About CIAF
The Cochlear Implant Awareness Foundation (CIAF) is a non-profit organization (501 c3 status), headquartered in Springfield, Illinois.
CIAF's mission is to provide information, resources, and support to prospective cochlear implant recipients and their families.
Founder, Michelle Tjelmeland, knows first-hand the challenges faced by families who have been impacted by hearing loss.
Both Michelle and her daughter, Ellie, are bi-lateral cochlear implant recipients. You can read more about Michelle’s personal experience on our “Share” page and also at www.iloveellie.com, an uplifting site that candidly details the family’s journey.
Through the establishment of CIAF, families facing decisions regarding implantation are provided with much needed information and support.
Michelle explains, “While every individual’s journey to hearing will be unique, there is much we can learn from each other and from the hearing care industry. CIAF pools that collective experience so that families can make informed decisions, while never feeling completely alone.”
Click here to watch our online video and learn more about CIAF!
CIAF Board Members
These individuals give generously of their time and talents to support cochlear implant awareness. We are proud to present them as members of the CIAF Board.
Michelle Tjelmeland, owner of e-websmart is the creator and author of Market Your Mission™ books, is a high-energy dynamo, founder of the Cochlear Implant Awareness Foundation (www.ciafonline.org), an accomplished public speaker, a recipient of Microsoft's prestigious 2005 "Start Something Amazing Award", a bilateral cochlear implant recipient (2000 and 2006) and a dedicated wife and mother.
What most people do not realize is that Michelle has accomplished this all while being profoundly Deaf, "hearing" only through a miraculous technology called a cochlear implant, a small electronic device that translates sound in the environment into electrical impulses which the brain can interpret.
Before losing her hearing, Michelle taught 7th and 8 th grade language arts for the Springfield, Illinois public school district. She possesses a master's degree in Education and Computer Technology from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and a bachelor's degree in Education from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.
In addition to running e-websmart and the foundation, Michelle maintains active involvement in her community. Her achievements and the contribution of e-websmart to the field of Web design and to the community where the company is located have been applauded through numerous awards and nominations, including:
- Recipient of the "Woman on the Rise award" by Illinois State Treasurer; March 2008
- "Inc Magazine Winner for Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Reader and Editor's Pick", November 2007
- "NAWBO Mirassou Business Optimist 10k Award Recipient", May 2006
- "Silver Addy Award" from the American Advertising Federation, February 2006, 2007, 2008
- "Innovate Illinois Regional Semi-Finalist", March/April 2006
"Milliken Regional Entrepreneurial Network 5k Grant" recipient, January 2006
- 1st place winner in the national Microsoft "Start Something Amazing" Campaign in the culture and community category, November 2005
- "National Inspirational Deaf Person of the Year Award" by Oticon, February 2005
- "Small Business Owner of the Year" by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, June 2003
- "Gold Award" by the World Wide Web Awards Association, July 2003
- "40 under 40 Award" by the Springfield Business Journal, February 2002
In addition to her work with e-websmart, Michelle is the Founder and Board Chairman of the Cochlear Implant Awareness Foundation (www.ciafonline.org) , a nonprofit organization which exists to provide information, resources and financial assistance for individuals who can overcome deafness through utilization of cochlear implant technology.
Armed only with an amazing passion to bring her nonprofit to life, Michelle build the organization from the ground up and marketed her way to widespread name recognition within her niche.
Michelle serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Cochlear Implant Awareness Foundation. She is also an active member in the National Association of Women Business Owners and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Rochester Education Foundation board.
Michelle resides in Springfield, Illinois with her husband and two young daughters.
Joy Duling, CIAF's project officer, possesses extensive experience in human services, coupled with a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Coursework specialization in Policy, Planning and Administration has served as the foundation for a career of service, working with public and private nonprofit organizations to help them achieve their missions.
