Presented by Hands and Voices Staff and Board Members


Janet DesGeorges lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband Joe and has three daughters, including Sara, who is hard of hearing. She is the Executive Director of Colorado Families for Hands & Voices, and co-founder of the national staff at Hands & Voices, as Executive Director. Janet has presented nationally and internationally about family experiences as they journey through life with a child with hearing loss. Ms. DesGeorges is the authored two chapters in the NCHAM e-Book: Family Support and Educational Law for Deaf/hh students, and many other publications. She serves on the national faculty for the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality EHDI Learning Collaborative, as well as the Marion Downs Center Advisory, co-chairs the CDC Parent-to-Parent Committee, and chairs the NCHAM Parent Advisory Committee.

Lisa Kovacs lives in Greenwood Indiana with her husband Brian and 4 children, 3 daughters and a son ages 16, 14, and twins who are 11. Her son has a severe hearing loss and Auditory Neuropathy. Lisa is the Director of Guide By Your Side (GBYS) Programs for Hands & Voices Headquarters and also the GBYS Program Coordinator for Indiana Hands & Voices. Lisa is also one of the founding board members of Indiana Hands &Voices. She serves on several councils and committees that include, Johnson County Special Services Parent Advisory Council, Indiana Department of Education Special Education Advisory Council, AAP EHDI Task Force, and the National Deaf Education Summit Committee.

Candace Lindow-Davies, Minnesota Hands & Voices, is the mother of a son who is profoundly deaf, and for the past eight plus years, developed and coordinated services for MN Hands & Voices/Guide By Your Side at Lifetrack Resources in Minnesota . For seven years, Candace has also served as a parent consultant for the MN Dept. of Health's Newborn Hearing Screening Program. She also chairs the MN Dept. of Health's Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee, representing parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Karen Putz is a deaf mom of three deaf and hard of hearing teens. She works as a Deaf Mentor in early intervention. Karen serves on the board of Hands Voices and Illinois Hands & Voices and is the Director of Deaf/HH Infusion at Hands & Voices Headquarters.