Dr. Christi Batamula is a professor in the Department of Education at Gallaudet University. She has experience teaching deaf children in a variety of schools and settings. Dr. Batamula received her PhD in Education from George Mason University specializing in International Education, Early Childhood Education, and Teacher Education. Her research interests are international education, including immigrant education and multilingual education and family collaboration with deaf and hard of hearing children.
Candace Jones is a certified BlackDeaf educator and first-generation college graduate currently pursuing her PhD at Gallaudet University in Critical Studies in the Education of Deaf Learners. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, graduating with honors as a member of the Phi Alpha Honor Society, from Gallaudet University, and her Master’s degree in Deaf and Special Education from Valdosta State University. She currently serves as an educator in the School of Language, Education, and Culture at Gallaudet University, supporting the Deaf Education and ASL departments. In this role, she supervises undergraduate student-teachers during their internships at selected schools. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Lamar University, teaching Bilingual Theories in Deaf Education. With nearly 20 years of experience across K–12 and higher education, her work centers on language, identity, and equity in Deaf education. Candace leads the Family Learning Vacation, a community-centered initiative supporting families through language and cultural empowerment with love and joy.
Bobbie Jo Kite, Ph.D., is a Full Professor in the Department of Education at Gallaudet University and Assistant Director of the National Beacon Center. She earned her B.A. in Early Childhood Education and M.A. in Deaf Education from Gallaudet, and her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education and Multilingual/Multicultural Education from George Mason University. Her research centers on Family Language Planning & Policy and Multilingual Education, with a focus on supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families through inclusive language practices. At the National Beacon Center, Dr. Kite helps shape national initiatives within the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) system of services, advancing coordinated efforts across families, healthcare, and education. A second-generation Deaf scholar, she is deeply committed to fostering equitable, accessible opportunities for all children. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and a dog.
Dr. Judie Lomax, Psy.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, who works in private practice and serves as the Coordinator of Training and Assessment Services at Gallaudet University’s Counseling and Psychological Services. She is also the former President of the Board of Directors for the American Society of Deaf Children. The role she cherishes most is being the mother of a Deaf child.
Dr. Julie Mitchiner, a professor and researcher in the Education Department at Gallaudet University, focuses primarily on Early Childhood Education. Mitchiner taught at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center in the bilingual ASL/English Early Childhood Program for six years. She received her BA in Early Childhood Education and her MA in Deaf Education, specializing in Family-Centered Early Education, from Gallaudet University. She received her Ph.D. in Education at George Mason University with a specialization in Early Childhood Education and a secondary concentration in multicultural/multilingual education. Her research interests include family language policy and planning, bilingual education in ASL and English, and the Reggio Emilia approach in teaching deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Mitchiner has presented at numerous national and international conferences and published several papers on deaf families with children who have cochlear implants, as well as on family language planning and policy for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
Danielle Thompson, Ph.D. teaches graduate school courses in the Department of Counseling and Early Intervention Studies. She loves watching her students succeed in becoming phenomenal Counselors and Early Intervention Specialist. Her background is in Social Emotional Learning, Deaf Refugees and Immigrants, and working with families who have a deaf child.
Dr. Thompson is a native of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She is leading the island in getting sign language recognized and improving the education of Deaf children in Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr. Thompson has a Master’s degree in School Counseling from Gallaudet University and her Doctor of Philosophy in Behavioral Health from International University of Graduate Studies from St. Kitts & Nevis in the West Indies. Dr. Thompson currently lives in Virginia with her husband and two children.