Leadership

Dr. Glenn-Smith is President and CEO for The Learning Center for the Deaf. Dr. Glenn-Smith was appointed to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women by Senate President Karen Spilka in 2020, where she served as Treasurer before being elected Chairwoman, a role she held from 2022 to 2024. She went on to serve as the Commission's Secretary of Legislative and Public Policy before concluding her service on the Commission.

Prior to joining TLC, Dr. Glenn-Smith worked for Kaleida Health, the largest healthcare system in Western New York, as both CEO for their joint radiology venture and, later, as President of Ambulatory Services. Applying her passion for education, she worked for six years at PLS 3rd Learning, an international education technology company, as Chief Operating Officer, bringing extensive experience in the conception, development, and execution of strategic and tactical financial, organizational, and development initiatives. Dr. Glenn-Smith has also held the roles of Chief Administrative Officer for the healthcare management group Exigence, and Executive Director of Deaf Adult Services in Buffalo, New York.

Dr. Glenn-Smith grew up in Southern California, earned her Executive Master's Degree in Business Administration at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and both a Master's and Doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Karen is a passionate lifelong learner and dedicated professional committed to growth and development. She holds a Master’s degree in Education from Boston University and a Certificate of Leadership from Suffolk University. Recently, she completed the ICF-accredited Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching at William James College. Additionally, Karen is a proud Institute of Coaching member and has completed the Dare to Lead© training and the Transformational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate Program. 

With over thirty years of experience in executive leadership and leadership coaching, Karen is known for her empathetic listening and deep understanding of individuals within complex organizational systems. She has notably served in several leadership roles at Walden School, where she led transformative change by fostering personal growth and organizational development before becoming TLC’s Chief Operating Officer.

As Chief Operating Officer, Karen oversees daily operations and is recognized for her expertise in building and optimizing sustainable infrastructure. She specializes in process development to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. Karen is also a Board Member of the Massachusetts Association of Approved Private Schools.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Karen is an avid reader, enjoys cooking, kayaking, and meditating, and cherishes spending time with her family. She also does private leadership coaching.

Karen obtained her Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Capella University and SHRM-CP certification. She most recently worked as a Human Resource Manager at Unicorr Packaging Group, where she led labor and employee relations, payroll operations, HRIS administration, and training initiatives. 

Her prior experience spans HR business partner roles at Kimball Physics, US Venture, and MetroWest Medical Center, along with a field HR generalist position at Van Pool Transportation. 

Gagne's career has centered on organizational development and change management, including leading multi-state HRIS system transitions (UKG to Workday, Ceridian Dayforce implementation), building compensation and pay-equity structures, and designing employee engagement and onboarding programs across distribution centers, healthcare facilities, and manufacturing sites in New England.

Mike is a doctoral student at Boston University studying Language and Literacy, with extensive experience in deaf education, teacher preparation, and curriculum development.

He previously taught mathematics at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf at Gallaudet University and has served as an instructor and research assistant at Boston University.

Michael is also a founding partner of Hands Land, where he developed a 40-week curriculum used in schools for the deaf nationwide. His work focuses on strengthening bilingual education, instructional practice, and language development for deaf learners.

Toni received her master’s degree in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University and has 40 years of experience working in the fields of nonprofit organizations, literacy, classroom management, education reform and lesson planning.  She was an Elementary Principal for 25 years prior to moving into a senior leadership role and is currently our Director of Educational Services.  Toni is responsible for supporting TLC’s educational leaders and academic programs.  She is also responsible for TLC’s Educational Compliance through the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

David is from Philadelphia, PA, and graduated from Northeastern University. He received his Master’s degree in Sports Management from Springfield College.

He most recently worked at the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in Hartford, Conn., as Director of Student Life. Prior to working at ASD, David spent 10 years at TLC, starting as a dorm supervisor, and rising all the way to Director of After School and Athletic Programs.

In his spare time, David enjoys coaching his daughters' soccer and basketball teams, and traveling.

