We are extremely pleased to be able to offer the following slate. Below are nominations received. All nominees have agreed to serve:
- President Elect — Tracy Rackensberger
- Vice President, Finance Affairs — Sarah Blackstone
- Vice President, People Who Use AAC and Families
- Director, Professional Affairs — Betsy Caporale
- Director, Public Information — Lois Jean Brady
Here is additional information about each (short bios) nominee:
President Elect
Tracy Rackensberger
Tracy Rackensperger, Ph.D. holds a doctoral degree in Social Foundations of Education as well as a public service faculty position within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Institute on Human Development and Disability at the University of Georgia. Dr. Rackensperger has published scholarly works regarding AAC and is a frequent presenter at national conferences on assistive technology. Dr. Rackensperger has expertly used AAC for over 35 years.
Vice President, Financial Affairs
Sarah Blackstone
A founder of USSAAC, Sarah remains deeply committed to addressing barriers to communication ACCESS across settings, circumstances and communication partners.
She served on several non-profit boards and recently stepped down from NIDCD’s Council. Sarah is principal investigator of The Bridge School project, Cortical Visual Impairment and Children who use AAC. She co-chairs USSAAC’s Disaster Relief Committee.
Vice President, People who use AAC and their Families
Director, Professional Affairs
Betsy Caporale
Betsy Caporale, M.S., CCC-SLP, AAC/AT Specialist. Betsy has been working in the field of AAC/AT for over 20 years. In 2006 she earned her Competency Certificate in Communication Assistive Technology Applications from The National Association of State Directors of Special Education and was awarded an Assistive Technology Specialty Certificate in Communication Services from the University of South Florida. She has presented nationally and internationally on topics related to Autism and Complex Communication Needs. While working for the California Department of Education, Northern California Diagnostic Center she developed and taught an AAC Assessment and Services Certification Course, certifying over 200 speech-language pathologists serving students in educational settings. Betsy is the owner of Augmentative Communication Solutions, a private practice supporting students and school districts in California.
Director, Public Information
Lois Jean Brady
Lois is a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist, Certified Autism Specialist (CAS) & Assistive Technology Specialist. She is a recipient of a National Science Foundation/Small Business Research and Innovation (NSF/SBIR) Grant, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and winner of three assistive technology Hack-a-thons, Benjamin Franklin Award for Apps for Autism and an Ursula Award for Autism TodayTV. She partnered with Microsoft to add features of artificial intelligence (AI) to InnerVoice Communication App. Lois is currently a member of USSAAC’s Disaster Relief Committee and is on the Board of Directors for the California Communications Access Foundation & Board of Advisors for the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards.