Deborah A. Gist Commissioner State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Shepard Building 255 Westminster Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903-3400 Enclosure 6c September 9, 2013 September 9, 2013 TO: FROM: RE: Members of the Board of Education Deborah A. Gist, Commissioner Appointment of Nominees RI School for the Deaf Board of Trustees It is with great pleasure that I recommend for your approval the following nominees to fill current vacancies on the RI School for the Deaf Board of Trustees: - Joe Fischgrund - Lindsay Medeiros - Amanda Montgomery - Heather Niedbala RECOMMENDATION: THAT, the Rhode Island Board of Education approves the appointment of Joe Fischgrund, Lindsay Medeiros, Amanda Montgomery, and Heather Niedbala to serve on the RI School for the Deaf Board of Trustees, as presented. Telephone (401)222-4600 Fax (401)222-6178 TTY (800)745-5555 Voice (800)745-6575 Website: www.ride.ri.gov The Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, race, color, religion, national origin, or disability.
Joseph E. Fischgrund Joseph E. Fischgrund has been an educator of deaf students for many years, most notably as the Headmaster of The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD) in Philadelphia, PA, a position he held for 21 years. Prior to coming to PSD he was Principal of the Lexington School for the Deaf in New York, Director of Academic Affairs at the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf in Maine, and Staff Linguist and Language Curriculum Coordinator at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf. Under his leadership, PSD diversified and grew, including the re-establishment of its secondary school program and the development of nationally recognized school-based mental health and parent and family involvement programs. After leaving PSD, Mr. Fischgrund served as Interim Director of the Delaware School for the Deaf and as Interim Superintendent at the New Jersey School for the Deaf. He currently consults with several schools for the deaf throughout the United States in the areas of program assessment and school improvement. Mr. Fischgrund has also been active in a number of leadership roles at state and national levels, including serving as President of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Council on Education of the Deaf (CED), an organization that sets national standards for teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing and accredits teacher preparation programs. Mr. Fischgrund has also been an adjunct faculty member at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA, Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and is a co-founder and Adjunct Faculty member of the on-line teacher certification program in deaf education at St. Joseph s University in Philadelphia. Mr. Fischgrund s academic background is in theoretical linguistics, with specialties in English grammar and the history of the English language, but he has made the education of deaf children, especially language acquisition and development, his passion for over 35 years. He remains active academically as a manuscript reviewer for several academic publishers and is currently a member of the editorial board of The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. He has also published numerous articles in professional journals and contributed chapters to textbooks and professional collections. Most recently, he co-authored (with Dr. Oscar P. Cohen and Dr. Harry G. Lang), Moments of Truth: The Story of a Deaf Leader, Robert R. Davila (RIT Press, 2008).
Lindsey Medeiros Lindsey Medeiros started her educational career at Bristol Community College, where she received her Associate's Degree in American Sign Language and Deaf Culture. She then transferred to Northeastern University, attaining her Bachelor's Degree in American Sign Language/English Interpreting. Lindsey has experience working at The Learning Center for Deaf in Framingham, MA as a teacher's aide and with Aspen Deaf Camp in Aspen, CO. She is currently a Freelance ASL/English Interpreter working in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Heather Niedbala Born and raised in Rhode Island, Heather Niedbala graduated from Rhode Island School for the Deaf, along with a part-time mainstream experience. As a native ASL user, Heather works intensively with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children in the Home- Based Therapeutic Services program with Perspectives. Currently she is the Program Manger of the D/HOH HBTS program, and is an ASL teacher. A dedicated advocate for the Deaf, Heather is involved with the Rhode Island Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. She has also served as the Vice President for the Rhode Island Association for the Deaf and contributes to the community as a Commissioner with the Rhode Island Commission on the Deaf & Hard of Hearing.
Amanda Montgomery Amanda Montgomery is a practicing licensed attorney in Massachusetts. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, RI in 2012; and has chosen to stay near the East Bay Bike Path. Her legal work has thus far focused on criminal defense as well as legal services for people with disabilities. While at the Law School, Amanda was awarded the A.G. Bell 2011 George H. Nofer Scholarship for Law and Public Policy; as well as a Public Interest Scholarship. Amanda also has a Masters degree in Labor Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Amanda went to The Learning Center for the Deaf from pre-school to middle school, and then transferred to the EDCO Collaborative based in Newton, MA. A graduate of Newton North High School, she earned her undergraduate degree at Rochester Institute of Technology.