Presenter Bios

Krista Heavner, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVT, is a Cochlear Implant Consumer Specialist for Advanced Bionics, providing support and education for cochlear implant candidates, recipients and professionals in the southeast...Krista Heavner, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVT, is a Cochlear Implant Consumer Specialist for Advanced Bionics, providing support and education for cochlear implant candidates, recipients and professionals in the southeast part of the U.S. Prior to this position, Krista was a consultant for children with hearing loss with the Division of Exceptional Children, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She has experience both in the educational and clinical settings teaching... Read More >

Kumar Viswanathan has worked in financial services for more than 10 years in the areas of regulatory reporting, risk management and enterprise information management. Kumar joined the regulatory reporting team in the...Kumar Viswanathan has worked in financial services for more than 10 years in the areas of regulatory reporting, risk management and enterprise information management. Kumar joined the regulatory reporting team in the controllers division of SMBC in 2020. Read More >

Kunal Mahajan has been in the investment banking field for 13 years within the leveraged finance industry. He joined SMBC in the Americas in 2017 in their Leveraged Finance Group and...Kunal Mahajan has been in the investment banking field for 13 years within the leveraged finance industry. He joined SMBC in the Americas in 2017 in their Leveraged Finance Group and is also part of their corporate development team. As a lifelong person with a stuttering disability. Kunal founded SMBC’s Mental Health, Neurodiversity, and Disabilities Enterprise Resource Group called UNIQUE in June 2019. He co-chairs this employee resource group and helps... Read More >

Kym Meyer is an educational audiologist and certified teacher. She is also a Ph.D. student in Special Education at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She has worked in a variety of environments,...Kym Meyer is an educational audiologist and certified teacher. She is also a Ph.D. student in Special Education at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She has worked in a variety of environments, including teaching at the Helen Keller National Center, and providing audiology services on the cochlear implant team at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. She has been at The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, Massachusetts since 1994, in... Read More >

Larry Bauer is a senior regulatory drug expert with Hyman, Phelps, & McNamara, P.C. and assists medical product industry and patient advocacy organization clients in a wide range of regulatory...Larry Bauer is a senior regulatory drug expert with Hyman, Phelps, & McNamara, P.C. and assists medical product industry and patient advocacy organization clients in a wide range of regulatory matters, including new drug and biologic development and approval issues. Prior to this position, he worked at the FDA in CDER’s Rare Diseases Program working on policy, education, and science related to rare disease drug development and 17 years at... Read More >

Laurel Rodewald serves as the Foundation Programs Manager for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, where she oversees the Foundation’s external relationships, including the National Coalition, the Impact Councils, the Innovation Grants Program,...Laurel Rodewald serves as the Foundation Programs Manager for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, where she oversees the Foundation’s external relationships, including the National Coalition, the Impact Councils, the Innovation Grants Program, and the Dole Caregiver Fellows. Laurel interned for the Foundation during the summer of 2014, where she assisted in writing and compiling a grant proposal for the Foundation. She has since interned for a political consulting firm, her university’s study... Read More >

Linda Kozma-Spytek is a consultant and professional adviser to HLAA on technology. She currently co-leads the Industry Consumer Alliance for Accessible Technology (ICAAT) project under the auspices of the Deaf/Hard of...Linda Kozma-Spytek is a consultant and professional adviser to HLAA on technology. She currently co-leads the Industry Consumer Alliance for Accessible Technology (ICAAT) project under the auspices of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Technology Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (DHH Tech RERC) at Gallaudet University. Before coming to HLAA, she was a senior research audiologist at Gallaudet University where she co-directed the DHH Tech RERC for seven years and co-led the Network of... Read More >

Lise Hamlin joined the Hearing Loss Association of America’s (HLAA) national staff as director of public policy in April 2008. Ms. Hamlin, who has a hearing loss herself, has worked...Lise Hamlin joined the Hearing Loss Association of America’s (HLAA) national staff as director of public policy in April 2008. Ms. Hamlin, who has a hearing loss herself, has worked as an advocate for people with hearing loss for 25 years. She currently represents HLAA on federal advisory committees such as the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) and TSA’s Disability and Multicultural Coalition, industry advisory groups, including AT&T’s Advisory Panel... Read More >

Loretta Byrne is a research services consultant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the project manager for the national NCATS-funded platform, ResearchMatch.org. Previous to this role, Loretta served as a...Loretta Byrne is a research services consultant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the project manager for the national NCATS-funded platform, ResearchMatch.org. Previous to this role, Loretta served as a research nurse specialist, and recruited for and conducted clinical trials in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at VUMC for twelve years. Loretta began her career in nursing at Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center and is also experienced in Med/Surg and... Read More >