Staff

Deb Atwood is the energetic Executive Director of D&HHS and first joined the organization as a volunteer before becoming a paid staff member in 2006. As the Executive Director she has a whole host of duties, everything from overseeing all the administrative functions, and the entire suite of D&HHS programs, to big-picture strategic and mission-related decisions and direction-setting. In addition, fundraising, marketing and community outreach are all part of Deb’s duties and vital to the success of a small nonprofit that depends heavily on donations to provide the many programs and services it offers. Deb says that making a positive difference in someone’s life is a huge motivator, especially when it is a first life-experience such as a Deaf child communicating with a Deaf Santa for the first time. Her connection to Deaf culture began when she and her husband fostered and then adopted a relative who is Deaf. “He brought new meaning to our family,” she recalls, “and opened our eyes to a whole new world.” A Douglas, Michigan, native, Deb says her family is her life, adding that she loves boating, gardening and playing with her grandkids but that her husband is her best friend!

Nancy Piersma serves as the Community Education & Advocacy Coordinator at Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services (D&HHS), bringing passion and commitment to both education and client advocacy. As Community Education Coordinator, Nancy develops curricula for a range of ASL class levels, hires instructors, teaches group classes, and offers one-on-one or family tutoring. Her goal is to make American Sign Language accessible and engaging for all learners. In her advocacy role, Nancy connects Deaf and DeafBlind individuals with vital resources, accompanies clients to appointments, and works to ensure their communication rights are upheld. She educates both clients and service providers about ADA compliance and, when necessary, contacts healthcare offices or human resources departments to advocate for interpreter access as required by federal law. What drives Nancy is seeing her students and clients grow in confidence—both in their ability to use sign language and in their understanding of Deaf culture. She also values opportunities to collaborate with other agencies to expand impact across the community. A proud Deaf professional, Nancy was born in Grand Rapids and moved to Grand Haven at the age of nine. Her lived experience informs every aspect of her work, from classroom instruction to client support. Outside of work, Nancy enjoys walking, watching movies, swimming, crocheting, and reading. Her dedication to communication access, cultural respect, and empowerment makes her an invaluable member of the D&HHS team

Erica Chapin is the Community and Partnerships Manager at D&HHS, having begun with the organization as an intern in 2019 and transitioning to full-time employee in January 2020. Among her significant responsibilities are coordinating events, creating marketing materials, working on development activities such as grants and donor relations, coordinating Cultural and Sensitivity Training, building relationships with partner organizations, organizing youth program happenings and more. She says she loves “seeing individuals we serve at community events where they are included and can participate fully. Especially seeing children involved in the Youth Program able to have fun and socialize because they are given access to communication.” She adds that it’s an honor for her to hear stories about how people’s lives have been changed through the work done by D&HHS. Born and raised in Midland, Michigan, Erica moved to Grand Rapids where she attended Grand Valley State Univerisity. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, puzzles, tea and music.

Bethany Faulkner is an Interpreter Services Specialist at D&HHS and has been with the organization in varying capacities since 2007. She schedules interpreters, does some advocacy and community education, liaises between customers and interpreters, answer phones, makes referrals to appropriate staff members and more. “I love partnering with Deaf co-workers to make something good happen for an individual or a community of individuals,” she said. “I also love learning from the vast and various experiences of our contractor interpreters.” Bethany said that a childhood interest in ASL met opportunity when she met her adoptive mom who pulled her towards the Deaf community where “I found I never wanted to leave.” Born and raised in Grand Rapids, her hobbies and interests include singing, acting, music, anything Celtic, self-improvement and food as medicine.

Natalie Bengston is an Interpreter Referral Coordinator at D&HHS, joining the organization in that role in the summer of 2024. She is responsible for scheduling interpreters for various jobs, answering phones and emails and referring the appropriate interpreters for the job requests that come in. She said she loves all aspects of her work, including her coworkers. “It’s so great to be able to work with people who are passionate about the same things I’m passionate about,” she said. “And it’s really great to be able to work with my Deaf coworkers and learn directly from them.” Natalie became interested in ASL as a high school student living in Fremont, Michigan, and then went to Lansing Community College to study ASL interpreting. In her free time she said she loves spending time with her husband and their cat, Miso, reading and working out. She came to D&HHS after working in healthcare and hopes to be a medical interpreter in the future.

