Meet the HearLoss.org Board
Ron Leavitt, Au. D., President
Ron Leavitt, holds a doctorate in audiology from Arizona School of Health Sciences. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Arizona where he received the Outstanding Graduate Student Award in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. He completed his clinical fellowship in audiology at the University of Arizona Medical School. He has 32 years of research, publications and clinical experience. Dr. Leavitt is the head Audiologist at Corvallis Hearing Center. He is founder of the U.S. largest consumer test group for hearing aids, Oregon Association for Better Hearing. He has served on the Advisory Board of the American Bar Association, making courtrooms accessible to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. He has served on the Advisory Board of the Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People Inc. Teen Transition Project assisting hard of hearing high school students transition into college. He has served on the grant review committee for Oregon Health Sciences University Tinnitus Research Project.
David S. Viers, M.S., Secretary
David grew up a hearing person, receiving a Bachelor’s degree and working for 15 years in the field of data processing, the last six years of which were as owner/operator of his own company, a data processing service bureau.
As a result of his exposure to the loud and constant noise of the older large mainframe computers with which he worked, he lost a great deal of his hearing very rapidly, resulting in a severe (bordering on profound) hearing loss. As a consequence, he had to cease working in this field.
In order to cope with his hearing loss, he either helped to start or became involved with a number of organizations associated with hearing loss (both Deaf and Hard of Hearing).
In addition, David enrolled in a Master’s degree program Rehabilitation Counseling: Deafness (RCD), earning a MS. He did his internship at the Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH) national office in Bethesda, MD - now known as Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).
His most recent employment was as the Executive Director of Southwest Washington Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SWCDHH).
David and Ron Leavitt have known each other and worked together on various projects benefitting individuals with hearing loss for 25 years.
Russ Brand , Board Member
Born in San Bernardino, Ca; attended primary and secondary education in Rosemead, California. I attended Cal State for two years and Pasadena City College for one year with social science as my interest. Throughout, I worked and played baseball in many amateur organizations, culminating in semi-pro ball.
I went on to become an electrical Lineman. As an avocation I have studied and promoted human rights. My interests are history, sociology, current events, and archeology as they apply to improving the human condition.
Much of my time has been spent as a family man and home remodeler. I have 4 kids and 7 grandchildren. After retirement I have traveled extensively in the US and Canada on my Harley with Oz, my equally fanatic dog.
I value the virtues and the following principals: the unity and peace of mankind upheld by a just, representative world government; a universal auxiliary language; the elimination of all forms of prejudice; universal compulsory education, independent investigation of truth, the essential harmony of science and religion, and the common foundation of all religions. I believe that the solution to our economic problem is a spiritual one; it is achieved through the education and development of the higher nature of man, where intent is driven by the virtues.
My hearing has been impaired since at least 30 years of age. It has steadily declined due to hereditary hearing loss, not helped by occupational insult.
Kevin Marshall, Board Member
Born, raised and graduated from high school in The Dalles, Oregon, I then attended Lewis & Clark College, in Portland, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. I next attended Colorado State College in Greeley and earned an MA in Counseling Psychology and an Ed.S. (second Masters) in Rehabilitation Counseling. After this I secured my first job as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the State of Oregon. After five-plus years, I returned to Colorado to the University of Northern Colorado (same school, different name) and earned a Doctorate in Rehabilitation Psychology.
After completing my program I was hired to start up and direct the new RCD Master’s Degree program at Oregon College of Education (now WOU), training rehabilitation counselors to work with deaf and hearing impaired persons. After five-plus years I left to enter private practice in counseling and rehabilitation and later accepted an offer to become the regional director for Goodwill Industries in Salem. In 1998, I accepted a position with Workforce Northwest, a Dallas not-for-profit rehabilitation company to be their Rehabilitation Director and then the Executive Director. Workforce was acquired in 2007, by Garten Services, a large Salem not-for-profit, and I was retained to develop and subsequently fill a rehabilitation and disability compliance position.
