John Tracy Center – The leading diagnostic and education center for young children with hearing loss

Claribelle Sanchez, AuD

Claribelle Sanchez is responsible for overseeing all the audiological services of the John Tracy Center, as well as the community hearing evaluation program throughout Southern California. As an audiologist, she is responsible for the detection of hearing loss through a variety of diagnostic tests of children, from birth to eighteen years of age, as well as ensuring that their audiological needs are met after diagnosis and enrollment in JTC services. At the Center, she works with a multidisciplinary team of professionals to provide guidance, education, and counseling to parents of children with a hearing loss in both English and Spanish. A native of the state of Texas, Dr. Sanchez received her Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Texas at Austin and her AuD in Audiology Clinic from Northwestern University. She worked at JTC as an interim doctor during the 2009-2010 academic year. Dr. Sanchez has a strong passion for working with children and their families.

Cathleen Mathes, M.Ed., LSLS Cert. AVT

Cathleen Mathes works in partnership with the Board of Directors and the staff to provide leadership, vision, and direction to John Tracy Center. She implements policies approved by the board, manages the organization’s programs and operations, and represents JTC in the community. Additionally, she oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs and services that support the mission of JTC. Cathleen represents JTC and works closely with the California Coalition Option Schools (CCOS) and Center for Early Intervention on Deafness (CEID) in helping to advance excellence in listening and spoken language education by both individually and collectively, educating the public, professionals and policy makers as to what is possible for children who are deaf and hard of hearing in the 21st century. Cathleen is recognized for her expertise in early childhood listening and spoken language and has participated as a speaker at local, national and international conferences. Cathleen completed her bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Boston College and then received a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Southern California/John Tracy Center. Cathleen has over 18 years of experience working in Listening and Spoken Language Deaf Education, holds a California Credential as an Education Specialist: Deaf and Hard of Hearing and is a Listening Spoken Language Specialist Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist (LSLS AVT).

Bridgette Klaus, LSLS Cert AVT

Bridgette is JTC’s Senior Director of Educational Services which includes supervising professionals in their coaching and implementation of individualized therapy, itinerant services, group classes, and preschool program. Bridgette has experience teaching in the preschool classroom, working with students in the mainstream as an itinerant teacher, and providing private therapy as a Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist. She has also taught graduate level classes, both onsite and online for our distance students. Bridgette completed her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Special Education at Loyola Marymount University and then received a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Southern California/John Tracy Center. Bridgette has over 20 years of experience working in Listening and Spoken Language Deaf Education, holds a California Credential as an Education Specialist: Deaf and Hard of Hearing and is a Listening Spoken Language Specialist Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist (LSLS Cert AVT).

Mary Beth Goring, M.A., MFT

Facilitates support groups for English and Spanish-speaking parents, as well as school-aged siblings, provides individual and family counseling, conducts developmental screens and assessments on JTC’s preschool students and teaches parent and sibling workshops. She directs the Curso Para Profesionales en Español, a yearly two-week onsite course provided for Spanish-speaking professionals who are interested in learning more about JTC’s unique parent-centered model of service delivery, and the application of Auditory-Verbal Therapy principles to their professional practices. Ms. Goring is a marriage and family therapist who has spent the last twenty-eight years working with families of young deaf children at John Tracy Center. She has traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Latin America, and Spain providing training for parents and professionals in topics such as family relationships, the function of parent’s grief, working with parents, supporting siblings, stress management, sensorimotor and social-emotional development in children with hearing loss, behavior management for children with hearing loss, and support groups.

Angie Stokes, MEd, LSLS Cert AVEd

Angie Stokes is in charge of Graduate Instruction and Teacher Development at John Tracy Center. She previously worked as Director of Education Services providing the vision and supervision in John Tracy Center listening and spoken language programs, including early intervention, preschool, and itinerant services. Angie created John Tracy Center Bilingual Program in 2007 to serve the growing numbers of Spanish-speaking families. Her own bilingual skills are in demand as a speaker at local, national, and international conferences, as well as in the JTC Talks tele practice program that reaches families around the world. Angie graduated from Loma Linda University with a bachelor’s degree in child development and family sciences and worked as a general education teacher for a year before completing the master’s program at the University of Southern California in education/deaf education. Angie completed a second master’s degree in special education at the University of San Diego, where she conducted research on parents’ satisfaction with tele practice. She also has a clear DHH credential with authorizations in autism spectrum disorders and English learners.