Over the past fourteen years, Joy has managed social services programs at the local level, served as a member of former Governor Jim Edgar's human services policy staff, and coordinated the launch of numerous statewide initiatives within the field of child welfare.
Joy is a skilled writer, researcher, problem-solver and program administrator. As CIAF's project officer, Joy manages the daily functions of the organization, overseeing all programmatic activities and ensuring progress toward organizational goals.
Kim Martin, CIAF’s Vice President, is a parent and educator. She graduated in 1990 from Illinois State University with a degree in Middle School Education. She began teaching in Auburn that fall. In 1993, she returned to ISU to pursue a Master’s Degree in Mathematics.
Kim has seen the cochlear implant change lives. After learning of plans for CIAF, her first question was, “What can I do to help?”
As Vice Chairman of the CIAF Board, Kim oversees special foundation projects.
Rex Alexander, CIAF’s Treasurer and Comptroller, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) with more than thirty years of experience in the industry.
As an independent practitioner, Rex specializes in providing management advisory services to small and medium-sized businesses and non-profit organizations.
Sheryl Klemm, CIAF's Secretary,is a skilled administrative assistant with more than five years of experience supporting a Web site firm in Springfield, Illinois.
Sheryl serves as the Board’s Secretary, responsible for managing records and providing administrative support to the Chair and Program Officer.
Dr. Michael Novak, CIAF board member, is director of a cochlear implant team for the Carle Foundation's Expanding Children's Hearing Opportunities (ECHO) program, located in Urbana, Illinois. Dr. Novak is hailed as a leader in the field, having launched one of the nation's first multi-disciplinary teams to support families of children with hearing loss. He has been performing implants since 1984.
Debra Nussbaum, CIAF Board Member, is the Coordinator for Cochlear Implant Education Center at Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center for Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
She graduated from George Washington University with a Master’s degree in Audiology. She began working as a pediatric audiologist at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center in 1977 evaluating and providing spoken language habilitation with deaf children. She became coordinator of the Cochlear Implant Education Center at the Clerc Center during the Fall of 2000 where she has spearheaded national efforts to look at the combined roles of spoken language and signed language in the education of children who use cochlear implants. She is adjunct professor at Gallaudet University where she co-teaches Family-Professional Collaboration in Early Communication Planning, and an on-line course, Cochlear Implants: Considerations for Decision Making and Educational Planning.
Kristin Andress, CIAF board member, is president and owner of Andress Consulting. The firm, based in Springfield, Illinois, offers services to enable business growth, improved operations management and effective leadership. As a consultant, Andress focuses on overall organizational and individual effectiveness through strategic planning and implementation, strategic project management, process improvement, leadership assessment, marketing and communication plans (and tools). She also offers writing of business plans, whitepapers, reports, newsletters, and crafting of marketing messages. Clients include start up and seasoned businesses, business owners and organizations.
Since 2003, Andress has worked with S. Graham & Associates (SGA), a Chicago-based management and marketing consulting firm specializing in the corporate and educational markets. For Stedman Graham, CEO, Andress has developed education programs and new products, created business and operational plans, crafted marketing messages and sales materials, and generated and managed new business accounts. Through SGA, Andress has had internal involvement or association with Merrill Lynch, CVS Pharmacy, Alticor, the 7-11 Education is Freedom Foundation, the Tiger Woods Learning Center, Pearson Scott Foresman, Foxwoods Casino and more. Andress has also managed aspects of media relations, book tours and media campaigns corresponding with Mr. Graham’s efforts to serve individuals, businesses and communities.
Prior to launching her consulting practice, Andress enjoyed a 10-year career with Arthur Andersen, serving as the Director of Tax and Legal – Performance and Learning. She led global operations of a fifty-two person team in the United States and had oversight of 25 people in Cambridge, England and Asia/Pacific. In addition to overall operations management, her responsibilities included participation in the development and implementation of a Global Performance Strategy in cooperation with human resources, strategy, knowledge management and technology professionals.