Ken Hornecker is the D&HHS accountant, a position he began in spring 2025. His job responsibilities are numerous with some of the main duties being invoicing clients and processing payments, processing payroll and filing payroll forms, preparing financial statements and budgets and much more. He very much enjoys spending time with the other D&HHS office staff members and working on budgets. He also said with a smile that a goal each year is “to survive the annual audit.” Ken is the grandson of a man who was Hard of Hearing, but his connections to the Deaf community were limited prior to joining the D&HHS staff. Nonetheless he said that he will be taking ASL classes and is looking forward to using his talents to serve an organization that in turn does so much good for the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing communities. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Ken came to West Michigan to attend Hope College, where he met his wife, and now loves the area and loves spending time with his grandkids, working a puzzle of some kind or reading a book.

Carol Byrne is the Hearing Assistive Technology Specialist at D&HHS, having begun with the organization in the summer of 2024. In her role, she works with area wide assistance programs to provide hearing aids or other assistive listening devices to the Hard of Hearing community. She also works to educate and provide resources to the Hard of Hearing community based on circumstances and needs. As she began in her new role in the summer of 2024, she said simply that she was looking forward to connecting with the Hard of Hearing and being a resource for their communication needs. Prior to joining the D&HHS team, Carol worked as a hearing healthcare provider for many years and found it very rewarding to understand the needs of the Hard of Hearing community and offer valuable, useful solutions for better communication. She was born in Kalamazoo, raised in East Grand Rapids, and enjoys reading, traveling, being on the beach, and bike riding on Michigan’s many trails in her free time.

Jennifer Kolhoff serves as the Continuing Education Coordinator at Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, a role she has held since 2016. She organizes professional development opportunities for American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters across Michigan and beyond through live, online, and hybrid workshops. These trainings help interpreters maintain the Continuing Education Units (CEUs) required by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). In 2024, Jen also became an approved sponsor for the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf’s Certification Maintenance Program and Associate Continuing Education Tracking System (RID-CMP/ACET).Each February, Jen chairs the planning committee for Silent Weekend, the ASL full-immersion retreat that draws 75–120 participants to a local camp. She also serves as a Grand Rapids test administrator (with Erica Chapin of D&HHS) for the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA)—the only testing site in Michigan offering both the performance and written exams. A Michigan native, Jen has worked as a full-time K–12 educational interpreter since 2017 and helps manage the D&HHS Facebook page. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, playing Euchre, and spending time at the beach in “The Thumb.” She and her husband, Lance, have three grown children.

Betsy Smith is the Tuesday Group Coordinator at D&HHS. A retired Deaf Education teacher, Betsy has been connected to D&HHS for many years through ASL classes, tutoring, advocacy, volunteering, and serving on boards that support the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. In her role, she plans weekly gatherings and monthly outings for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and deafblind adults with special needs, creating opportunities for friendship, socialization, and learning valuable life skills. Born and raised in Laurium/Calumet in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Betsy describes herself as a “nature girl” who loves being outdoors. She enjoys camping, hiking, kayaking, fishing, cross-country skiing, and traveling to new places. She also has a soft spot for pets—especially horses. Passionate about helping others find joy and connection, Betsy is dedicated to fostering community where everyone can communicate and belong.

Barbara DeCan is the Tuesday Group Assistant , a volunteer position she had held since spring 2025. She said she loves working with the members of the Tuesday Group. “I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work with people who are so kind, caring, compassionate and supportive of each other,” she said. “They may learn from me, but I also learn so much from them!” She first had the chance to learn ASL through a local church and then transitioned to classes at D&HHS. Born in Grand Rapids, she has lived her entire life in West Michigan and said with a smile that she “would never want to live anywhere else.” She recently retired after almost 50 years as a pharmacy technician, mostly with Corewell Health, and now is enjoying more time with her husband Gary and with the Tuesday Group. She also remains very involved in her church. She added: “I have been so blessed.  How many people get the opportunity to do what they absolutely love to do, not once but twice in a lifetime!”

