NAD TIMELINE

Background

Since the current President of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Lisa Rose has taken over, there has been great discord and upheaval at the Board level. This website serves as a central information source based on community-submitted resources.

2020-2022

• October 3, 2020: Lisa M. Rose is elected by delegates for the Region III Board Member seat during the 2020 NAD conference, which was held virtually due to the pandemic. Rose's term is for 2020-2024.

• June 30-July 4, 2022: NAD CONFERENCE, ORLANDO, FL 

• Rose serves as Council of Representatives Co-Chair with Milmaglyn Morales.

• Rose runs for NAD President at the last minute against Jenny Buechner. Buechner wins the election; Rose is visibly upset.

2022-2024

• Rose serves as Governance Chair and serves on the Internal Transformative Committee (formerly Diversity Strategy Team).

  • The Governance Committee has no members; Rose claims she cannot find anyone to join the committee.

• Fall 2022:  A retreat is held, and Rose is seen being disrespectful towards specific Board members, accusing them of privilege. 

• 2023: Buechner and Rose participate in a mediation session with an external professional.

• February 2024: NAD faces a backlash about the 2024 Super Bowl. Board relations are tense, especially with Rose. 

• June 1, 2024: The NAD Board contracts with Bobbie Beth Scoggins, former NAD Board Member/President, as Interim CEO until December 2025.

• July 1-6, 2024: NAD CONFERENCE, CHICAGO, IL

• • Rose, along with Nicholas Lalanne, serves as the Council of Representatives Co-Chair.

    • Rose is seen repeatedly undermining her Co-Chair, stating that he is "learning." She also, without prior guidance, instructions, or support, forces him to go on stage to provide credentials for delegates.

    • Rose, who is running for President, uses this role to network with delegates and repeatedly is seen telling them that President Buechner is not doing her job and is not being transparent.

    • Rose also is warned by the election committee for a violation of the election rules. Buechner's team reports additional violations but the election committee does not complete investigating them. This results in Buechner filing a formal grievance after the conference, but Election Committee states nothing can be done at that point. Buechner then asks to have this grievance passed along to the Board of Directors. It never was. 

    • July 4: Rose wins over Buechner.

    • July 5: The following are sworn into their positions:

      • Lisa Rose, President - ELECTED (2024-2026)

      • Stephanie Hakulin, Vice President - ELECTED (2024-2026)

      • James “Dino” Christianson, Jr, Treasurer - ELECTED (2024-2026)

      • Milmaglyn Morales, Secretary - ELECTED (2024-2026)

      • Jacob Leffler, Region I Board Member - ELECTED (2024-2028)

      • Nicholas Lalanne, Region I Board Member (2022-2026)

      • Kevin Ryan, Region II Board Member (2022-2026)

      • Chris Haulmark, Region II Board Member - ELECTED (2024-2028)

      • Michael Deuel, Region III Board Member (2022-2026)

      • Christopher Patterson, Region III Board Member - ELECTED (2024-2028)

      • Laura Kim, Region IV Board Member (2022-2026)

      • Joseph “JoJo” Lopez III, Region IV Board Member - ELECTED (2024-2028)

      • Dawnmarie Caggiano, Affiliate Board Member (2022-2026)

• • • July 9: Buechner shares her traumatic experiences with Rose during their Gallaudet years and Board service. 

• Late July/Early August 2024: President Rose and Interim CEO Scoggins urge James “Dino” Christianson Jr. to resign as treasurer due to what they called his lack of financial knowledge and skills. Christianson yielded to their request.

• July 28, 2024: Christopher Patterson, Region III Board Member, resigns, and posts an open letter.

• September 27, 2024: BOARD MEETING IN PORTLAND, ME (Click here for meeting minutes)

  • The following were appointed:

    • Jimmy Peterson, Treasurer (2024-2026)

    • Deanna Swope, Region III Board Member (2024-2028)

    • Tyese Wright, Affiliate Board Member (REAPPOINTED, 2024-2028) 

    • Kimberly Thornsberry, Appointed Board Member (REAPPOINTED, 2024-2026) 

    • James “Dino” Christianson Jr., Appointed Board Member (2024-2026)

  • November 2024: Treasurer Christianson resigns from the Board sometimes between the September 27, 2024, and January 16, 2025, Board meetings. There is no mention during the January minutes of his resignation.

2025

• January 16-19, 2025: BOARD MEETING IN SALT LAKE CITY, UT (Click here for meeting minutes)

  • January 19: During the Board meeting, Region II Board Member Chris Haulmark announces his resignation so that he can apply for the CEO position.

  • January 20:  Appointed Board Member Kimberly Thornsberry resigns.

  • Late January: Region III Board Member Michael Deuel resigns.