Kristin received her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and is a graduate of Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

Kristin began her career as a direct care staff member at a residential treatment program, working closely with students and gaining firsthand insight into the daily experiences and needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. She later became a Behavior Management Specialist, where she further developed her experience in staff supervision and supporting students with mental health, behavioral, and autism-related needs. She then moved into leadership, serving as Director of Student Life before becoming Director of Walden School. Throughout her career, she has gained experience overseeing residential programs, working closely with clinical teams, managing conflict, responding to crises, and working with DCF licensing and other outside agencies. These experiences continue to shape her approach to leadership today.

As Director of Walden School, Kristin oversees the full scope of the program, including clinical and residential services and daily programming. She works to ensure these areas function cohesively so that students receive consistent and coordinated support throughout their experience at Walden. Her leadership approach emphasizes collaboration, communication, and maintaining a safe, structured, and supportive environment for both students and staff.

Kristin is a proud alumna of The Learning Center and returned to the organization after building her career working in residential treatment and behavioral support. Outside of work, she enjoys playing pickleball and traveling.

Dr. Colón received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, with a certificate in Latin American Studies, and was awarded her Master of Science and Doctor of Audiology degree from Gallaudet University. Dr. Colón had previously completed her last year of doctoral practicum at the world renowned Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her passion is hearing healthcare as well as rehabilitative measures, including hearing aids and cochlear implants. She is a strong advocate of equity and access of healthcare services for marginalized and immigrant populations, spearheading the credentialing of the TLC Audiology Clinic for MassHealth services soon after her arrival in 2019. Dr. Colón has her certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and is fluent in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language.

Elisa began her career as a teacher of the Deaf, teaching English, where she saw firsthand that students could not thrive academically if their emotional and mental health needs went unmet. That realization redirected her path: she left the classroom to pursue a Master's degree in Counseling, training in trauma-informed care, family systems, and strengths-based approaches designed to empower — not dictate to — the children and families she serves.

Elisa joined Walden Community Services (WCS) as an intern in 2015 and never looked back, falling in love with both the organization's mission and New England itself. Since coming on board full-time in 2016, she has risen from Intensive Care Coordinator and In-Home Therapist to Clinical Director and now Director of WCS. Throughout that journey, she has become a passionate advocate for community-centered care, championing the idea that lasting change happens when families are supported within — and by — their own communities.

Elisa is a licensed Mental Health Therapist in Massachusetts and has trained clinical professionals extensively in trauma-informed care. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Our Deaf Survivor Center (ODSC).

Lia is a Nationally Certified Interpreter (NIC) with over 19 years of interpreting experience. She is currently the Director of Communication Access Services, leading both our interpreting agency and Community ASL program. 

Lia has spent her life deeply connected to the Deaf community. Growing up surrounded by Deaf family members and friends, she developed an early appreciation for Deaf culture, language, and community. Her experiences attending and working at Deaf camps further strengthened that connection and helped lead her to a career she is passionate about. 

Outside of her professional life, Lia enjoys lifting heavy weights, growing her ever-expanding collection of plant babies, and traveling the world with her son. Whether she is advocating for her community, tending to her plants, chasing a new adventure, or cheering on her son, Lia brings curiosity, heart, and a deep commitment to the people and communities she loves.

Dr. Glenn-Smith is President and CEO for The Learning Center for the Deaf. Dr. Glenn-Smith was appointed to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women by Senate President Karen Spilka in 2020, where she served as Treasurer before being elected Chairwoman, a role she held from 2022 to 2024. She went on to serve as the Commission's Secretary of Legislative and Public Policy before concluding her service on the Commission.

Prior to joining TLC, Dr. Glenn-Smith worked for Kaleida Health, the largest healthcare system in Western New York, as both CEO for their joint radiology venture and, later, as President of Ambulatory Services. Applying her passion for education, she worked for six years at PLS 3rd Learning, an international education technology company, as Chief Operating Officer, bringing extensive experience in the conception, development, and execution of strategic and tactical financial, organizational, and development initiatives. Dr. Glenn-Smith has also held the roles of Chief Administrative Officer for the healthcare management group Exigence, and Executive Director of Deaf Adult Services in Buffalo, New York.

