Ken H. Levinson, LOFT Founder and Lead Counselor. Ken is a CPA and recently merged his San Francisco CPA practice into the national firm of CBiz, Inc. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of The Children’s Hearing Institute in New York and a partner in another CPA practice in Los Angeles. Ken is a past Chair of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. He has current and past service on boards of many other organizations. He received the Honors of the Association from AG Bell at the 2006 Biennial Convention in Pittsburgh. His involvements have brought him recognition among his peers as Distinguished Alumni of his high school and as the Public Service Award recipient for the California Society of CPAs. Together with the late Donna Dickman, Ken co-created the LOFT program which debuted in 1996 at AG Bell’s Biennial Convention in Snowbird, Utah. One of his favorite board involvements was as past President of the Board of the San Francisco Circus Center. Ken’s interest in the circus stemmed from his taking a clown class at the Clown Conservatory.

Catharine McNally has been a LOFT counselor since 2008 and is the past Chair of the AG Bell Board. McNally is a dedicated advocate for using technology to bridge the accessibility divide – constantly finding new uses for accessibility. Her influential work has been recognized through national leadership awards, honors, and national publications. In 2011, McNally was listed as “People to Watch” in the Washingtonian Magazine’s Tech Titans feature, and the recipient of the American Association of People with Disabilities national leadership award. She lost her hearing at eight months old, learned Cued Speech at eighteen months old and received her first cochlear implant at the age of three. After graduating from Wake Forest University, she began her career in accessibility at VSA Arts, the Smithsonian Freer and Sackler Galleries, and the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. she moved up to Washington, DC to begin a career in technology and accessibility leadership. McNally is the Sr. Program Manager for Accessibility at GitHub. During her (rare) free time you can find her on the golf course, trail running, or spending time with friends.

Danielle is a certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist and Teacher of the Deaf at New England Center for Hearing and Rehabilitation in Hampton, Connecticut. After graduating from Roger Williams University with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Psychology and a minor in Biology, she went to Smith College for a Masters in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. A native of Connecticut and UCONN Husky/Red Sox fan, Danielle moved to Texas to teach. She taught for 12 years at Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children, teaching PreKindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. In 2015, she and her family moved back home to Connecticut. Danielle joined AG Bell/DHHS in 1999 and since then has served on the 2010 Convention Planning Committee, Preschool-Age Financial Aid Scholarship Committee, LEAP Focus Group, and the DHHS board as a Member-at-Large and Advisor to the College Leadership Committee. She is bilaterally implanted and learned Cued Speech while in college. Danielle loves to travel and explore the outdoors with her partner Tammy and 12 year old son Oliver. Danielle enjoys working out, playing volleyball and softball, cooking, gardening and relaxing by a fire in her backyard surrounded by family, her dogs Tank and Abbott and her chickens.

Ben is a public health professional and is a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He wears a hearing aid in his right ear, and an implant in his left. He received his Bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Biochemistry from the University of Michigan, where he also was heavily involved in hearing science research and academic research on disability in medical education. He received his Master’s of Public Health from George Washington University, and has worked in global health in Central America, hearing science research at Stanford University, healthcare in Milwaukee, and now public health in Madison, Wisconsin and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ben has been involved with AG Bell since he was diagnosed, including participating in LOFT in 2008, and continues to be involved in the disabilities community in a variety of ways. In his free time, Ben enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, reading, outdoor sports, and trying new foods.

Derek is profoundly deaf, wearing a cochlear implant and a hearing aid. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and currently works in his local government as a jack of all trades analyst, analyzing data using statistical methods, supporting strategic planning efforts, and planning fun outings for his team. Previously, he worked as a data scientist in the health technology and pharmaceutical industries. Derek received a master’s degree in biostatistics from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University. He is a former LOFT attendee and loves helping those with hearing loss find purpose in their lives. In his free time, Derek can be found playing golf, driving his car around racetracks, and posting pictures of food on his Instagram (@dlee.foodie). He is also passionate about fantasy football and supports the San Francisco 49ers and the San Francisco Giants.

Robi Scalfani was born and raised in the Boston Massachusetts area. He works as a Software Engineer, primarily coding electronic health record and health insurance systems and has been in the field since graduating in 2020. In his free time he enjoys coding projects, woodworking, escape rooms, boardgames, and reading!

My name is Kaitlyn. I was born deaf, and I am a bilateral cochlear implant user. I currently live in Boise Idaho, and I work as a special education preschool teacher. When I am not wrangling small children, I enjoy all kinds of outdoor sports. I run and camp in the summer and Nordic ski all winter. I also enjoy curling up with a good book.

Dr. Jasmine Simmons is a DeafBlind audiologist, motivational speaker, and author specializing in Usher syndrome. She offers educational materials on topics such as communication strategies for individuals with hearing loss and resources for DeafBlind students. Through her speaking engagements and accessibility consulting, Dr. Simmons shares her unique perspective to promote understanding and inclusion.

Regan graduated from Harvard in 2022, where she studied Economics and History. Regan now works for a venture capital firm investing in startups in robotics, space, and other cutting-edge technology sectors. Though she grew up in Cleveland Ohio, Regan loves to travel and has spent the past two years living a digital nomad lifestyle before settling in DC where she currently lives with her fiancé. Regan was born with a profound bilateral hearing loss and has enjoyed being a part of the AG Bell community since childhood, through authoring a book about her experiences growing up with cochlear implants and speaking at conventions. Regan is also an Events Chair for AG Bell’s Young Leaders Board and has been working to organize and host events for the young adult community.

Katie was born with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and is a lifelong hearing aid wearer. She was adopted from Russia when she was 9 months old and grew up in Massachusetts where she still lives today. Katie graduated from UMass Amherst in 2022 with a degree in Business Administration & Management and currently works as the Social Media Manager for Perkins School for the Blind: a global nonprofit just outside of Boston that helps kids with disabilities find their place in the world. During college she also interned at the MBTA’s department dedicated to making Boston’s transit system more accessible, and even starred in an accessibility marketing campaign where her picture was featured in stations across the network and on the side of a bus! Katie has been lifting weights in the gym since high school and first started posting on social media as a way to track her progress in the gym as a powerlifter, but quickly found that her following was interested in learning more about her hearing loss! Over the years, Katie’s accounts have fully shifted away from gym content, and now she focuses solely on deafness and advocacy. Outside of social media, Katie loves reading, watching football, and maintaining an active lifestyle through lifting and pickleball!

Jim Conner is a certified athletic trainer practicing in sports medicine and orthopedics. In his current position as a Durable Medical Equipment Coordinator at Virua Health System in South Jersey, he works alongside physicians and physicians assistants providing direct clinical care and administrative support. Previously, he worked for Reconstructive Orthopedics and NovaCare providing clinical care in sports medicine and orthopedic positions. He has experience working with athletes and coaches in NCAA Division I Football where he has had the pleasure of seeing some of the players transition into the National Football League. He is also a soccer referee and has officiated in youth leagues, college leagues, adult, and semi-pro leagues. In 2025, he was selected for the honor of being an assistant referee for two Eastern Pennsylvania State Cup Finals. Jim currently resides in Marlton, NJ, where he enjoys biking, exercising, and socializing with family and friends.