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Board Members

DEAFinitely, Inc. is governed by a growing Board of Directors, all of whom reflect its mission and community served. The DEAFinitely Board represents a multi-lingual and racial group of African-American, Asian-American and Caucasian individuals between the ages of 22 and 62 years of age. It includes members who are Deaf, hard of hearing, hearing individuals fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and part of the Deaf community, a nationally certified sign language interpreter, artists in visual and performing arts, disability advocates and individuals with disabilities, community-organizers, entrepreneurs and professionals,

all residing in the Greater Boston Area. 

President

Jody Steiner

Jody Steiner is DEAFinitely’s Board President. She brings a 30+ career of working within the Deaf community as a teacher of the Deaf with Newton Public Schools and a nationally certified  sign language interpreter. Jody is also a former Director of a nationally-award winning theater company for Deaf youth in Boston at Wheelock Family Theater and an access advocate for people with disabilities in the cultural arts.

Rhys McGovern

Rhys McGovern is a hard of hearing, bilingual speech language pathologist and teacher who has been working with children, teens, and young adults in school, home, and community settings for over 10 years.  He has a Masters of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Emerson College and holds state SLP and teaching licensure through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, as well as a Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association. A constant in Rhys' personal and professional life is a love of learning and a love of teaching.  Rhys serves the Vice President of the Board.

Vice President

Rhys McGovern

Melissa Brown is the Program Director for the Elementary School Program at The Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  Horace Mann is the first public school to have district and state approval as a Dual Language program, qualifying students for the Seal of Biliteracy. Horace Mann School empowers students as Deaf individuals to be lifelong learners and innovative thinkers with diverse linguistic, ethnic, and cultural identities who are fluent in both American Sign Language and English. Melissa has been a part of the Horace Mann school and Deaf community for 25 years and has dedicated her life's work to empowering Deaf youth in education. She is an integral part of DEAFinitely programming and family coordination for Deaf youth.

Board Member

Melissa Brown

Jason Robinson brings decades of experience in leadership to the DEAFinitely Board. He is the Vice President of Hospital Based Services and Academic Affairs at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, as well as a former Naval Officer. Jason serves as the fiscal officer of DEAFinitely and offers a strong lens of mentorship as an active mentor to African-American professionals. He also brings vast expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Board Member     

Jason Robinson

Pauline Menchin  is the mother of four children, ages 3, 7, 9 & 11. As a result of her youngest son being born with bilateral profound deafness, she was introduced to the amazing Deaf community. Her family has chosen to embrace American Sign Language as their family’s primary way of communicating with Ian. In turn the connection also led her to the Federation for Children with Special Needs. Pauline is the Central Regional Coordinator for Family TIES of Massachusetts, a project of the Federation for Children with Special Needs in collaboration with and funded by the MA Department of Public Health. As a parent-professional, her goal is to bring information to families across the commonwealth regarding the vast resources available to them. Before working at the Federation, Pauline worked in Finance/Investments and Computer Programming with Bank of America and their Asset Management Group, Columbia Management Group.

Board Member     

Pauline Menchin

Secretary/Treasurer

Laura Gleneck

Laura Gleneck has decades of experience managing disability employment programs at National Disability Institute. As a person with disabilities, she understands the critical importance of self-advocacy and accessibility. She brings a depth of personal and professional experience in disability and access to DEAFinitely, Inc. and serves as Secretary of the Board.

Board Memeber
Hearing Family Coordinator

Amanda Perrin serves as DEAFinitely, Inc.’s Program Coordinator. She is a special educator and holds a Master’s Degree in Moderate Disabilities and Bachelor’s Degree in American Sign Langauge (ASL) and Human Services. Amanda has been teaching children and youth with various challenges for over 18 years and believes these challenges can become students’ greatest assets.

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Learn more about Amanda...

Amanda Perrin

Jamie Robinson is the Founder of DEAFinitely, Inc., and serves as the Artistic Director and fiscal manager of the organization. Jamie serves as the Secretary of the Board, overseeing fiscal and creative aspects of programming.

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Learn more about Jamie...

Founder
Artistic Director

Jamie Robinson

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