Overview

Michelle Borgerding, CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist at Ohio School for the Deaf. Michelle Borgerding is a speech-language pathologist at the Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD). She received her B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Cincinnati in 2017 and her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Missouri State University in 2019. She has a passion for building language skills and equipping students with communication strategies so they can be successful communicators in their workplace and community.

Heather Cooper MS/CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist at Montgomery County Educational Service Cetner. Heather Cooper is a speech-language pathologist on the Hearing Intervention Team located at the Montgomery County Educational Service Center in Dayton, Ohio. Heather has worked with students with varying levels of deafness for the past 16 years on a team of educational audiologists, teachers of the deaf and speech-language pathologists providing direct and consultative services to districts in counties of west central Ohio. During her time at the service center, Heather has presented several times at the state level on a variety of topics such as evaluation of students with deafness, current deaf/hard of hearing auditory skill practices, and speech-language considerations of students with deafness. Heather is an International Communication Learning Institute (ICLI) trainer for Visual Phonics. She specializes in students that have been newly diagnosed with hearing loss, students initially receiving hearing aids and cochlear implants, and literacy development in the preschool through early elementary school years; however, also has worked with students through the age of 22.

Angelica Gagliardi, M.Ed., Outreach Specialist, The Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness at OCALI. Angelica provides outreach services with The Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness. She was a Teacher of the Deaf for ten years serving students in residential programs, day school programs, and mainstream programs throughout her career. Angelica has a passion for literacy, which was the focus of her graduate degree. She also works as an adjunct faculty at Kent State University helping our soon-to-be educators develop high expectations for Deaf and Hard of Hearing learners by using research-based strategies to provide full access to grade-level standards.

Mandi Hinton, Au.D., Educational Audiologist at Ohio Deaf and Blind Education Services, Statewide Services and Outreach. Dr. Mandi Hinton is an educational audiologist at Ohio Deaf and Blind Education Services within the Statewide Services & Outreach division. Dr. Hinton enjoys working with districts across the state to provide educational evaluations for students, professional development opportunities for educators, and has a passion for connecting medical communities with educational teams to support Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind learners and their families.

Jessica Hoefler,, Au.D/CCC-A, Educational Audiologist at Summit Educational Service Center. Dr. Jessica Hoefler is finishing her 8th year as an educational audiologist at Summit Educational Service Center in Cuyahoga Falls advocating for the needs of students with hearing and listening needs within multiple districts throughout Northeast Ohio. Dr. Hoefler specializes in auditory processing and the implications on literacy and classroom performance. Additionally, Dr. Hoefler is the founder and executive director of Piper’s Key, a nonprofit with the mission of gifting inclusive books to children with disabilities that represent themselves in a positive light to support every child’s self-concept, in memory of her daughter, Piper.

Colleen Ticherich, BA, Educational Interpreter at Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Colleen Ticherich has worked 16 years as an educational interpreter, currently in a Deaf preschool. Formerly active with ISLR, Ohio Hands and Voices, and OCRID, she continues her involvement with NAIE. Colleen is the recipient of the national Leilani Johnson Award for Educational Interpreters by NAIE, the Educational Interpreter of the Year by OCRID (2022). Locally, she is on the board of Deaf Education Ohio, a member of the Committee for Deaf Equity and Access (interpreter standards), involved with LEAD-K Ohio, and is the founder of the grassroots "Fam-ILY ASL Events" outings for families with Deaf littles. She has recently been accepted to Gallaudet’s Early Intervention Master’s Program.

Kelsie Whalen OTD, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist at Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Dr. Kelsie Whalen is a school based occupational therapy practitioner (OTP) responsible for addressing students' physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and sensory components of academic performance and participation. She works as a collaborative team member who is responsible for providing occupational therapy services (direct, consultative, RTI/SST, Section 504 plans, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS)) across district schools. Her caseload includes student scholars from pre-k through high school. Her additional responsibilities include Level 1 & 2 fieldwork educator for OTP programs. She is currently completing an Associates in American Sign Language and a Collaboration and Leadership Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants Toddlers and their Families through Gallaudet University. She has presented at OCALICON with a teacher of the deaf on the Fine Motor Development for American Sign Language.