After several years in the field of social work and counseling, James Baer earned his Au.D. from the University of Louisville. He currently is the Director of Audiology at Lamar University. His primary interests in audiology relate to hearing aids and assistive listening technology and audiologic rehabilitation.

Douglas L. Beck, AuD joined Oticon Inc. in 2005 as the Director of Professional Relations. Dr Beck also serves as the Web Content Editor for the American Academy of Audiology (MAA). Doug has been an audiologist for 25 years. Doug was a co-founder of the Missouri Academy of Audiology and was President of the MAA for two terms in the 1980s.

April Burdett is an assistant professor at Lamar University. Her Au.D. was received from Texas Tech University. She is ABA certified, serves as Public Relations Chair on the Executive Board of SETSHA, and is a member of TAA, AAA and ASHA. Primary interests include vestibular and pediatric testing.

Texas Hearing and Service Dogs Hearing Dog Team Josh Calzada and Zorro. Josh is an architect living in San Antonio. Zorro is a black Labrador Retriever THSD adopted from Houston’s Bureau of Animal Regulation and Control. More information about Texas Hearing & Service Dogs

Craig A. Champlin, Ph.D. is the Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds the Lillie Hage Jamail Professorship in Audiology and Hearing Science. He is also a member of the Institute for Neuroscience and the Center for Perceptual Systems. Dr. Champlin received his Doctoral degree from the University of Kansas and was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Experimental Psychology at UT-Austin. He has published research articles in the areas of psychoacoustics, auditory electrophysiology, and diagnostic audiology. His research focuses on the assessment of hearing status via physiological methods including otoacoustic emissions and evoked potentials including studies of auditory steady-state responses. Dr. Champlin has served as the Editor of the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, Chair of the Bioacoustics section of ANSI and Chair of the Research Committee of AAA.

Kris Chesky is Associate Professor within the UNT College of Music. He is Executive Director of the Health Promotion in Schools of Music project (www.unt.edu/hpsm) and holds leadership positions in the Performing Arts Medicine Association and the National Hearing Conservation Association.

Though a Clinical Assistant Professor at UT Dallas, Dr. Jackie Clark maintains a clinical practice and considers herself a "generalist" in augiology. She has lectured around the world; has a research faculty appointment at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa; collaborated with other universities in South Africa; is the humanitarian audiologist committee chair in an international society; and for the past 12 years carried out a philanthropic audiology program in Africa. In addition to providing presentations throughout the world, she has authored many peer reviewed research articles, and some book chapters.

Vickie B. Dionne, Au.D. is an assistant professor at Lamar University in Beaumont. Dr. Dionne is certified by the American Board of Audiology. She serves as an appointed member of the Texas Board of Examiners for Speech and Audiology. Dr. Dionne is a member of AAA, TAA, SETSHA, and ASHA.

Kris English, Ph.D. is an associate professor at The University of Akron/NOAC.  She has written 4 books and 14 chapters, and has presented over 100 papers, mostly on audiologic counseling.  She is currently President of the American Academy of Audiology.

Connie Howard is an assistant professor at Lamar University .  Her interests are hearing aids, hearing conservation, auditory processing and pediatrics.  She is a member of ASHA, AAA, TAA and SETSHA.  She holds a certificate of clinic competence with ASHA.

Jeffrey Martin received his B.S. (1996) and M.A. (1999) degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Texas at Austin. He completed his fellowship training in audiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston where he worked as the Audiology Department Coordinator. He completed his Ph.D. degree in 2006 at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) under the direction of Dr. James Jerger. He serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at UTD. His research focuses on the behavioral and electrophysiological study of central mechanisms in hearing. Clinical applications of his research focus on the diagnostic evaluation of individuals suspected of having auditory processing disorders (APD).

Jerry Northern is Director of Special Projects in Education and Training for Starkey Laboratories. Dr. Northern is responsible for developing and managing corporate level projects in the Starkey departments of Education, Research, Marketing, and Sales.

Dr. Northern is also Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and serves on the consultant to the Marion Downs Hearing Center at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver, CO. Dr. Northern retired from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1996 after 26 years of service as Professor of Otolaryngology and Director of Audiology Services.

As a native of Denver, Colorado, he received a BA degree in Experimental Psychology from Colorado College in 1962, holds Master’s degrees from Gallaudet University and the University of Denver, and earned his Ph.D. in Audiology at the University of Colorado (Boulder). He founded and served as editor for Seminars in Hearing and edited Audiology Today for 15 years. As a Founding Member of the American Academy of Audiology, Dr. Northern served as the organization’s third President.

