Board of Directors
We are so grateful to the talented group of individuals who serve on our Board of Directors! Our board and staff include parents, professionals, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing adults from all across Texas. We strive for board representation that reflects diverse perspectives, unique family experiences, a variety of communication modalities, and unwavering commitment to unbiased support. In alignment with our mission, parents make up 51% or more of any H&V chapter board to ensure we are offering authentic parent perspectives in all of our programs and support.
Interested in being on the Board of Directors? Applications are being accepted for the 2023-2024 term. Download the application and email it to office@txhv.org.
Officers: 2023-2024
Rachel Rakunas
President (Interim) and Treasurer
Parent- RRakunas@txhv.org
Rachel Rakunas lives in the Houston area. She is the mother of two children, one of whom is deaf. She found a Parent Guide through Guide By Your Side when her daughter was born and diagnosed with hearing loss. Rachel found the support from the Parent Guide to be incredibly helpful! She is now using her background in finance and accounting to give back to other families touched by hearing loss. Rachel works in corporate tax, owns a small business, and joined the Texas Hands and Voices board in 2022 as Treasurer. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and traveling.
Sarah Wainscott Ph.D., CCC-A, CED
Vice President
Parent/Professional - SWainscott@txhv.org
Dr. Sarah Wainscott lives in North Texas and has been involved with the board of Texas Hands & Voices since 2012. Sarah is an audiologist and an associate professor at Texas Woman’s University. She trains professionals in speech-language pathology and deaf education and pursues research in areas of early language intervention and interdisciplinary practices. Sarah and her husband, Bill, are parents of five (nearly) grown children, two of whom are Deaf. They often partner in parent advocacy and training activities for Texas families. Sarah is committed to connecting families and professionals, and helping families to navigate systems and services, which is why she is invested in Texas Hands & Voices. She also loves camping adventures, children’s literature, and beekeeping.
Sara Smith
Secretary
Parent - SSmith@txhv.org
Sara Smith lives in Houston Area with her husband and four children, two of whom are deaf. She has been involved with TXH&V since 2017 as a Parent & Outreach Guide and transitioned to the Board in 2023. She finds joy in connecting with and supporting other parents as well as professionals encountered on the journey and through her roles with TXH&V. Most days you will find Sara substitute teaching or facilitating communication in deaf ed classrooms. Her family enjoys outdoor activities, accessible community events, and game nights.
Edgenie Bellah
Member at large
Professional- EBellah@txhv.org
Edgenie Bellah joined the Texas Hands & Voices Board in 2023. She lives in the Central Texas area with her husband, Robert. Together, they have three sons and two daughters-in-law who share their love for adventures, food, and service. Edgenie is part of the Texas Deafblind Project team, serving as the Family Engagement Coordinator since 2002. In this role, she has had the honor of collaborating with families who keep her passionate about community and family leadership. Her partnership with Texas Hands & Voices through the years has given her multiple opportunities to witness how the organization consistently lives out the mission and vision through the variety of services offered. She is excited to serve on the board and is eager to discover ways she can contribute to the ongoing success of Texas Hands & Voices!
Dori Butts
Member at Large
Parent/Professional-DButts@txhv.org
Dori Butts lives in the Coleman area on a ranch with her husband and two children. Dori lived in Midland for 11 years before moving to the ranch in 2022. Both of her children are also deaf. She worked as a NICU nurse and later became a Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher after starting the journey through hearing difference with her children. Dori is passionate about advocating for children and their needs and creating a community for families to grow and support each other. While in Midland, she was a reading intervention teacher and a parent infant advisor for the local RDSPD program. Dori joined the TXH&V board in 2024 and looks forward to finding ways to enhance resources and support for West TX and rural families. In her free time she loves spending time with family, her many animals and in the garden.
