Page 108 - profiles 2019 working copy containing all bios as of Feb 20 final version
P. 108

From 1988 to 1990, I attended Montgomery College under President Reagan’s
              Women Returning to Work Program, made the Dean’s List, received a

              Certificate in 1989, as well as an A.A. degree in 1992.  I continued my
              education (while working 32 hours per week at NWS) at the University of
              Maryland, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Management in 1994.   I served
              as the Chair of the GSA Technical Evaluation Board for the GSA Federal

              Relay Service contract in 1998.  I served for 15 years as a Montgomery
              County Election Judge and another seven years as Chief Judge of Precinct 13-

              15.  I completed the Toastmaster’s International Communications and
              Leadership Program.

              In 1995, I began losing my hearing – by 2001, I was totally deaf.  As a deaf

              person with impaired mobility, I chaired the Disability Issues Subcommittee
              and served on the Communications Subcommittee of the NOAA Equal
              Employment Opportunities Council (EEOC) and was instrumental in
              addressing numerous accessibility issues at the new NOAA Silver Spring

              Complex.

              I was a founding board member of Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Government

              (DHHIG), an organization advocating for fair treatment of Government
              employees who were deaf or hard of hearing.  I co-chaired a National
              Conference on Disabilities in Philadelphia, in 1997 and received a $2,500

              NOAA’s Administrator Award for the effort.  I actively participated in
              numerous meetings and conferences on disability issues, including annual
              DHHIG National Training Conferences.


              I was a member of the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) Outreach Team for
              seven years, advocating for more widespread use in its critical role as the only
              system in the United States capable of providing timely emergency warnings

              to people with disabilities.  In that capacity, I participated in numerous annual
              National electronic and broadcasting conferences, National conferences for
              people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and the annual NOAA Mark Trail

              Award luncheons on Capitol Hill.  In 2005, I received a $5,000 National Isaac
              M. Cline Award for my service to the NWS.   Over a period of years, I have
              participated in a number of hearing-related research efforts sponsored by
              Gallaudet University, the FCC, the Kennedy Center, Mitre Corporation,

              National Public Radio and TV, and Disney.

              In 2005, I was appointed by Governor Ehrlich to a position on the Maryland
              Governor’s Advisory Board for Telecommunications Relay (GABTR), which


                                                                                                                  104
   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113