Gallaudet Appoints Deafness/Disability Scholar and Finance Executive to Board of Trustees

From: Gallaudet (press release) - May 22, 2003

For Immediate Release

May 22, 2003

Contact: Mike Kaika, Director of Media Relations

Phone: 202-651-5050

Email: mike.kaika@gallaudet.edu

Gallaudet Appoints Deafness/Disability Scholar and Finance Executive to Board of Trustees

Washington, DC—Dr. Glenn Anderson, chair of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees, announced the appointment of two new members: Dr. Brenda Jo Brueggemann, an associate professor at The Ohio State University, and Mr. Christopher D. Sullivan, III, vice president, manager, of Merrill Lynch's Special Needs Financial Services.

Dr. Brueggemann is an associate professor in the Department of English and author of "Lend Me Your Ear: Rhetorical Constructions of Deafness." She has done extensive research on disability issues and has won numerous awards and honors for her work. She is director of the First-Year Writing Program, co-coordinator of the American Sign Language Program and co-coordinator of The Disability Studies Minor at OSU. Brueggemann received her Ph.D., in 1992 from the University of Louisville in English/Rhetoric and Composition.

Mr. Sullivan received his bachelor's degree from Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisc. He began working for Merrill Lynch in 1987 as a technical analyst and shortly thereafter, convinced Merrill Lynch to create a program designed to address the communication needs of deaf and hard of hearing people. In addition, Sullivan has guided Merrill Lynch in establishing a national program providing referrals to interpreters, closed-caption financial services videotapes, TTY access, and a series of educational seminars. These efforts resulted in serving over 5,100 deaf and hard of hearing clients with total assets exceeding $765 million. In 1996, he inaugurated the Blind and Visually Impaired Service and in 1999, established the Families of Children with Disabilities Program.

"The University is extremely fortunate to have Dr. Brueggemann and Mr. Sullivan on our Board of Trustees," said Dr. Anderson. "They not only bring high levels of expertise and diversified experience in their respective fields, but also energy and enthusiasm."

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