The Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH) has the following positions open on our 15 member Governor-appointed board.

• At-large member (three seats)
• East Central Rep (one seat, must also serve on the Department of Human Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division's advisory committee for this region)
• Northwest Rep (one seat, must also serve on the Department of Human Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division's advisory committee for this region)
• Rep of Southeast Advisory Council (one seat, must also serve on the Department of Human Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division's advisory committee for this region)
• Southwest Rep (one seat, must also serve on the Department of Human Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division's advisory committee for this region)

If you are interested in applying to be on the board, please apply on the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.

If you are interested in joining a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division (DHHSD) regional advisory committee, please contact dhs.dhhsd@state.mn.us and inquire about any open positions.

About MNCDHH's Board

MNCDHH has 15 board members (8 Regional Representatives & 7 At-Large Members).

Each of the 8 Regional Representatives must be a member of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHSD) regional office advisory committee in their area. (Minnesota Statute 256C.24)

While the Commission and DHHSD can submit recommendations based on our needs, the Governor makes the final decision on who is appointed to the board.

Who is on the board

At least 50% of the members must be deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing. The statute also requires that parents of children who are deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing, and representatives of county and regional human services, including representatives of private service providers, are included on the board. (Minnesota Statute 256.C.28)

Diversity is important

In addition to what is required by statute, the Governor's Office and the Commission also consider:

• the racial, indigenous, ethnic, gender and cultural diversity of the state.
• representation of people who are D/deaf, DeafBlind, hard of hearing blind, hard of hearing and communication modes (ASL, spoken language, bilingual, Cued Speech, other modalities).
• experts on the topics we are working on. This includes education, employment, communications, and age-related hearing loss. 

The selection of board members is not an easy process. We need to make sure all points of views are included at the table.

Board responsibilities

Board members must commit to attending four all-day Commission meetings each year (3rd Friday of January, May, September and November) and commit to attending 3-4 shorter business meetings as needed. During our November meeting, we hold a longer board and staff retreat. We also convene work groups and committees to implement the board-approved strategic plan.

Length of service

Terms are for four years. Members may not serve more than three consecutive terms.

Additional information

Additional questions about joining the board? Visit MNCDHH's Join the Board page or email Katy Kelley-Rademacher at katy.kelley@state.mn.us.