Andress is on the Board of Directors for the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and is a previous board member of the Springfield Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). Serving as Membership Chairperson as well as consultant to NAWBO, Andress helped lead efforts to triple the membership and qualify the Springfield chapter within the top 5 recruiters in the nation. For her efforts in business and community, Andress was awarded the 2005 Chamber of Commerce Small Home Based Business Owner of the Year Award, and was inducted into Forty Under Forty. She is a former a member of the National Association of Female Executives, a member of Illinois Women in Leadership, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Andress has authored three books, The Difference, First Out and If I Had A Dime, though has not pursued publishing, wishing first to write the novel that serves her standard for a debut. She also serves as a public speaker to various women’s and business groups, and in the area schools.
Andress holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Communication/Human Relations from Western Illinois University and a master’s degree in Organizational Communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Anthony (Tony) Arnold, CIAF Board Member, has always had a talent for technology, but his true gift is being able to articulate complex science into understandable concepts. This fresh, strategic approach to thinking is a valuable asset in Arnold’s position as vice president of marketing for the Auditory Division of Advanced Bionics, the neuromodulation division of Boston Scientific Company. Since joining the company in 2003, Arnold has helped shift Advanced Bionics’ tone and strategy, – from technology-centric to consumer- and benefit-focused – driving a new respect and understanding for technology’s ability to improve quality of life for the severe- to profoundly-deaf.
Responsible for Advanced Bionics Auditory Division’s global marketing, partnerships and alliances, Arnold directs five key groups – product management, marketing communications, operating room support, training and education, and the Bionic Ear Association, – all of which aim to help end-users benefit from cochlear implant technology.
A mechanical engineer by education and a marketing and public relations expert by profession, Arnold brings a unique appreciation for both sides of the business to his work. He began his career as a quality assurance engineer for Hunter Fan Company and went on to develop his niche in product management and marketing with medical device and technology manufacturers, including Medtronic and Smith + Nephew Richards, where he was first introduced to the cochlear implant.
Arnold lives in Valencia, California with his wife, Rebecca and three children.
For more information regarding Advanced Bionics, visit http://www.advancedbionics.com.
Simon Lee, CIAF Board Member, began his career as an investigative journalist covering healthcare, government, technology and legal issues. At 28, Simon began work for the Middle-South’s largest advertising and marketing company as the principal and founder of the digital marketing group that boasted a national and international medical-device client base. As a result of the success he helped achieve for his clients, Simon became the youngest officer of one of the region’s oldest agencies. After years of working with clients such as Smith and Nephew, Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services and the National Public Health Information Coalition, Simon and his business partner, Bryan Stafford, started a firm that focuses on the marketing and communications needs of the healthcare industry and medical device companies. Work of the team of lee|stafford has been cited for its creativity with awards, but more importantly, the work is praised by clients for being results-oriented, strategic in nature and tactically executed.
Simon is married to Rebekah Tompkins Lee and they have two boys, Noah, 7 and Bauer, 4. In addition to his professional endeavors, Simon is a volunteer “Den Mother” for Noah’s Cub Scout group of Tiger Cubs, and involved with his parish, Christ the King Catholic Church as a Eucharistic Minister and member of the parish Finance Council.
lee|stafford was founded to assist medical device companies with marketing and communications. The Little Rock office of lee|stafford opened in 2004 and a Memphis office opened in spring of 2005. The company has quickly become a leader in the international medical device marketing and communications industry. The company produces high-end product launch materials including surgical techniques, medical illustrations, patient education materials, IPAQ presentations and digital products including surgery films and interactive CD-ROMs for the following companies: Smith & Nephew; Advanced Bionics, a Boston Scientific Company; DePuy Orthopaedics; Wright Medical Technologies; Kyphon; Bioness Inc.; and Plus Orthopedics, among others.
For more information about lee|stafford, visit www.lee-stafford.com.