Angela Poe received her Master of Science in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas in 1988 and received her Au.D. from Arizona School of Health Sciences in 2005.  She has been in  her private practice in the North Houston area for 5 years and before that worked primarily as an educational audiologist.  Angela is on the TAA Board working with Governmental and Legislative issues.

Todd H. Porter, AuD, FAAA, ABA is a founding member of the Texas Academy of Audiology (TAA). He served TAA as the Vice-President for Governmental Affairs for four fours and as Treasurer of the TAA Political Action Committee for three years. Dr. Porter practices in Irving, Texas.

C. David Richards, JD is Assistant General Counsel for the Texas Department of State Health Services in Austin. he has extensive government regulatory compliance experience and has provided legal advice and counsel to the State Board of Examiners for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. Mr. Richards is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary's University School of Law. Mr. Richards is also active in his community with the Reading is Fundamental Program,, Meals on Wheels, SafePlace, and the Austin Children's Shelter.

Melissa Sinden is the Senior Director of Government Relations for the American Academy of Audiology. Melissa worked on Capitol Hill for two United States Senators before serving the American Chiropractic Association prior to joining the audiology team. Sinden’s experience spans both legislative and regulatory affairs. A graduate of University of Missouri-Columbia, Sinden holds a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Sheri Soltes Sheri Soltes founded Texas Hearing & Service Dogs in 1988 on the concept of using dogs rescued from animal shelters. Under her guidance, THSD leads the industry combining the use of all rescue dogs with positive reinforcement training methodology. Sheri and THSD have mentored assistance dog programs around the world including Australia, Japan, Spain and Chile. More information about Texas Hearing & Service Dogs

Kate Thomas serves as the Senior Manager of Government Relations at the American Academy of Audiology. Before joining the Academy in 2006, Kate worked for the College of American Pathology. Kate’s role at the Academy includes working on a number of legislative, regulatory and state issues impacting the profession of audiology. Kate holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Boston University, and is pursuing a Master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University in health and political communication.

Maureen Valente, Ph.D., earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. She spent her Clinical Fellowship Year in the Chicago area, in the office of G.E. Shambaugh, M.D. Subsequent work experiences included private practice and medical settings in the Kansas City and Omaha areas, including employment at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha.

After moving to the St. Louis area, Dr. Valente was employed as a full-time faculty member for 18 years within Saint Louis University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. She graduated with her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis. Shortly thereafter, she was delighted to accept a position as the Director of Audiology Studies within the Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences (PACS) at Washington University School of Medicine. She carries a joint appointment within PACS and as an Assistant Professor within the university’s Department of Otolaryngology. Areas of interest include development of Au.D. education, diagnostic audiology, auditory processing disorders, and vestibular evaluation in the pediatric patient. 

Michael Valente is Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology and Director of Adult Audiology at Washington University School of Medicine. He has been at Washington University in this role for 21 years. His editorial responsibilities include the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology where he is the Assistant Editor-Amplification, American Journal of Audiology, Ear and Hearing and the International Journal of Audiology where he is Editor-at-Large. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1975.  He had edited several textbooks that include Strategies for Selecting and Verifying Hearing Aid Performance, Thieme Medical Publishers, 1994 and 2002 (2nd edition); Hearing Aids: Standards, Options and Limitations, Thieme Medical Publishers, 1994 and 2002 (2nd edition); Audiology: Diagnosis, Audiology: Treatment and Audiology: Practice Management, Thieme Medical Publishers, 2000 and 2007(With Ross Roeser and Holly Hosford-Dunn).  His interests are spending time with his beautiful wife Maureen who is an Assistant Professor and Director of Audiology Studies at Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences (PACS) at Washington University His daughter Michelle who is working in Chicago and his other daughter Anne who is studying @ Bowling Green University in Bowling Green, OH.  Mike enjoys travel, jogging (once ran a marathon), cycling, and reading (non-fiction).

Dr. Allen D. Webb is a practicing audiologist with over twenty five years of experience in hearing healthcare.  Allen has held positions as Military Audiologist, Dispensing/Clinical Audiologist in hospitals and private practice, present owner of Evergreen State Audiology Services. He was the Director of Speech and Hearing programs for DSHS in Washington State.  He was the Program Director  for  the Washington State's largest Deaf Education Program at North Thurston School District.  During his tenure at Bates College he was responsible for developing  the first in the nation training program for audiology assistants, technicians and fitter/dispensers, at a public institution.   As a consultant he created the dispenser training program for COSTCO hearing aid division.

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