HEARING LOSS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
March 3, 2008, Bethesda, Maryland: Brenda
Battat, M.A., of Bethesda, Maryland, has been named executive
director of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA),
the nation’s largest organization for people with hearing
loss. She officially assumed the title and duties on March
3, 2008, having been unanimously chosen for the position
by the HLAA Board of Trustees at their February 29-March
2 meeting in Bethesda.
Ms. Battat brings a wealth of experience to the position
having joined the HLAA national staff in 1989. She has been
deputy executive director and served as acting executive
director on three interim occasions. She brings this experience
to the position as well as her personal exposure to hearing
loss as a user of a cochlear implant and a hearing aid.
Ms. Battat is well known among her
peers in the field of hearing loss, disability access,
and key industry, government, and hearing health professions.
Her collaborative approach to advocacy and finding common
ground among consumers, industry, and government is well
known and respected. Among her
most noted accomplishments at HLAA is her work on
hearing-aid-compatible mobile and cordless phones and Internet
captioned telephone.
Her skills as a leader are well recognized by her colleagues,
national staff, and HLAA leaders and members who trust her
judgment and avidly seek her advice. As a leader with a unique
intelligent common-sense approach , plus a faculty for teamwork,
she is a proven strength of the organization.
Battat says after a successful tenure with HLAA:
“I am ready to take on the challenge of leading this great organization
in a changing world where hearing loss is burgeoning, technology exploding,
and social networking a way of life. Nothing in today’s society is business
as usual, with the exception of the stigma of using hearing aids and we have
to change that.”
Ms. Battat holds a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy
with 15 years working in the field in Europe and North America.
She holds a master’s degree in counseling from Indiana
University. She is married to Joe Battat and lives in Bethesda.
They have two grown children Anna and James.
Anne T. Pope, president of the HLAA Board of Trustees commented:
“The Board of Trustees is delighted that Brenda Battat has agreed to
become the next executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America.
Brenda is unequalled as an advocate for people with hearing loss. For almost
20 years, she has been a key leader in securing federal legislation and regulation
to accommodate our challenges, and has taught thousands of our members how
to work for accessibility at the state and local levels.
“Millions of people with hearing
loss have benefited from her efforts. In the short time
that she has been acting executive director, we have seen
the same creativity, skill, and energy in her executive
leadership that has made her such an effective advocate.
We cannot imagine a better person to lead the organization
in educating the general public about hearing loss and
its challenges.”
About the Hearing Loss Association of America
The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), founded in
1979 by Rocky Stone as Self Help for Hard of Hearing People,
opens the world of communication to people with hearing
loss through information, education, advocacy and support.
HLAA publishes the bimonthly Hearing Loss Magazine,
holds annual conventions, Walk4Hearing, hosts
online learning with the Hearing Loss Academy, and more.
HLAA has more than 200 chapters and 14 state organizations.
Information can be found at www.hearingloss.org. The
national headquarters is located at 7910 Woodmont Avenue,
Suite 1200, Bethesda, MD 20814. Phone: 301.657.2248 (Voice
and TTY
