Clarke leaders bring specialized training, as well as academic, business and nonprofit expertise to the organization.
Shawn Naugle, MPA
President and CEO
Shawn Naugle was hired as the President & CEO of Clarke in July 2024. Shawn came to Clarke with more than 17 years of experience in non-profit leadership management, including a focus on advocating for the rights of children from many populations. Shawn holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Denver and a master of public administration degree from Strayer University. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Shawn led his previous organization to the school’s highest student enrollment in its 11-year history. He also grew their net assets by $15 million in a three-year period and delivered a 30% increase in community and business partnerships to support operations.
Martha deHahn
Chief of Staff
After having two children who are deaf, Martha and her husband were introduced to Clarke and benefited from an early foundation of Clarke support. With a degree in early childhood education, Martha worked at an early intervention center in central Massachusetts and was also the parent outreach coordinator for all families with a child who did not pass the hearing screening. Martha later joined Clarke as director of program information and outreach, and she is now the chief of staff reporting to Clarke’s president and CEO, Shawn Naugle. Her role includes supporting Shawn with strategic plan implementation and working closely with Clarke’s Board of Trustees.
Sheila Fortson, MS
Chief Communications Officer
Danielle Gantt, MS
Chief Financial Officer
Danielle comes to Clarke with over 16 years’ experience in non-profit leadership in finance and development operations, with a focus on education, social services and healthcare. Danielle holds a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in accounting from Texas A&M Commerce. Danielle has led a previous organization through growth periods that doubled budgets from $10M to $20M in two years, serving an additional 2,000 clients. Danielle has also optimized finance departments to deliver more timely and accurate reporting needed for decision-making. Most recently, Danielle was the CFO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
Andrea Harkins, MBA, SHRM-CP
Chief Human Resources Officer
Andrea holds an MBA in business administration with a human resources concentration from William Paterson University. She is also an SHRM-certified professional. With over 18 years of experience in human resources, Andrea has successfully led projects that have enhanced operational efficiency and improved employee satisfaction. Throughout her journey she has worked with a diverse range of nonprofit organizations, honing the ability to adapt to varying needs and emerging challenges.
Claudia Miner, PhD
Chief Development Officer
With more than 30 years of fundraising and leadership experience across nonprofit and private sectors, Claudia initially joined the Clarke team as a consultant in 2023 to help elevate the organization’s grant writing, after which she assumed the role of interim chief development director. Most recently Claudia served as executive director of Waterford Upstart, a national early education program which she also co-founded.
Judith S. Sexton MS, CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd
Chief Program Officer
Formerly the director of Clarke Pennsylvania, Judy holds a bachelor’s degree in general education with a minor in deaf education, her master’s degree in deaf education and her supervisory certificate in special education. She has spent nearly 44 years in the public and private sectors working in the fields of general and special education in preschool, elementary, middle and high schools. As a former advisory board member of the Department of Health Early Hearing Detection and Intervention committee, a member of the state Educational Resources for Children with Hearing Loss committee, as well as a member of the LaSalle University Speech and Language Advisory Committee and an adjunct professor, Judy regularly presents at local and national conferences and conventions related to childhood hearing loss. Learn more about Clarke’s programs and services.
Melanie Austin, MSEd, CCC-SLP
Director, Clarke Massachusetts
Melanie Austin, MSEd, CCC-SLP, has been serving as Director of Clarke Massachusetts in Canton since October 2022. Prior to her tenure at Clarke, she was Director of Speech and Language Services at a private practice in Southeast Massachusetts for 17 years. With over 25 years of experience, Melanie has provided speech and language services to children and adolescents ages three to 21, addressing a wide range of communication-related disorders. Additionally, she has experience as a visiting lecturer at Bridgewater State University, where she taught various subjects, including language disorders in children, articulation and phonological disorders, and phonetics. Melanie emphasizes a strength-based approach to supervision and is dedicated to empowering both colleagues and students in their professional development.
Alisa Demico, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT
Director, Clarke Florida
A speech-language pathologist and auditory verbal therapist, Alisa received her master’s degree in speech pathology and audiology from West Virginia University in 1995. Alisa is the co-author of Picture-Perfect Preschool and has presented state-wide, nationally and internationally on topics related to listening and spoken language (LSL) development. She has also mentored speech–language pathologists and teachers of the deaf for LSL specialist certification. Learn more about Clarke Florida.
