Meet Our Faculty
Renee Lucero
Renee was diagnosed with hearing loss at John Tracy Center when she was a toddler. She completed her undergraduate degree at Columbia University and her Master’s degree and DHH credential program at USC/John Tracy Center. She is a LSLS Certified Auditory Verbal Educator and earned her PhD in Special Education from CSULA/UCLA. Her career in Deaf Education includes early intervention, classroom and itinerant teaching, in both public and private settings, and served as Assistant Professor at Utah State University”s listening and spoken language DHH teacher training program. Her most recent role was Director of Echo Center, a full inclusion program that supports DHH students at Echo Horizon School. She has presented locally and nationally, and has served on numerous committees dedicated to furthering best practices in Deaf Education. Renee’s personal journey with hearing loss, along with her professional experiences, has inspired her commitment to Deaf Education and training the next generation of professionals who serve children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.
Angie Stokes
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 telepractice. Angie has a clear DHH credential with authorizations in autism spectrum disorders and English learners. Angie has worked at John Tracy Center for 30 years, first as a teacher for 9 years, then as Director of Education Services for 21 years. As Director of Education Services, Angie provided 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 telepractice program that reaches families around the world. Presentation topics include parent empowerment, bilingual education, development of listening and spoken language skills, and mainstreaming.
Claribelle Sanchez
Claribelle Sanchez, AuD, is the Director of Audiology and a pediatric audiologist at the John Tracy Center. Dr. Sanchez is responsible for overseeing all the audiological services at JTC, as well as the community hearing screening program in the Coachella Valley. 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.
Mary D. McGinnis
Mary has taught children with hearing loss for 50 years in a variety of settings using various approaches, including Auditory-Verbal, Auditory-Oral, Cued Speech, and Total Communication. Her academic preparation includes four degrees (BA in English and MA in Education, California State University, Los Angeles; MA in Linguistics and Cand PhD in Linguistics, University of Southern California), four California credentials (Elementary, Secondary: English, DHH, and Administrative Services), and four certifications (Listening and Spoken Language Specialist: Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist, Council on Education of the Deaf: Elementary and Secondary Education, Supervision of Elementary and Secondary Education, and NECCI Trainer). She has published and presented on various topics, including auditory skill development (the Auditory Skills Curriculum), speech, sex education, sociolinguistics in child language, and cochlear implants in children (The NECCI Inservice Curriculum). Mary joined JTC in 1995, serving for 10 years as supervisor of speech and language services in the preschool, and mentoring in auditory-verbal therapy. She was Director of the JTC Graduate Program from 2003-2017. She currently teaches the auditory-verbal courses in the program.
Rebecca Lewis
Rebecca Lewis, Au.D. is an assistant professor of clinical otolaryngology in the USC Caruso Family Center for Childhood Communication. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and completed a combined pediatric/adult externship between the West Los Angeles Veteran's Administration Medical Center and the House Ear Care Center. Subsequently, she held positions as a Senior Audiologist at UCLA Health, as an Educational Audiologist at The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, MA and as an adult Cochlear Implant Audiologist at the House Ear Clinic. Her broad range of skills allows her to provide diagnostic, hearing aid and cochlear implant services across the lifespan. Dr. Lewis is passionate about improving access to evidence-based interventions for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She enjoys teaching and lecturing in the community. She has also collaborated with researchers on a number of projects.
Vicki Ishida
Vicki Ishida completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from USC and a Master of Science degree in Communication Handicapped/DHH from USC/John Tracy Clinic. She holds California lifetime credentials in both multi-subject elementary education and DHH education. Vicki continues to work in the field of deaf education, with 39 years of experience in clinical, public, and private education; she was also the Head of Echo Center for 21 years. Vicki held a LSLS Auditory-Verval Therapist certification fior 20 years and has served on the boards of OPTION Schools and the California Chapter of AGBell.
Diana Cadigan
Diana is an Educational Specialist for Deaf/Hard of Hearing, and is a Listening and Spoken Language Certified Auditory Verbal Educator (LSLS Cert. AV.Ed.). Diana has been in the field of Deaf Education for 14 years. She is currently a DHH Specialist/Itinerant Teacher for a large local public-school district. She works with 14 schools providing support for students with hearing loss as well as their classroom teachers and school administrators to ensure accessibility in all academic programs. Diana Cadigan is a leader in the field of Deaf Education and a consummate professional who is always continuing her professional growth and development to enhance her instruction and leadership skills.
Maurice Belote
Maurice Belote has served as the California Deaf Blind Service Project Coordinator since 1997 and began his work with the project in 1992 as an Educational Specialist. Maurice has taught at public and private schools throughout California and has developed innovative models at local school sites related to integration into general education programs, augmentative and alternative communication systems, community-based instruction, job development and training and transition from school to adult life of students who are deafblind. Maurice loves his work with children, families, and school teams, and is inspired every day by the courage and determination of the students he serves. He is a graduate of the teacher training program in deafblindness at San Francisco State University.