Andrew J. Lange Elected President, NAD Board of Directors Announcement

From: National Association of the Deaf - May 7, 2003

Andrew J. Lange Elected President
NAD Board of Directors Announcement

A News Release from the National Association of the Deaf
Release Date: May 5, 2003
For Immediate Release

Contact:
Anita Farb
Associate Executive Director, Administration
National Association of the Deaf
Email: nadinfo@nad.org
Voice: 301-587-1788
TTY: 301-587-1789
FAX: 301-587-1791

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Andrew J. Lange Elected President
NAD Board of Directors Announcement

SILVER SPRING, MD -- The Board of Directors of the National Association of
the Deaf (NAD) elected Andrew J. "Andy" Lange president at their May 2003
meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland, filling the vacancy resulting from the
resignation of former President Kent Kennedy. Lange will serve out the
remainder of Kennedy's term ending at the Biennial NAD Conference in Kansas
City in July 2004.

"While I am saddened by Kent's resignation due to personal reasons, I am
honored by the Board's confidence in my ability to lead the NAD and the
country in promoting, protecting, and preserving the rights and quality of
life of deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States of
America," stated Lange. "We have a very strong Board and Kent deserves much
credit for his years of service to the NAD and the community as a whole."

The NAD Board unanimously adopted a Proclamation expressing its gratitude
and appreciation for Kennedy's leadership and service to the deaf and hard
of hearing community. In recognition of their desire for Kennedy's skills
and expertise, they also voted him to the Board position of Appointed Member
At Large.

Read the Proclamation at:
http://www.nad.org/infocenter/newsroom/nadnews/kennedyresolution.html

The Board also appointed Lynn Z. Null of Tulsa, Oklahoma as Region III
Representative, to serve out the remainder of Lange's term ending at the
Biennial NAD Conference in Kansas City in July 2004. She is currently
President of the Oklahoma Association of the Deaf.

Asked why she did not step up to the presidency, Marilyn J. Smith, NAD Vice
President replied, "The NAD bylaws do not require that the Vice President
assume the presidency in the event of a vacancy. I am in the midst of a
capital campaign for my agency and the NAD deserves someone who can devote
far more time than I can." Smith continued, "I am thrilled that Andy has
agreed to step in and lead the Board as we face threats to the basic civil
rights of deaf and hard of hearing individuals. There is nobody better
suited to become NAD President today than Andy."

The NAD Board also took action on a number of items at the Board meeting
including approving the Fiscal Year 2004 budget, increasing individual
membership dues which will go into effect this fall, adopting an aggressive
fundraising plan for debt payoffs, and approving a position paper on mental
health services.

Andrew J. Lange's professional career spans more than thirteen years in the
telecommunications industry. He recently became Chief Operating Officer with
Handscomm, Inc., in Sacramento, California. Prior to this, Lange was Senior
Government Account Executive with Sprint Corporation, and he has also held
positions at CSD and AT&T.

Lange's community service spans the local, state, and national level- most
recently as Region III Representative on the NAD Board of Directors. He
currently serves as President of the Gallaudet University Alumni
Association. Previously he was Board Member (1991-94) and then President
(1995-97) of the Georgia Association of the Deaf. An active member of the
Association of Late Deafened Adults as well as TDI, he served as a member of
the 2001 TDI national conference committee. Lange was also Chair of the U.S.
Deaf Ski and Snowboard Association qualifying competitions in 2002.

Lange graduated from Gallaudet University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Business Administration and Data Processing. In 1995, he received
a Master's degree in Organizational Management from the University of
Phoenix.

Lange has a progressive hearing loss that began at the age of 14. He and his
siblings are the third generation of deaf members that include grandparents,
parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Lange and his wife, Sue, have a
13-year-old son, Eric. This summer, they will be relocating from Atlanta,
Georgia to the Sacramento, California area.

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About the NAD
Established in 1880, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is the
nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization safeguarding the
accessibility and civil rights of 28 million deaf and hard of hearing
Americans across a broad range of areas including education, employment,
health care, and telecommunications.

The NAD is a dynamic federation of 51 state association affiliates including
the District of Columbia, organizational affiliates, and national members.
Primary areas of focus include grassroots advocacy and empowerment, policy
development and research, legal assistance, captioned media, information and
publications, and youth leadership. 301-587-1789 TTY; 301-587-1788 Voice;
301-587-1791 FAX. More information about the NAD is available at
www.nad.org.

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