Meredith L. Berger, MSEd. SBL/SDL
Director, Clarke New York
Meredith Berger, MSEd. SBL/SDL became the Director of Clarke New York in 2008. Prior to that, she was the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Educational Specialist at New York Eye and Ear’s Ear Institute/Cochlear Implant Center. She received a BS in Education from SUNY at Buffalo State College and master’s degrees in Deaf Education and in Educational Leadership from Canisius College. In addition to presenting on the educational needs of children with hearing loss, she has also co-authored pieces on the Clinic-School relationship. Meredith is on the Executive Board of Option Schools as a Director at Large and is member of the Children’s Hearing Institute Medical and Educational Advisory Board. In 2017, Meredith began her doctoral studies at Teachers College, Columbia University to find answers to her own questions on the needs/outcomes of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, particularly those with microtia/atresia, and their families.
Barbara Hecht, PhD
National Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships
Barbara F. Hecht, PhD, is National Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech. Previously, she served as Director of Clarke Massachusetts in Canton, MA and the tVisit® Teleservices Program. Before joining Clarke, Barbara was President of the John Tracy Center and a special education faculty member at UCLA, the University of Southern California and the University of San Diego. Barbara co-wrote the 2018 edition of Optimizing Outcomes for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Education Service Guidelines. She serves on numerous state and national advisory committees and is the current President of the Council on the Education of the Deaf (CED) and a representative to the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH).
Ashley Guitron, MED, SLP-A
Director of Mainstream Services, Massachusetts
Ashley holds a master’s in deaf education from Smith College and a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education from Westfield State University. She also has specialized training as a speech-language pathology assistant. In her previous roles, including as a special education consultant and interim director at Echo Horizon School in Culver City, California, Ashley managed multi-disciplinary teams, streamlined admission processes, coordinated Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and developed community programs that championed diversity and inclusion. She has also directed summer programs and international teacher training initiatives, demonstrating her ability to motivate teams to achieve exceptional outcomes. Learn more about Clarke’s Mainstream Services.
Ashley Mahlstedt Weaver, MED
Director, Clarke Pennsylvania
Upon completion of her master’s degree in deaf education from Smith College, Ashley provided early intervention services both in natural environments and via center-based programming at Clarke Pennsylvania. Ashley received her director of special education certificate from Pennsylvania State University, while continuing to provide early intervention services. Ashley is the director of Clarke Pennsylvania, overseeing multiple programs and services, including the Birth to Age Three Program, the Preschool Program, Mainstream Services and Audiology Services. Ashley is a member of Pennsylvania’s Alliance of Approved Private Schools and Pennsylvania’s ERCHL (Educational Resources for Children with Hearing Loss) Committee.
Nell Rosenberg, MEd, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT
National Director of Teleservices
Nell served as a speech-language pathologist, speech/language supervisor and assistant program director of Clarke New York for seven years prior to assuming her current role in 2021. In New York, Nell served as the tVisit® Teleservices Program’s early intervention program coordinator, where she discovered her passion for overcoming access barriers through teleservice. Nell received her bachelor’s degree in human development and special education from Boston College, her master of education degree in early childhood special education from the University of Florida, and her master of science in communication sciences and disorders from Florida State University.
Shawn Naugle, MPA
CEO and President
Melanie Austin, MS, CCC-SLP
Director, Clarke Massachusetts
Meredith L. Berger, MSEd. SBL/SDL
Director, Clarke New York
Martha deHahn
Chief of Staff
Alisa Demico, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT
Director, Clarke Florida
Sheila Fortson, MS
Chief Communications Officer
Danielle Gantt, MS
Chief Financial Officer
Ashley Guitron, MED, SLP-A
Director of Mainstream Services, Massachusetts
Andrea Harkins, MBA, SHRM-CP
Director, Human Resources
Barbara Hecht, PhD
National Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships
Ashley Mahlstedt Weaver, MED
Director, Clarke Pennsylvania
Claudia Miner, PhD
Chief Development Officer
Nell Rosenberg, MEd, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT
National Director of Teleservices
Judith S. Sexton MS, CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd
Head of Programs and Schools