Alex Bono is the Youth Program Assistant Coordinator for D&HHS, starting that role in the spring of 2025. In that position, she works closely with Community & Partnerships Manager Erica Chapin to coordinate events and develop activities for the youth program. As she began in the role, she said simply that she was looking forward to forming a deeper connection with the Deaf community and learning more about the language and the culture. Born and raised in Grand Rapids, she first got interested in D&HHS when she took ASL classes as electives at Northview High School. There she said she fell in love with the language and wanted to learn more. After high school, she went to Lansing Community College to study ASL interpreting with a goal to become a certified interpreter and then to work as an educational interpreter. Her hobbies include hiking, swimming, gardening and reading.

Phil de Haan is a Communications Consultant for D&HHS and began in that role in the fall of 2019. Owner of de Haan Communications, Phil helps D&HHS with storytelling on the website and with general communications strategy and tactics, working closely with executive director Deb Atwood, with marketing coordinator Erica Chapin, with Facebook admin Jen Kolhoff and with many other members of the D&HHS team. A native of Exeter, Ontario, Phil enjoys hockey and pickleball in his free time and loves working with his nonprofit clients and telling their amazing stories.

Jen Heeres is the Advancing ASL Interpreting in West Michigan (AAIWM) Mentor Coordinator and Staff Interpreter for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services, a role she began in the spring of 2025. Her main responsibility with AAIWM is developing and coordinating the AAIWM Mentor Program. The purpose of the Mentor Program is to support Peer-to-Peer interpreting by offering practicum interpreting experiences under the guidance of certified interpreters and members of the Deaf community who are knowledgeable about interpreting. She also is looking forward to expanding her role as Staff Interpreter and getting to interact with more interpreters on a regular basis. “I’m excited to help up-and-coming interpreters to improve their skills,” she said. Born and raised in Northern Illinois, she moved to West Michigan in 2015 and in her free time loves hanging out with her four kids, volunteering with Scouting America, hiking and backpacking.

Sara Smith is a dedicated ASL Instructor at Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (D&HHS), where she teaches American Sign Language and Deaf culture through engaging, interactive classes. D&HHS, a full-service nonprofit serving West Michigan, provides ASL courses, interpreter services, advocacy, education, and community outreach to the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing communities. Sara leads one of D&HHS’s weekly eight‑week ASL courses that foster both communication skills and cultural understanding. A Deaf individual herself, Sara brings authentic experience and personal insight to her work. She deeply values the opportunity to teach ASL because she loves witnessing students’ motivation to learn sign language and their growing appreciation of Deaf culture. Sara thrives on the connections made in her classes and enjoys sharing how communication and cultural awareness go hand in hand. Originally from Holland, Sara was raised in Grand Haven and now lives in Holland, Michigan. She enjoys lighthearted downtime playing Monopoly and Skip-Bo on her iPad, and she’s a devoted cat owner—her feline companion Tigger is a cherished family member. Sara also relaxes by watching General Hospital. Sara’s vibrant, empathetic approach makes her a beloved member of the D&HHS instructional team. Whether guiding beginners through basic signs or opening up conversations about Deaf culture, she inspires students to engage, learn, and connect with the wider Deaf community.

Margo Hutto brings both expertise and heart to her role as an ASL 2 Instructor at Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services. Using the ABC Basic Sign Language book as a foundation, she designs interactive, culturally enriching lessons that incorporate Deaf history, current events, and lived experiences. Her teaching fosters not only language development but also a deeper understanding and appreciation of Deaf culture. A proud Deaf professional from a multigenerational Deaf family—her parents and sister are also Deaf—Margo has lifelong roots in the Deaf community. These personal and professional experiences fuel her passion for advocacy, equity, and accessibility. In addition to her work in education, she’s actively involved in emergency preparedness initiatives, helping ensure Deaf and disabled individuals are fully included in disaster planning and response. Margo finds true joy in teaching and building authentic connections with her students. She’s especially inspired by the stories and motivations they bring to learning ASL, and finds deep fulfillment in watching their confidence and communication skills grow. Originally from Alabama, Margo spent nine years in Austin, Texas, and five years in Washington, D.C., before settling in Tempe, Arizona. She loves to travel, explore diverse cultures, and connect with people from all walks of life. In her free time, she enjoys journaling, outdoor adventures, and spending time with her two sons, her Deaf sister and niece and nephew, and her cherished pets who add comfort and joy to her everyday life.