With a passion for supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing, Alisa has been at Clarke for more than 22 years and co-director of the nonprofit’s southernmost location since 2011. While co-director, she led Clarke Florida’s team of speech-language pathologists, provided direct services to children and families, collaborated and built strong relationships with external partners and managed grant projects.
“We are fortunate and grateful to have such incredible internal talent in Alisa who has supported hundreds of Florida families and helped Clarke to grow its presence in the region,” says Doug Scott, president and CEO at Clarke. “Her expertise and leadership are part of the fabric of our organization and will continue to guide relationships with families, inspire team members and support the wider community.”
Clarke teaches children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and talk. The organization supports individuals who are deaf of hard of hearing—from newborns to seniors—with programs and customized services intended to meet auditory-oral goals. The tailored approach includes a continuum of services for students and their families at home, at sites along the East Coast, in mainstream classrooms and remotely through teleservices.
“Ensuring the success of more children who are deaf or hard of hearing by providing uninterrupted auditory-oral services is the foundation of my evolving role,” says Alisa. “I’m looking forward to this new chapter leading Clarke’s talented staff as we continue to expand Clarke’s reach and listening and spoken language program offerings In Florida.”
Alisa will oversee programs and services offered in-person and virtually. Clarke Florida annually serves more than 200 students and their families from birth to age 7 through early intervention, preschool/kindergarten, mainstream and speech and language services.
Alisa was instrumental in supporting Clarke’s transition to virtual services during the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the Florida team has conducted more than 2,500 virtual and remote sessions with early intervention and preschool students and their families. Alisa’s proven experience now leads to more opportunities to support families.
Alisa holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from West Virginia University. She is the co-author of the Picture-Perfect Preschool and has presented and partnered with national organizations and publications, including the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, OPTION Schools, the Hearing Review and more.
