The work of the NAD Board of Directors is supported by its standing, strategic, and ad-hoc committees listed below. For more information about a specific committee, you can contact the NAD.
Section Committees
| DeafBlind Section | This section is composed of DeafBlind individuals throughout the nation. This section seeks to improve the lives of DeafBlind Americans by advocating for equal rights and appropriate ASL communication access in any DeafBlind related matters | Tyese Wright |
| Deaf Culture and History Section (DCHS) | This section is a resource and education center providing deaf-related information regarding culture, history, and the arts. Preserving Deaf Culture and History throughout the nation by working with and supporting deaf school museums, deaf-related museums, deaf organizations, and individual members. | Linsay Darnall Jr. |
| Interpreter Section | Interpreter Section seeks to provide support to the deaf community as allies by advocating for equal rights and ASL communication access in interpreting related matters. | Milmaglyn Morales |
| LGBTQ | LGBTQ Section seeks to improve the lives of Deaf LGBT Americans by advocating for equal rights and ASL communication access in LGBT related matters including socio-political events, community service providers and government entities at all levels. | Jacob Leffler |
| Youth Section (NADYS) | NADYS Section seeks to advocate the youth by empowering them, connecting them to opportunities, and having them thrive in the community. | Justin Cha |
| National Deaf Education Section | The Education Section will support the mission of the NAD when it comes to the bilingual and multicultural education of deaf and hard of hearing children through various efforts, mainly through hosting the annual National Deaf Education Conference. Membership will be composed of various stakeholders, including teachers, paraprofessionals, parents/family members, administrators and other professions in the field. | Michelle Cline |
| Seniors Section | Seniors Section seeks to deal the issues concerning the elderly issues such as housing, medical, social security, legal and other communication barriers. | Steve Hamerdinger |
Board Committees
| Affiliate Workgroup | Affiliate Workgroup is going to be a support group for the Affiliate Board Members. This support group will consist of a small group of people (up to 3) to work with the Affiliate Board Members. | Tyese Wright & Justin Cha |
| Bylaws | This committee focuses on the upkeep of the NAD bylaws. Often at times, this committee will review bylaws and see if any further changes are necessary based on the times that we live in these days. If any changes are needed, the committee will be responsible for drafting up a proposal for COR. | Jacob Leffler |
| CDI Taskforce | This committee's goal is to develop resources and information to share with the community about the benefits of Deaf Interpreters in their daily lives at work, medical appointments, etc. | Jenny Buechner & Kevin Ryan |
| Dismantling Racism Taskforce | Priority 2020 | Kirsten Poston & Stephanie Hakulin |
| Diversity Strategy Team (DST) | This committee is made up of a team of individuals that will work with the NAD Board in terms of providing resources and input with any issues that may require the lens of diversity/inclusion as per our diversity statement. | Amy Gomme, Melissa Draganac-Hawk, Tyese Wright |
| Election Reform | This committee is a new committee which will focus on improving and reforming the election process for future NAD elections, starting with 2022 Elections at COR. | Melissa Draganac-Hawk |
| Equity in Deaf Education | Priority 2020 | Laura Kim |
| Finance | This committee is usually chaired by the Treasurer. This committee focuses on all things financial related for NAD. | Michelle Cline |
| Foster Care Bill | Priority 2020 | James "Dino" Christanson |
| Former Board Members Section | This section is composed of any Former Board Members who choose to join this particular section. The goal for this section is pretty much to support the NAD board with fundraisers. | Laura Kim |
| Governance | This committee is responsible for the rules, norms, and actions of the NAD board. This consists of Board Policy Manual, Policies, and Guidelines. This committee also is responsible for Council of Representatives (COR). | Lisa Rose |
| Interpreting Referral Agency Credentials (IRAC) Taskforce | This committee is responsible for developing a Job Description for an individual to lead the feasibility study for NAD Interpreter Credentialing, developing a report for community regarding the progress of Interpreter Credentialing, and developing a position statement on the minimum standards for Federal, state, local and institution-wide regulations and policies. | Executive Board |
| Justice | This committee is responsible for developing a campaign that will create awareness about the lack of communication access (with police officers/justice system), possible violations of the US Constitutional Amendment 8, spotlight current, ongoing efforts to promote equal access, develop a national training for law enforcement on working with Deaf, Deaf Person of Color, Deaf LGBTQ+, DeafBlind, Deaf with other disabilities, underprivileged Deaf individuals, and other Deaf underrepresented groups. | Executive Board |
| Language Deprivation (Family Campaign) | Priority 2020 | Milmaglyn Morales |
| Outreach | This committee was set up with the vision of becoming more of a liaison between HQ and the Board in terms of developing a stronger membership base and a way to increase funds for NAD by coming up with fundraisers and implementing them. | Amy Gomme |
| Public Policy | This committee was set up to develop policies and position statements for various different areas; Civil Rights, Bioethics, Mental Health, Media, Technology, Employment, and Education. These listed above are subcommittees under this committee. However, with Policy Insitute being handled at HQ, this committee now has experts who serve on a as needed basis for certain areas. | |
| Public Safety | This committee is responsible for developing position statements and improve communication accessibility for the Deaf community interacting with those who are working in the fields of law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency medicine. | Executive Board |
| Rapid Response Team (RRT) | This team is composed of a small group of NAD board to stay on top of any urgent/sensitive issues that may require a quick draft of a response from the NAD to said issue. | Linsay Darnall Jr. |
| Strategic Structure Planning | This committee is committed to developing a strategic plan for the NAD in the coming years to come. Often at times, this is where we plan for 5 years. But this is not a set amount of years. This can have different focuses. | Linsay Darnall Jr. |
| Taskforce on Aging | This taskforce is responsible for gathering and sharing information, analyzing research and data, promoting and publishing on the website all the relevant information that will benefit everyone involved in elderly care including seniors, family, caretakers, retirement communities, medical practitioners and providers, and others. | Kevin Ryan |
| VRI | This committee focuses on developing position statements for appropriate settings and use of VRI in various locations--healthcare, judicial system, and more. | Executive Board |
| VR | This committee focuses on working with Federal and State agencies in collecting data to ensure that service provision is clarified and maximized for Deaf individuals in respect to current Federal laws/regularions (e.g., Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, WIOA/Order of Selection, OOS). | Executive Board |
| SAAC | This committee is composed of four individuals from respective regions (1-4) to further develop resources that will support our State Associations and Affiliates in how they can best support their association/organization. Work involves SAAC Toolkit and Mentorship Program. | James "Dino" Christianson & Michelle Cline |