Dr. Glenn-Smith grew up in Southern California, earned her Executive Master's Degree in Business Administration at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and both a Master's and Doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Kathy is the retired Director of Gallaudet University Regional Center East. With more than 40 years of experience, Kathy has served on the Boards of several Deaf organizations, such as MSAD, DEAF Inc., and NE Home for the Deaf.

Prior to her time at Gallaudet, she was Director of a large Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program in Southeast Massachusetts.

In her free time, Kathy enjoys spending time with family and friends. You will find her reading the latest novels, as well as hiking, kayaking and Pickleball!

Val is the Chairman of Hollingsworth & Vose, Co., a global manufacturer of advanced materials used in filters and batteries. He also serves on the Boards of Brooks School of North Andover MA, and of Victaulic Corporation of Easton, PA.

He received his bachelor's from the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA from Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School of Business Administration. Val a member of TLC Finance and Governance/Nominating Committee.

He lives with his Carol and children, Juliet and Henry. Val and Carol had a third son, Ben, who passed away in 2016. Ben was a student at The Learning Center for the Deaf. 

Marilyn Sass-Lehrer is a longtime resident of Washington, DC and Professor Emerita at Gallaudet University. She has a Master’s in Deaf Education from New York University and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction.

Marilyn was a professor in the Department of Education at Gallaudet University for 37 years and the director of the Family-Centered Early Education graduate teacher preparation program for 20 years. Dr. Sass-Lehrer was co-founder and director of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Infants, Toddlers and Their Families Graduate Interdisciplinary (ITF) Certificate Program from 2011-2016. She has been a Trustee of The Learning Center for the Deaf, Inc. since 2017.

Dr. Sass-Lehrer is the editor of Early Intervention for Deaf and Hard-of- Hearing Infants, Toddlers and their Families: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (2016), co-author of Parents and their Deaf Children: The Early Years (2003), and co-editor of The Young Deaf or Hard of Hearing Child: A Family-Centered Approach to Early Education (2003). She has authored several book chapters and articles on early intervention and made numerous presentations nationally and internationally. Her work has focused on the promotion of quality early education for young children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, family involvement and professional development.

Anupam ‘Bapu’ Jena, MD, is the Joseph P. Newhouse Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and a physician in the Department of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also a faculty research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Dr. Jena recently co-authored the book “Random Acts of Medicine," and is the host of the podcast ‘Freakonomics, M.D.’ 

Dr. Jena graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his MD and PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago and completed his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Jena is a current parent of a TLC student.

Elizabeth Knox, JD, is an attorney who currently provides higher education legal services, focusing on guidance for developing and implementing education-specific policies and analyzing vendor contracts to ensure compliance. Her skill set includes policymaking, research analysis, and complex litigation management. She also provides corporate legal services and has a background in civil rights law. 

Knox graduated from Harvard Law School, where she was awarded the Presidential Scholarship for Public Interest, and received the Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship and the James Vorenberg Equal Justice Summer Fellowship.  Her background includes varied law firm and in-house work and she founded Access the Dream, a service that trained businesses on disability issues. She now counsels families on accommodations and other disability related issues on a pro bono basis. She has been deaf since birth, and is now the parent of a deaf child. This personal experience deeply informs her professional focus and advocacy.

Smitha Hanumantha brings more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications, with deep roots in the Deaf community and a career that spans both Deaf and hearing worlds. She has held roles at Gallaudet University, TrueWayASL, Deaf Action Center, Access Interpreting, Convo, Ashoka, and Apple, where she developed expertise in campaign strategy, brand identity, and digital marketing.

Smitha served as Fundraising Campaign Manager at Gallaudet University, leading marketing efforts for a $23 million comprehensive campaign. Her passion for elder care and the aging Deaf community is reflected in her volunteer work with Deaf Seniors of America and her contributions to Gallaudet's Center on Dementia and Hearing Loss.

