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 is the Community Education & Advocacy Coordinator for D&HHS but also teaches and tutors, does Cultural and Sensitivity Training, is a Native Deaf Facilitator and much more. In her words: “A little bit of everything.” But, she says, she loves the variety her work gives her and loves serving the many different clients D&HHS partners with. Born Deaf, Nancy, a Grand Rapids native, uses oral and sign language and joined D&HHS in the spring of 2012. In her free time, she crochets, watches movies and enjoys bike riding and walking. She notes that she has two beautiful children and is a proud mom, adding: “I cannot forget one more is my cat, Suki. She keeps me company when my two young adults are away.”

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.

Kelly Glass is the Tuesday Group Coordinator and teaches ASL classes for D&HHS, joining in 2020 to teach and in 2023 as Tuesday Group Coordinator. She said she loves both opportunities, and her goal in all that she does is to help people feel comfortable, safe, and confident. Born in East Grand Rapids, Kelly, who is Deaf, was raised in Kingsley near Traverse City, went to a mainstream school in Traverse City until 1992, moved to Cedar Springs, and then went to Northview High School, graduating in 1997. She said she enjoys creative crafts, knitting, Bible study, and walking dogs. And, she added, living with a Deaf-Blind roommate has sparked in her a deep desire to understand communications and access for that community.

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 is the Workshop Coordinator for D&HHS, a position she has held since 2016. Her role provides important resources for what working interpreters want and need to maintain their certifications in the state of Michigan and for their continued learning in the field. She coordinates workshops for interpreters, Deaf community members and students on a regular basis, covering topics that fall under the main categories of interpreting and locates presenters for these workshops, finds locations to hold the presentations, applies for CEU sponsorship and approval and more. She says she loves having the opportunity to work closely with people to find out what they want and need to improve their profession and their community. A Michigan native, Jen is an educational interpreter and runs the D&HHS Facebook page. In her free time loves to bake, loves the beach, camps and fishes, and enjoys cards, books and jigsaw puzzles.

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.

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.