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FASLTA Board.m4v
PRESIDENT
June Ann LeFors
June Ann LeFors is an instructor and the director of the ASL program at Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida. She is a freelance deaf interpreter and ASL translator in the central and northeast Florida areas. She is also an appointed member of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Committee for the Florida Department of Health and serves on the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Board of Trustees. A state-certified K-12 teacher, LeFors previously worked at FSDB for 10 years in several roles: ASL specialist and evaluator, preschool teacher in the Early Learning Center, and as a parent advisor in the Parent Infant Program. She earned her master's degree in Deaf Education/ Deaf Studies from Lamar University and a bachelor's in Elementary Education from Gallaudet University. She and her husband, Eric (a physical education teacher at FSDB), have six daughters - three of whom are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
VICE PRESIDENT
Dyan Newman
Dyan Newman has a wealth of experience in ASL Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. Her teaching journey includes teaching ASL at Frederick Community College, Maryland School for the Deaf, Gallaudet University, and Flagler College. Currently, she is a project manager with Eyeth Studios. She creates content and works extensively with videography. Dyan holds a bachelors in Deaf Studies & a masters in Sign Language Education. She enjoys ASL linguistics & etymology. Her passion lies within hearing families’ access to learn ASL.
Dyan adores spending time with her family, her husband Todd of 26 years and her four children, Tayla, Dayton, Caleb and Joshua. She enjoys staying active with her family and friends.
SECRETARY
Katie Vetter
Katie, who goes by her real name "Katelyn," was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
As the only Deaf person in her family, she developed a love for sports and staying active. She has played volleyball, basketball, soccer, and track. She earned dual majors in Special Education and Elementary Education, with a minor in Deaf Education, at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. Eager to deepen her knowledge of Deaf Education, she pursued postgraduate studies at McDaniel College in Maryland, where she earned a Master's degree in Deaf Education.
Katie has taught at both Deaf public and private schools, as well as in a self-contained classroom for Deaf students at a mainstream school. She and her Deaf husband, Joe Vetter, have two young hearing (CODAs) sons.
Currently, she is an adjunct professor, teaching American Sign Language classes at St. Petersburg College's Clearwater campus. Katie continues to serve as a board member of the Family Center on Deafness (FCD) and has also been a Board member of the Florida Deaf Art Show (FDAS).
TREASURER
Ralena McDevitt
Ralena grew up in Connecticut. Currently, she teaches undergraduate American Sign Language courses (ASL 1, 2, and 3) in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida (UF). She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Gallaudet University (1995), master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Gallaudet University (1997), and master’s degree in Deaf Studies/Deaf Education from Lamar University (2011). Before joining UF in July 2022, she was an ASL Distance Learning instructor for the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind Outreach Programs.
NORTH DIRECTOR
LaDonna Snyder
LaDonna has been an ASL instructor for the campus staff at Florida School for the Deaf and Blind since 2021. She graduated from Gallaudet University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in American Sign Language. After graduating, she got hired to work at JASS, the Japanese ASL Signers Society, in Tokyo for a year. After Japan, she worked at Kansas School for the Deaf as a part-time private tutor for the parents and the administration teaching ASL. At last, I am an alumnus of St Mary's School for the Deaf and of the Iroquois-Cayuga Indian ancestry.
CENTRAL DIRECTOR
Zulma "Yary" Santiago
Yary was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Her first language is Spanish, and she learned ASL and English when she was 14 years old. She is an Instructional Associate Professor in the Department of Speech, language and Hearing Sciences at University of Florida. She teaches American Sign Language and Deaf Culture and is the faculty advisor for the UF Signing Gator. She currently holds a Master's degree in Deaf Studies with an emphasis on Cultural studies from Gallaudet University. Before joining UF in August 2019, Yary taught ASL 1, 2, 3, Structure of ASL, and Deaf Culture at St. Petersburg College for over six years. She also taught ASL 1 and 2 at Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida. She is a member of the American Sign Language Teachers Association, Florida American Sign Language Teacher Association (serving as Central Regional Director), and was of the Florida Deaf Art Show Board. She is an active volunteer at the Deaf Literacy Center, where she assists in developing and presenting programs and events to create awareness and educate the community. She is multilingual, fluent in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language, and has a deep love for history and cultures. As a multilingual person, she understands the importance of second or third-language acquisition.
SOUTH DIRECTOR
Ivan Jarama
Ivan Jarama is an American Sign Language instructor at Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida. He is also an adjunct instructor at the University of South Florida (USF). He is interested in teaching American Sign Language. Before he became an instructor, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. He also received a Master of Arts degree in Deaf Education from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He currently has a Florida Teaching Certification with ASL endorsement. He has been teaching since 2004. He has taught a variety of courses at Deaf schools, a community college, and USF. Prior to this position as an ASL instructor, he taught math and science courses to Deaf high school students. He is profoundly Deaf. He moved to New York City from Ecuador for a better education. His first and native language is ASL. In his spare time, he enjoys watching TV, coaching a basketball team, chatting with friends, and spending time with his family,
WEBMASTER
Janelle Berry
Janelle Berry is the Bilingual (ASL) Specialist at Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, working with teachers in the Deaf Department. She has been at FSDB for the past 15 years in various positions, including overnight Residential Instructor, Instructional Assistant in the Early Learning Center and Physical Education, and ASL instructor for FSDB staff members.
PAST PRESIDENT
Lenore Boerner
Lenore Viccari-Boerner is Deaf and was born and raised in New York. She has attended Mill Neck Manor Lutheran School for the Deaf on Long Island, New York. Alumni Rochester Institute of Technology in Business and Gallaudet University. She went on to Graduate school at Stonybrook University with a BSW and MSW in Social Work. She is currently taking Educational Leadership at the University of North Florida (UNF). She has been teaching ASL since 1985 in New York, Maine and Florida at several university. She holds Master Level ASLTA certification and Professional Education certification with an endorsement in teaching ASL. She is currently works at Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, as an ASL Specialist. Her job requires her to work closely with Deaf students and teachers who teach Deaf students. Her current side jobs include ASL professor at UNF and Flagler College. She has attended and graduated from “Road to Interpreting” classes in Massachusetts. She has experience as a Deaf interpreter.
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