Deaf and Hard of Hearing Board Majority
DHCC is a non-profit organization and is managed by a Board of Directors. The Board designates day-to-day management and authority to the Executive Director who in turn designates responsibilities to staff. DHCC is governed by a set of bylaws and one of the most important is to maintain a Deaf and hard of hearing consumer majority. Lillian Hoshauer, a Deaf woman, founded DHCC and it is important to us to have direction from and be accountable to the people we serve.

As part of our DHCC Bylaws
Bylaw 4.4: The Board shall have representation of citizens from the Deaf, hard of hearing and hearing communities with the intent that the Deaf and hard of hearing membership on the Board constitute a 51% majority. The Board may include professionals in the field of deafness, persons with skills and experience of value and citizens from the communities who will commit to active participation through attendance at Board and committee meetings. Every effort shall be made to maintain a 51% Deaf and hard of hearing majority.

Marcia Finisdore – Chairperson
Marcia has been an advocate for people who are Deaf and hard of hearing for more than 25 years. She used hearing aids for more than 40 years and had a cochlear implant in 2000. She advocated for her hard of hearing children’s rights in the local school system and in post-secondary schools. She served on the National Board of The Hearing Loss Association Of America (HLA- formerly Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc) and was president of the Board from 1998 to 2000. She established the PA state office of HLA serving as its first State Director. Marcia was instrumental in establishing the Hearing Discovery Center in Delaware County. She has been appointed to many national, state and local advisory committees such as Access Board Sub Committee on Access to Courthouses; Chair of the Advisory Committee for ODHH; Advisory Committee for the RRTC for Persons who are Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened in San Diego; Advisory Committee for the RRTC at Mississippi State University evaluating the needs of persons who are visually iImpaired and have a hearing Loss. Professionally Marcia is a psychiatric nurse. As a nurse she held faculty positions and ended her career as a Case Manager for People with HIV/AIDs with the Aids Care Group in Chester, PA.

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April Nelson – Vice Chairperson
April is a long-time supporter of DHCC, serving on the Board since its inception in 1972. Working with Lillian Hoshauer, she helped establish DHCC’s sign language program and interpreter referral service. She is a dedicated and hard-working member of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf (PSAD) and has held many positions. She planned many of PSAD’s conferences and is currently their vice president. As a Deaf advocate she participated on many boards and committees throughout the years such as the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council from 1992 to 2004. In addition to DHCC, she now serves as a member of the Pennsylvania Protection and Advocacy Board and Elwyn Board. She recently retired from Rosemont College where she was a Technical Services Librarian and is now a Professor Emeriti.

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Fred Nielsen – Treasurer
Fred is a hard of hearing businessman with years of experience in the private sector. He has served on DHCC’s Board for many years. Fred was responsible for encouraging DHCC to establish its fee for service structure for sign language interpreting enabling DHCC to earn income to sustain its programs. After leaving the Board for a few years, he returned to take on the treasurer’s role and has been helpful in balancing our budget and managing our investments.

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Iris Boshes – Secretary and Executive Director
Iris is DHCC’s Executive Director, a position she accepted in 1999. She has a BA in Psychology from Brooklyn College and a certificate in Mental Health and Deafness from the Center on Deafness at the University of California, San Francisco. Iris has worked in the field of deafness for over 30 years including 21 years for The Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She held several management positions and advocated for the improvement of services for Deaf and hard of hearing people. She was involved in establishing new services in Ontario including Sign Language Interpreting Services, Mental Health Services and Literacy and Life Skills Services. Since joining DHCC, Iris has succeeded in increasing grant funding and operating efficiencies. Iris serves as a non-voting member of the DHCC Board and holds the position of Secretary. She continues her advocacy efforts in Pennsylvania and is a member of the Advisory Council for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Mayor’s Commission Advisory Committee for Disabilities and Police Relations, and has served six years on the Advisory Committee for Persons who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

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Larry Brick
Larry retired from the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD) in 1997 where he held many important positions such as Assistant Dean of Students, Teacher of the Deaf, Supervising Teacher, School Psychologist, and Principal. He remains very active in the Deaf community serving on many boards and committees in addition to the DHCC Board, representing the interests of Deaf and hard of hearing people. Some of these are PA Relay Advisory Board; ERCHL (Educational Resource for Children with Hearing Loss); FCC's NECA TRS Council; NAD Technology Committee; and Board Member of NAD and PSAD. Larry has a special interest in technology. His favorite recreational activities are skiing and scuba diving.

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Gail Harris
Gail is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and has worked to improve communication access in the community for Deaf adults. Her parents are Lillian and Glenn Hoshauer, both leaders in the Deaf community. Gail is employed as a computer programmer.

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Lillian Hoshauer
Lillian is the founder and past Executive Director of DHCC. She has been a member of the Board since its inception in 1972. She is a long-time advocate for people with hearing loss and has personally helped Deaf and hard of hearing individuals obtain the services they need. She is an excellent teacher and taught American Sign Language classes for DHCC in adult education programs and at various workplaces. She has also provided sensitivity training to the hearing community. She has been on the Board of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf (PSAD) and many state and local committees. Lillian has always advocated for standards in teaching sign language and in providing sign language interpreting services. She worked with DHCC and PSAD to promote the original bill to the PA legislature to use only certified sign language interpreters in the Commonwealth. Lillian is an experienced Deaf interpreter and serves on the DHCC Interpreter Services Advisory Board (ISAC).

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Charlotte Schwartz
Charlotte, who has a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Temple University, graduated from the Interpreter Training Program at the Community College of Philadelphia in 1989. She also worked as a substitute teacher at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. She was an educational interpreter at the Montgomery County IU and with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. In addition to the Board, she serves on the DHCC Interpreter Services Advisory Council (ISAC).

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Rosanna Suppa
Rosanna Suppa, an audiologist, is the Director of the Audiology Department at Elwyn in Media. She returned to the DHCC Board after several years of absence. In the past, she held many important positions such as Board chair. Rosanna works closely with DHCC and we refer hard of hearing consumers to her. She also supports HLA-PA.

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