Help for the Hard of Hearing). Her service on the Boards of the Kentucky chapters of HLAA and AARP keeps her active and busy.

 

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.