• April 17-19, 2025: BOARD MEETING IN COLUMBUS, OH (Click here for meeting minutes)

  • April 19: The Board recognizes the resignations of Christopher Patterson, James "Dino" Christianson Jr. , Chris Haulmark, Kim Thornsberry, and Michael Deuel. 

• July 2025: Secretary Milmaglyn Morales resigns.

• July 28, 2025: Rose hosts a town hall focusing on the CEO search. 

  • Only registered Zoom participants can be admitted. At 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Rose immediately shuts down any further admission for people who arrive even a few minutes late.

  • The CEO applicant is revealed to be Kelby Brick, the current Chief Operating Officer (COO). He provides a pre-recorded video.

  • A survey is released only to attendees. The community complains.

  • Later that evening, Rose posts an apology (also available here) and extends the town hall viewing for 48 hours.

• September 7, 2025: Treasurer Jimmy Peterson resigns.

• September 9, 2025: PAST BOARD MEMBERS SECTION MEETING

  • Vice President Hakulin is invited to come and share updates. She is visibly surprised when a past board member inquires about the reduced hours and layoffs, such as COO Kelby Brick's last day is September 19th. She states she was not aware of any of this. After her report, she leaves the meeting.

  • The past board members agree to invite Scoggins and Rose to a special meeting to answer questions about NAD's challenges.  The meeting is scheduled for September 24.

• Early September 2025: Five Board members submit a request for a special meeting.

  • Rose denies their request, stating that the bylaws dictate that no special meeting can be held without a secretary. However, Rose has made no efforts to fill the secretary position since July. Also, Robert's Rules of Order clearly state that a pro tem (temporary) secretary can be selected for the purpose of a meeting.

• September 13, 2025: Although the Past Board Members section meeting notes from September 9th have not yet been released Scoggins sends a video to the section that addresses many of the confidential questions asked during this September 9th meeting. Scoggins's video is not accessible to DeafBlind people.

• September 18, 2025: Scoggins releases a video to the community about NAD's financial health.  Comments are turned off.

• September 21, 2025: Prior to September 20, 2025, the NLTC website showed a board meeting was scheduled for October 29, 2025. On September 21, 2025, the NLTC website removed the reference for the board meeting. The board did not agree to such cancellation or removal. This was decided unilaterally by the president, with improper authorization. According to the bylaws, the only reason the president can cancel a meeting is due to unmet quorum. It is highly unlikely that there is an unmet quorum for the October 29th meeting. 

• September 23, 2025: An open letter is sent by the Nashville Chapter of the Tennessee Association of the Deaf.

• September 24, 2025: PAST BOARD MEMBERS SPECIAL MEETING

  • The Past Board Members section meets with Scoggins; Rose is a no-show.  

  • About three minutes before the meeting is to start, a video is posted with Governance Chair Jacob Leffler announcing that board operations are paused for internal restoration. The public is very confused by this ambiguous announcement. Comments are turned off.

• September 26, 2025: An open letter is sent by Region II State Associations. 

• September 29, 2025: NAD releases another video, Follow Up NAD Announcement from Leffler. Comments are turned off.

• October 5, 2025: The New Jersey Association of the Deaf (NJAD) reveals that it requested help from NAD with the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf's residential program closure, but NAD later backs out. At the Deaf Seniors of America conference, Rose says that the NJAD board “did not pay attention to legislation.” The NJAD board sends a letter to the NAD board challenging this, adding that what Rose shared what was “privileged” information. Rose responds to this letter the same day, scolding NJAD for not contacting her directly for a fact-finding process. She writes, “Would you be open to a private conversation at your convenience, so we can discuss your concerns and work toward a resolution together? I believe this approach will allow us to move forward constructively without unnecessary involvement of others.” The NJAD president declines.

• October 7, 2025: An open letter is sent collectively by Regions II, III, and IV, demanding Rose's resignation.

• October 7, 2025: NAD releases another video, Follow Up NAD Announcement with Scoggins. It was originally posted with comments turned off, removed, and then reposted with comments turned on.

• October 14, 2025: Deaf Youth Section (formerly NAD Deaf Youth Section) asks for Rose's resignation. 

• October 15, 2025: NAD Past Board Members Section sends an email asking for a status update. NAD does not respond.

• October 20, 2025: NAD Past Board Members Section sends a follow-up letter demanding Rose's removal. They encourage Leffler's removal and request a clear transition plan.

• October 21, 2025: The NAD Board releases two videos affirming their commitment to the NAD. There will be a board meeting during the National Leadership Training Conference.

  • NAD Community Update

  • United in Purpose

• October 21, 2025: The NAD CEO announces the cancellation of the National Leadership Training Conference that was scheduled for October 29-November 2. 

To see some of the many open letters, social media posts, and other community posts, click here.

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