Rob McCleland joined the Foundation in 2005 as our Executive Director. He has twenty years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, concentrated in the areas of leadership development and organizational advancement. His career has included positions of Vice President and Chief Financial Development Officer of a large organization in Colorado, as well as serving as the founding Dean of a College on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Rob has consulted nationally on creating "Vision Events" that enable investors to experience the purpose and joy of knowing their gifts and efforts are making life-changing impact. Professionally, Mr. McCleland is a certified Leadership Coach and Strategic Planner, specializing in entrepreneurial solutions to organizational challenges. He recently completed his Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, with his dissertation having explored the Executive Coach process and experience with top-level business leaders. Away from work, Rob, and his wife Dawn, enjoy hiking, travel, and home improvement projects. Rob spends any free time (futilely) attempting to unwrap himself from the little finger of his only daughter, Kaylie.
Melodie Griffanti, M.S.,CCC-A has been at our San Ramon facility for over 10 years providing hearing aid, cochlear implant and diagnostic services. She has 20 years of audiology experience. Melodie was educated at California State University at Sacramento. Her credentials include a Masters Degree in Audiology, California State Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensing licenses, and a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology. She is also a member of the American Academy of Audiology.
Sheri Byrne-Haber, B.Sc., J.D. joined the Foundation in 2004 and is the Director of the Insurance Advocacy Program. Ms. Byrne-Haber has been championing the cause of overcoming insurance denials for hearing impaired individuals since 1997, assisting almost 400 individuals in appealing their insurance denials. Ms. Byrne-Haber has an undergraduate degree in computer science and a law degree from the University of San Francisco. She passed the July, 1997 California bar exam, and is currently completing an MBA in Health Care from George Washington University. She has 3 daughters, one of whom is hearing impaired.
Joy A. Murdock, M.S., CCC-SLP joined the Foundation in 2005 to provide speech therapy, auditory training, and diagnostic evaluation services for the adults and children in our Program. She brings to us 8 years of experience in working with pediatric and adult patients who use hearing aids and/or cochlear implants. Her background includes cochlear implant team coordination of speech services and evaluations for several major hospitals locations in California as well as conducting her own private practice. She is qualified to serve individuals who use a variety of communication approaches, including auditory-oral language and total communication. Joy received her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara and her graduate degree at San Francisco State University, where she completed a specialization track in Aural Rehabilitation. She is licensed by the State of California, and also maintains her Certificate of Clinical Competence with the American Speech Language Hearing Association.
Annie C. Vranesic, M.A. CCC-A is a pediatric and cochlear implant audiologist. She joined the Let Them HEAR Foundation in June 2006 and provides audiological services for our Cochlear Implant Program, Pediatric Hearing Device Center and also the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf. Annie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa and her Master of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. She completed her Clinical Fellowship in Audiology at the House Ear Institute CARE Center, in Los Angeles, California. Annie has specialized in both pediatrics and cochlear implants. Currently, she is obtaining her Doctorate of Audiology (AuD) through the University of Florida distance learning program. Her credentials include a Masters Degree in Audiology, California State Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensing licenses, as well as a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology with the American Speech Language Hearing Association.
Cloggy, why the need for all the board members and employees with financial management backgrounds if they have no profits to manage? And why all the expertise in CI and oral methods if their goal is to assist all deaf individuals. And why the insistence on using the term "hearing impaired" if they are catering to the deaf population who objects to its use?