HLAA News release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2008
CONTACT: Anne T. Pope, President, Board of Trustees
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hearingloss.org
HEARING LOSS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
March 3, 2008, Bethesda, Maryland: Brenda Battat, M.A., of
Bethesda, Maryland, has been named executive director of the Hearing Loss
Association of America (HLAA), the nation's largest organization for people
with hearing loss. She officially assumed the title and duties on March 3,
2008, having been unanimously chosen for the position by the HLAA Board of
Trustees at their February 29-March 2 meeting in Bethesda.
Ms. Battat brings a wealth of experience to the position having
joined the HLAA national staff in 1989. She has been deputy executive
director and served as acting executive director on three interim occasions.
She brings this experience to the position as well as her personal exposure
to hearing loss as a user of a cochlear implant and a hearing aid.
Ms. Battat is well known among her peers in the field of hearing
loss, disability access, and key industry, government, and hearing health
professions. Her collaborative approach to advocacy and finding common
ground among consumers, industry, and government is well known and
respected. Among her most noted accomplishments at HLAA is her work on
hearing-aid-compatible mobile and cordless phones and Internet captioned
telephone.
Her skills as a leader are well recognized by her colleagues,
national staff, and HLAA leaders and members who trust her judgment and
avidly seek her advice. As a leader with a unique intelligent common-sense
approach , plus a faculty for teamwork, she is a proven strength of the
organization.
Battat says after a successful tenure with HLAA:
"I am ready to take on the challenge of leading this great
organization in a changing world where hearing loss is burgeoning,
technology exploding, and social networking a way of life. Nothing in
today's society is business as usual, with the exception of the stigma of
using hearing aids and we have to change that.";
Ms. Battat holds a bachelor's degree in physical therapy with 15
years working in the field in Europe and North America. She holds a master's
degree in counseling from Indiana University. She is married to Joe Battat
and lives in Bethesda. They have two grown children Anna and James.
Anne T. Pope, president of the HLAA Board of Trustees commented:
";The Board of Trustees is delighted that Brenda Battat has
agreed to become the next executive director of the Hearing Loss Association
of America. Brenda is unequalled as an advocate for people with hearing
loss. For almost 20 years, she has been a key leader in securing federal
legislation and regulation to accommodate our challenges, and has taught
thousands of our members how to work for accessibility at the state and
local levels.
"Millions of people with hearing loss have benefited from her
efforts. In the short time that she has been acting executive director, we
have seen the same creativity, skill, and energy in her executive leadership
that has made her such an effective advocate. We cannot imagine a better
person to lead the organization in educating the general public about
hearing loss and its challenges."
About the Hearing Loss Association of America
The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), founded in 1979
by Rocky Stone as Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, opens the world of
communication to people with hearing loss through information, education,
advocacy and support. HLAA publishes the bimonthly Hearing Loss Magazine,
holds annual conventions, Walk4Hearing, hosts online learning with the
Hearing Loss Academy, and more. HLAA has more than 200 chapters and 14 state
organizations.
Information can be found at www.hearingloss.org. The national
headquarters is located at 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1200, Bethesda, MD
20814. Phone: 301.657.2248 (Voice and TTY)
Hearing Loss Association
of America
Anne Pope, President
president%40hearingloss.org">presidenthearingloss.org
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