Meet Kathryn Rose who was recently appointed by the Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan to serve on the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH) board to serve as the Northwest Representative. Kathryn previously served on MNCDHH's board a few years ago as a Metro Representative.

"As a former mental health counselor, and with the concerns of accessible treatment programs for deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing individuals with substance use disorder, I am thrilled to have someone with Kathryn's knowledge and connections contribute to our board,"  said Executive Director Darlene G. Zangara, Ph.D. 

Board Chair Michele Isham agreed noting, "Addiction is an issue that affects our hearing loss communities in both the Twin Cities Metro Area and Greater Minnesota. In fact, it has a national impact. Let's see what we can do to address health and communication access disparities."

With Kathryn's recent appointment, there is currently one open position on the board remaining, the seat for a Southwest Representative. The person who fills this seat must also be a member of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHSD) regional office advisory committee in this area. We expect a few seats will open in January 2021.

 Kathryn Rose, Northwest Representative (Term ends: 1/4/2021)

Kathryn is currently a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor~Supervisor (LADC-S) for the Community Addictions Recovery Enterprises (C.A.R.E.) for the State of Minnesota, in Fergus Falls since October 2018. She previously worked as a LADC counselor for Minnesota Health Fairview Program Serving Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind Individuals and was there for over 11 years. She graduated from St. Catherine University's interpreter training program. She has worked as a program coordinator, program manager, in adult foster care, and supported living clinical coordinator for 15 years. During this time, she returned to college and received a degree in psychology and obtained licensure for alcohol and drug counseling (LADC). She is also the president of Deaf Can, Inc. She, along with Herman Fuechtmann and Mike Adams, opened the first collaborative sober living program with RS Eden for those in recovery who are Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing. This was made possible with help from MNCDHH, the Minnesota Department of Human Services Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division (DHHSD), and a grant from the Alcohol and Drug Division of the State of Minnesota. She is also supervising Deaf Can, Inc.'s, Deaf Outreach Services (DOS). This program provides ILS/CADI, services under 245D licenses for the State of Minnesota. Kathryn can be found at her cabin in western Minnesota on most weekends and exploring Northwest Minnesota areas.

"It is important to me to serve on this board because…I believe together we CAN make a difference in our community." ~ Kathryn Rose