As a Deaf South Asian woman, Smitha brings a distinctive perspective to her advocacy. She is an alumna of the Ascend Making Space Fellowship and has served on the board of Deaf Kids Code.

She holds a Master of Science from Gallaudet University and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Web and Graphic Design from RIT/NTID, and is based in the Washington, DC area.

Nancy is an accomplished educational leader with more than four decades of experience in special education, school administration, and services for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. She has extensive experience with TLC, having been with the organization from 1994 to 2012.

As the former Director of Personnel, Planning and Program Quality, Nancy played a key role in accreditation efforts, program development, and the establishment of a new early education campus.

She was also the former Director/Principal of TLC’s former satellite campus in Randolph, where she helped to establish a new preschool through elementary school, and directed all aspects of school management, in addition to oversight of the program’s personnel, budget, student recruitment and admissions. 

Nancy holds advanced degrees in educational leadership and special education from Bridgewater State College and Boston College, and is licensed as a school and district-level administrator. She is also an educational reviewer for school accreditation teams throughout the United States for the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf. 

Most recently, Nancy served as the Director of the Rhode Island School for the Deaf from 2012-2023. 

She is fluent in American Sign Language and has conversational proficiency in Portuguese.

Laurie Shaffer, Ph.D., of Peterborough, NH, is the director of and an assistant professor in the University of New Hampshire-Manchester American Sign Language/English Interpreting bachelor's degree program. She started her career at The Learning Center as a teacher. She now has over 30 years of experience as an interpreter and for many of those years, also has served as an interpreter educator. She with her colleague Wendy Watson developed a peer mentoring model and program – a model that has been shared across the country with various groups of ASL/English interpreters, including many who work in the K12 environment.

Laurie completed her Ph.D. from Gallaudet in Translation and Interpreting Studies in 2018. Her research examines questions of how the power of various social institutions intersects with the everyday work of American Sign Language-English interpreters.

She served as coordinator of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at both Boston University and the University of Virginia.  While at these two universities and in her current position at the University of New Hampshire-Manchester, she has worked on various committees and projects that focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access.  Laurie sits on the TLC Board Academic Affairs/Facilities Committee.

April brings an extensive background in social services, social work, and leadership. She received her Master’s in Social Work and Bachelor’s in Psychology from Gallaudet University. She worked as a Behavioral Specialist at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf and as the Assistant Independent Living Director at DEAF, Inc., where she found her passion in creating resources for the hard of hearing community.

She currently works as a Service Navigator and Human Services Coordinator II for MCDHH, or the Southeast region in Massachusetts, where she provides individualized plans for resolving legal, family, social, economic, behavioral, and/or physical problems. She also consistently evaluates clients, acting as a liaison and advocate through on-site visits, progress reports, collaboration with state agencies, and other methods.

 April is also a psychotherapist for Own Your Voice Mental Wellness, where she provides direct psychotherapy treatment through client assessment, treatment plan development, and emotional support.

Most notably, April is the creator and social media marketing manager for Moody in the Middle, a centralized resource hub for the hard of hearing community. Moody in the Middle’s goal is to empower individuals with the tools they need to fulfill personal and professional passions through affordable life coaching services and consultations. In addition to services, Moody in the Middle offers an online shop that carries digital products, apparel, homeware, and accessories.

Andy Kenji Tao holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from Walden University in Minneapolis, MN. He also received his certificate in Deaf Education from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL.

Since 2021, Andy has been the CEO and Founder of Blue20 LLC, connecting visions and ideas through customizable accessible video content from concept to delivery. 

Prior to founding Blue20, Andy also worked at Sorenson Communications, Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, and Gallaudet University.

Andy provided extensive expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing data and assessments of health disparities among disabled populations; in particular, health discrimination and equity among deaf and hard of hearing populations.

He is fluent in ASL, English and Latin.