Sara Covert
Member at Large
DHH Adult/Professional - SCovert@txhv.org
Sara Covert lives in Montgomery with her husband Timothy of 15 years, along with their dog Yuko and cat Oscar. Sara became Hard of Hearing at the age of 14 months due to meningitis. Sara has been an Itinerant Teacher of Deaf and Hard of Hearing for 12 years. As a teacher, Sara also advocates and guides her students in their education. She revels in working as a team with families and school professionals to better support the child. Sara’s favorite quote from Helen Keller is “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”. Sara started out as a Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) Guide from Texas Hands & Voices' Guide By Your Side program. After being a DHH Guide for two years, Sara became a Board Member for Texas Hands & Voices. Sara believes families and professionals should have access to resources to help the child have a positive experience along their journey.
Corrina Calzada
Member at Large
Parent-CCalzada@txhv.org
Mari Hubig
Member at Large
Professional- MHubig@txhv.org
Mari Hubig lives west of Fort Worth in Parker County with her cats Oreo and Shadow. She returned to live in North Texas in 2022 after living in the Austin area for 28 years. She joined the board of Texas Hands & Voices in 2023. Mari has been a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing for over 30 years, and the majority of her years of service have been focused on working with families of infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Currently, Mari is the Texas Sensory Support Network Early Intervention Specialist at Education Service Center Region 11 in Fort Worth. In her current position, Mari supports, trains, and coaches teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, teachers of students with visual impairments, and certified orientation and mobility specialists who are working with families through early intervention. Mari joined Texas Hands & Voices so that she can continue to support families and their children with hearing differences. In her spare time, Mari gardens, reads, crochets, and spends time with her two nieces who live nearby.
Staff
Jennifer Peterson, Executive Director
Parent/Professional– jpeterson@txhv.org
With over 20 years of experience in nonprofits and marketing agencies, Jennifer leads strategic communications and outreach efforts to increase visibility and advance mission-driven organizations.
Most recently, Jennifer served as the Director of Communications for St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, and prior to that, as the Director of Public Relations & Strategic Partnerships for Any Baby Can. As a communications leader she cultivated strong community partnerships, generated cohesive communications campaigns, built relationships with media and influencers, managed thought leadership initiatives and led impactful teams.
Jennifer has had a long history with Texas Hands & Voices, previously serving as the Statewide Outreach Coordinator, a Parent Guide and as the President of the Board of Directors. She also co-led grass-roots efforts resulting in the passing of an insurance mandate for coverage of children’s assistive listening devices in 2017, was the Keynote Speaker for the Texas Academy of Audiology and a presenter at statewide and national conferences. Early in her career she worked for an educational association, a marketing service firm and a boutique advertising agency. All of which refined her skills as a dynamic writer, public speaker, relationship-builder, and problem-solver.
Throughout her career, Jennifer has worked for organizations focused on children and families, showing a passion for communicating the great work they were doing for the community. A native Austinite and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she thrives on serving her community while raising her two sons.
Teresa Dang, Program Coordinator, Guide by Your Side
Parent/Professional - tdang@txhv.org
Teresa Dang is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and resides in the Austin area with her husband and their two children, one with a hearing difference and one hearing. Before joining the Texas Hands & Voices team, she was a science teacher and AVID program coordinator at Round Rock Independent School District. With one of the most enjoyable aspects of her life being building connections within a community through shared experiences and the transference of knowledge, Teresa is excited to further TXHV’s mission and vision to provide unbiased support to families with children who are deaf and hard of hearing. You can find her enjoying life with her family, traveling, practicing calligraphy, playing the piano, and reading books until past midnight.
Michaela Hamaker, Project Manager
Parent/Professional - mhamaker@txhv.org
Michaela Hamaker lives in the greater Austin area with her husband and their children, two of whom are Deaf. Michaela became the Texas Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side Coordinator in 2016 and served in that role until 2023. Before becoming part of the TXHV team, Michaela worked as a teacher and as an assistant director for a youth soccer program. Michaela loves the mission of Hands & Voices and is passionate about providing families with resources and support so they can help their children thrive! She loves seeing families connect, come together and build support networks in their own communities. In her free time, Michaela enjoys reading, gardening and spending time with her family.