Bridget Scott-Weich, EdD, NBC, LSLS Cert. AVEd

Bridget Scott-Weich plans, coordinates and administers the Graduate & Professional Program at John Tracy Center. Before working at John Tracy Center, she taught DHH students and their families in Los Angeles Unified School District for over 20 years, where she also directed a multi-year project to improve listening and spoken language services in the DHH program. She also served as an educational liaison at the House Children’s Hearing Center of UCLA for 3 years. Bridget has presented and published on literacy, language, auditory-verbal strategies, and parent involvement. Bridget has mentored candidates toward certification as Listening and Spoken Language Specialists and served on the Review Committee for the A.G. Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. Bridget completed her bachelor’s degree in geography at the University of the West Indies. She earned her multiple subject credential at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles and her MSEd in Communication Handicapped from the University of Southern California/John Tracy Center. She completed her doctorate in Language and Literacy at USC with a dissertation that explored scaffolded writing in deaf children. In addition to these degrees, Bridget is a National Board Certified teacher who holds credentials and certificates in administration and language development.

Jordan Kough

Serves as Chief Development Officer of John Tracy Center. He fulfills that role in a consulting capacity through Your Mission Possible (yourmpinc.com), a consulting firm that offers tailored expertise supporting various fundraising and communications activities. Jordan Kough is joined by his team of talented employees who help JTC handle events, grants, major donor management, database management, social media, and more.

Kevin Matthews, FFCA, CFE

Kevin Matthews serves as the Chief Financial Officer of John Tracy Center. He fulfills that role in a consulting capacity through Noble Accounting, LLC, a firm that he founded to provide accounting and CFO services to non-profit organizations. Kevin has over 20 years of experience as an auditor, cost accountant, Controller, Vice President of Finance & Administration, and Chief Financial Officer. In England Kevin worked for 6 years in the accounting department of a $120m regional hospital. After moving to the US in 1999 and a brief time in the transportation and high-tech industries, he returned to the non-profit sector in 2001. He worked as the Chief Financial Officer of two large non-profit organizations until 2011 when he began providing CFO services in a consultant capacity. Kevin graduated from the University of Westminster in London, England and qualified as a Certified Accounting Technician, before going on to become a Fellow of the Chartered Certified Accountants, a worldwide accounting qualification that is the equivalent of the US CPA. He is also a Certified Fraud Examiner

Cecilia Vanin

Cecilia Vanin manages all internal business operations, oversees the daily operational functions of John Tracy Center, including commercial and financial operations and systems, information technology, and educational contracts and facilities. Ms. Vanin also works closely with our external accountant, benefits company and with all business related to the Board of Directors. She has been working at the Center since 1993 in various capacities. She has recently been promoted to Vice President, Operations. In addition, she worked as Technology Director and as Network Administrator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a specialization in Teaching English as a Second Language from the Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from UCLA.

Gaston Kent

Works in partnership with the Board of Directors and the staff to provide leadership, vision and direction to John Tracy Center. He implements policies approved by the board, manages the organization’s programs and operations, and represents JTC in the community. Gaston first joined the JTC board and then was appointed President & CEO, after retiring from Northrop Grumman Corporation where he worked as Vice President of Finance. Prior to that, he held the positions of Vice President of Investor Relations and Vice President and Assistant to the Vice President of Operations. Prior to his work at Northrop Grumman, Mr. Kent offered his services in the United States Air Force for five years. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and the National Association of National Investors as well as the Institute of National Investors where he served as a board member of the Los Angeles group. Mr. Kent is born in Scottsboro, Alabama. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in finance and later with a master’s degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He also completed the Harvard Professional Development Program.

Anne McNally, M.A.

Anne McNally manages the development of multi-media materials for families, coordinates international (summer) sessions and directs distance education services for JTC parents. She describes her responsibilities as the “best job in the world” interacting with parents, from manifold counties and diverse cultures, who seek to understand hearing loss. The bi-lingual, multifaceted team led by Anne aims to continually enhance info, ideas and instruction for families to appreciate their essential role in children’s communication. Anne has coordinated state projects, directed federal grants, led advisory committees, coached early intervention staff, presented at numerous conferences and been an educator in programs from preschool through university level. She has experience in spoken, signed and total communication approaches. She earned degrees from the University of Nebraska and Syracuse University, participated in national personnel prep programs and has special education teacher certification.

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