I have served as board-member and/or a volunteer for several positions including: Dallas City Council (1995 – present), Jensen Arctic Museum—Board member& past president (1998 – present), Red Cross (Willamette)---Board member (2002—2006), Dallas Park & Recreation--- Board member (1998 – 2006), Western Oregon University Foundation--- Board member (2003 – 2006), Dallas Rotary—member & past president (1998-present), and Dallas First Citizen (2002), by Dallas Chamber of Commerce..
I have been happily married to Carolyn for 25 years, have two children, four grandchildren and a dog named Reilly.
Rich VanWinkle, Board Member
Born in Mansfield Ohio, attended high school and my first two years of college in Columbus Ohio. After 4 years in the USAF (SERE instructor), I finished my BAs in Industrial Engineering and Secondary Education at Eastern Washington University (1977). I taught at The Dalles High School (Oregon) from 1977-1983 and began teaching part-time at “Treaty Oak CCSD” (now Columbia Gorge Community College). By 1980, I was CGCC’s “Program Manager” for both the Welding Department and the Computer Science Department, teaching high school during the days and college at night. Soon thereafter, we were turning out certified welders (under the PCC certificate program) and certified micro-computer specialists under Oregon’s first such programs (which I authored, got approved, and administered). Then, things got hectic.
In 1983 I took a sabbatical while my then-wife finished her degree at U of O, and took the job of “Director of Technical Development” at the S.E.E. Corporation – an interesting enterprise started and operated by John David Garcia, author of “Psychofraud”, “The Moral Society”, “Creative Transformation”, and others. Having been bitten by the entrepreneur bug, I started Cherry Computers (Inc), co-founded ACS Software Company, FarmFax, CES Software, and IT Management Services.
I entered semi-retirement in 1994, travelled around the world, founded a non-profit named “The Human Future” (TheHumanFuture.net), and began writing (RichWritings.com). I formally retired (as in taking my “pension”) in 2005. I stay fairly current in several technologies and occasionally consult for former businesses, favorite clients, good friends and family. I serve on the Board of Directors for several companies and a few organizations, and still find time for skiing, climbing, diving, travel, and my latest undertaking – getting my private pilot’s license.
I value productive relationships and good people. Although I stay plenty busy, I welcome the opportunity to join with others in synergistic interaction towards shared purpose. Let’s find a worthwhile goal and work together to achieve it.
David Curry , Board Member
Through my friendship with Ron Leavitt , David Viers and others I have developed, over the past 25, years an appreciation for the problems of people with hearing impairments. Much has been accomplished and much is left to do.
My professional background includes teaching at the high school level, tutoring adults and planning and presenting conferences and workshops for teachers and administrators. I have assisted the Oregon State Board of Education in developing guidelines for student rights and responsibilities and guidelines for competency based high school graduation requirements. I served as coordinator for a statewide research study comparing high school graduates and GED graduates
I have been employed by the Mt. Vernon and Gresham School Districts, the Oregon Dept. of Education, the Northwest Assoc. of Schools and Colleges Commission on Schools and the Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Services District. I have also been a consultant on School Improvement for the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory.
In retirement I serve as a volunteer teacher, tutor and coach. I help with the Vamos program in Mexico, the Chemeketa CC literacy volunteer program in Polk County and the debate team at Sprague H.S. in Salem.
Carol Flexer, Ph.D., Board Member
Audiologist – Distinguished Professor Emeritus, The University of Akron and NE Ohio Au.D. Consortium (NOAC)
Carol Flexer received her doctorate in audiology from Kent State University in 1982. She was at The University of Akron for 25 years as a Distinguished Professor of Audiology in the School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Special areas of expertise include pediatric and educational audiology. She continues to lecture extensively nationally and internationally and has authored more than 150 publications.
Dr. Flexer’s talks, seminars, and workshops focus on the development and expansion of listening, speaking and literacy skills in infants and children, including those with all degrees of hearing loss. She is licensed as an audiologist and holds the CCC/A and the LSLS Cert. AVT.