Nina Alphin Butts was born deaf and attended Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf (ENCSD) in Wilson, NC from preschool through the 7 th grade. She then attended her local public school from 8 th grade through 12 th grade with the assistance of ASL interpreters. She attended Campbell University, in Buies Creek, NC and graduated Cum Laude in 2004 with both B.S. of Accounting and Master of Business Administration degrees. Nina began work in August 2004 with Oscar N. Harris & Associates, PA accounting firm as a staff accountant while also studying for the CPA exam. In 2007, she earned her CPA license and continued to take on more responsibility at the firm.

November 2017 saw the merger of the business with Bernard Robinson & Company (BRC), a leading North Carolina accounting, tax and advisory firm. She left BRC in September 2022 to establish her own CPA practice primarily serving the deaf community. She has 21 years of experience in various areas of financial accounting and reporting, tax preparation, nonprofit accounting and assurance services.

Nina and her husband Ray Butts, married since June 2004, are the parents of two beautiful and talented daughters. She enjoys spending time with her family, especially attending school sporting events, plays, and various activities in which her daughters
are involved. Nina enjoys serving in various roles in her church including Treasurer, Women Ministries and Nursery Ministry. She established and is also a leader in its Deaf Ministry. Hobbies include spending time at the lake, traveling, hiking and snow skiing.

She has worked with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and served as its CPA since 2019. She is excited about her new role as Chief Financial Officer and looks forward to helping them continue to serve the deaf community.

Drake first joined the NAD as a Skadden Fellow before transitioning into a full-time staff attorney. His project focuses on advocating for access to programs and services for deaf families and deaf children in the child welfare system in the United States and thereby reducing inappropriate referrals, inaccessible services, erroneous foster placements that contribute to family dysfunction, unjustified permanent separations on the basis of disability, and discrimination against qualified deaf parents seeking to foster and/or adopt. Prior to joining the NAD, Drake worked at Sidley Austin and the Department of Justice. Drake holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. In his free time, Drake enjoys watching Netflix documentaries, trying new restaurants, and going for walks with his dog.

Claudia is a dedicated and passionate professional who is driven by unwavering enthusiasm and a strong commitment to positively impacting the lives of young individuals. With a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a minor in Family and Child Studies from Gallaudet University, Claudia’s journey began with an internship working with the Educational Policy Counsel at the NAD, where her passion for volunteering and community service took root. She coordinated conferences such as the National Deaf Education Conference and the National Deaf People of Color Conference while advocating for deaf students in K-12 and Higher Education. Claudia’s dedication to making a difference led her to earn a Master’s degree in Early Language Advocacy. Beyond her professional pursuits, Claudia finds joy in watching TV shows, bouldering, trying new recipes, and caring for her plants. She also cherishes the company of her beloved cat, Theon. Claudia eagerly looks forward to collaborating with everyone involved in the NAD Youth Programs, empowering deaf youth leaders, and leveraging her diverse experiences and dedicated passion to create a lasting impact.

Marla Hatrak, Ph.D., has a Master’s in Early Childhood Education with a Specialization in Public Policy and Advocacy and a PhD in Educational Policy, Leadership, & Management. A lifelong advocate, she has always been involved with local, state, and national activities advocating for signed language acquisition and English literacy for all deaf children. She was a co-founder of Alliance for Language and Literacy for Deaf Children (ALL for Deaf Children) to host monthly book readings and holiday parties. As Chair of Policy and Advocacy Committee for California Association of the Deaf (CAD), she was co-editor for the 2017 report, The Road to Kindergarten Readiness: Language Policy for Deaf Children Ages 0-5 and a 2021 report, Re-Thinking Auditory Deprivation. More recently, she is a Fellow with the Zero-to-Three organization. Today, she remains dedicated to ensuring that deaf babies have access to both American Sign Language and English literacy so they are kindergarten-ready.

Brittany is the Director of Legal Services with the NAD. She focuses primarily on civil rights litigation filed on behalf of deaf and hard of hearing individuals to enforce federal antidiscrimination laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Prior to joining the NAD, Brittany worked as a senior litigation associate and trial attorney for Eisenberg & Baum, LLP’s Law Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing in New York City, where she also concentrated her practice on the protection of rights of deaf and hard of hearing persons under local, state and federal law. Prior to becoming a civil litigator, Brittany was a juvenile delinquency prosecutor for the City of New York. Brittany’s experience prosecuting sex crimes and major crimes shaped her into a compassionate advocate with the ability to effectively represent and communicate with individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Brittany holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia where she dual majored in East Asian Studies and Financial Economics and minored in World Religion. She spent summers studying at East China Normal University in Shanghai, China and at Oxford in England. Brittany also holds a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law with a concentration in Child and Family Advocacy. In addition to English and American Sign Language, Brittany also has proficiency in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. In her free time, Brittany enjoys musicals, traveling and spending quality time with family.

Jason joined the NAD shortly after it won the first grant award in 1991. His experiences have included the administration of staff in as many as 58 media libraries across the United States. He has also been responsible for computer and Internet operations resulting in first-ever advancements in accessible media delivery and retrieval. One example of such is the decade-old, yet-to-be emulated Internet-based media cataloging, classifying, and scheduling system to meet the needs of persons who are sensory disabled, their families, and the professionals who work with them. His management skills resulted in the federally funded Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) being dubbed the “Netflix of education.” Additional pioneering accomplishments include his planning and design of systems that delivered the first streaming of captioned classic movies as well as the first provision of a free-loan service of streamed captioned and described educational media. Two degrees from the University of South Carolina in business administration and information systems management were the foundation for the development of his innovative technology leadership that not only resulted in government savings of millions of dollars over the past twenty years, but also brought significant improvements in multimedia access and expansion of services to disabled children in the U.S. For two decades he has been immersed in Web site accessibility issues, consulting with programs across the country in a mutual quest for equal access.

Alexander is as a Staff Attorney with the Law and Advocacy Center at the NAD. Alexander will be supporting the NAD’s legal intake system and will be involved with litigation in which the NAD participates. He self-identifies as a person with cross-disabilities (Deaf wheelchair user). He was born in California and grew up in Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, in 2016; his Master of Public Administration degree at American University in Washington, District of Columbia, in 2018; and his Juris Doctor (law) degree at American University Washington College of Law in Washington, District of Columbia, in 2022. His specialized interest is disability rights as he strives to contribute to a more accessible and inclusive society for all. Alexander looks forward to supporting the NAD’s efforts in advocating for Deaf and hard of hearing people in the United States. In his spare time, he loves to build LEGO models, travel and explore, play video games, go to the movie theater, visit museums, and socialize with friends. He has a corgi, golden retriever, and two cats with his parents.