Auditory-Verbal International, Inc. �

For Immediate Release
For Further Information:
Auditory-Verbal International, Inc. � (AVI)
(703) 739-1049
[email protected]

Auditory-Verbal International, Inc.� (AVI) Announces Transition of Staff Leadership

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (September 8, 2004) � Auditory-Verbal International, Inc.� (AVI), the worldwide association devoted to the Auditory-Verbal approach, announces the transition of the staff leadership of the association.

Sara Blair Lake, Esq. who has served as the Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of the association for the past five years recently accepted the position of Director of Certification with the American Board of Audiology. The American Board of Audiology is allied with The American Academy of Audiology which represents more than 9,000 members and is dedicated to providing quality hearing care services through leadership, advocacy, education, support of research and increased public awareness of hearing and balance disorders.

Steven R. Rech, the president of AVI and the parent of a child with bilateral cochlear implants, said recently �Sara has greatly elevated the visibility and stature of AVI during her tenure and will be greatly missed. I believe her most notable achievements, among many others during her years of leadership at AVI, are the great enhancement of AVI�s international presence, through spearheading outstanding international conferences and playing a key role in the expansion of the certification program in Auditory-Verbal Development to five continents, as well as forging excellent relationships with hearing health consumers, advocates, professionals and industry leaders. She has been a tremendous asset to AVI and I am confident she will also be a great asset to the American Board of Audiology as well.�

Chellie Lisenby, M.A., has been appointed Interim Executive Director and brings to the position a wealth of relevant experience. Ms. Lisenby, a certified Montessorian, received her Master�s degree in Elementary/Early Childhood Education from New York University. She is the CEO of the Auditory-Verbal Learning Institute (AVLI), a nonprofit which delivers Auditory-Verbal learning tools to families and professionals across the globe. Ms. Lisenby is also the former Executive Director for Bolesta Center, Inc., an Auditory-Verbal Center in Tampa, Florida and is a former Fellow of Social Entrepreneurship through the Denali Initiative. Ms. Lisenby, also formerly a member of the Board of Directors of AVI, is taking a leave of absence from the Board while she serves as the organization�s Interim Executive Director.

Mr. Rech said of Ms. Lisenby, �Chellie is the ideal Interim Executive Director of AVI. She is extremely knowledgeable in virtually all critical aspects of the position and is an outstanding nonprofit leader. AVI remains in excellent hands.�

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Founded in 1987, Auditory-Verbal International, Inc. � (AVI) is the world�s premier association devoted to the Auditory-Verbal approach, a rehabilitative option premised on a logical and critical set of guiding principles which enable most children who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn to use even minimal amounts of residual hearing or hearing through the cochlear implant to listen, to process verbal language and to speak.

For further details about AVI and the Auditory-Verbal approach, visit AVI�s website at www.auditory-verbal.org or call AVI at (703) 739-1049.

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