Michael Valente is Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology and Director of Adult Audiology at Washington University School of Medicine. He has been at Washington University in this role for 21 years. His editorial responsibilities include the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology where he is the Assistant Editor-Amplification, American Journal of Audiology, Ear and Hearing and the International Journal of Audiology where he is Editor-at-Large. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1975. He had edited several textbooks that include Strategies for Selecting and Verifying Hearing Aid Performance, Thieme Medical Publishers, 1994 and 2002 (2nd edition); Hearing Aids: Standards, Options and Limitations, Thieme Medical Publishers, 1994 and 2002 (2nd edition); Audiology: Diagnosis, Audiology: Treatment and Audiology: Practice Management, Thieme Medical Publishers, 2000 and 2007 (With Ross Roeser and Holly Hosford-Dunn).

Dr. Gyl Kasewurm started Professional Hearing Services (PHS) in Saint Joseph, Michigan in 1983 immediately following graduation from Western Michigan with a Masters Degree in Audiology. She then went on to earn her Doctor of Audiology Degree from Central Michigan University. Despite being located in a rural community of only 10,000 people, the business now ranks in the top 1% of audiology practices in the country. Dr. Kasewurm’s practice was recognized as a standout and featured on a PBS documentary sponsored by the Better Hearing Institute in 2006. Kasewurm was honored by Lake Michigan College as Alumnus of the Year this year. Dr. Kasewurm is a Past President of the Michigan Academy of Audiology and served on the American Academy of Audiology Executive Board for five years. In addition, the American Academy of Audiology honored Kasewurm her innovation and contributions to the profession by presenting her with a Distinguished Achievement Award in 2007. She was selected as 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Southwest Michigan Cornerstone Alliance and Chamber of Commerce, an organization that represents over 1,500 businesses, and the same organization recognized her organization for outstanding customer service in 2007.

Craig A. Kasper, Au.D. completed his Doctorate of Audiology at the University of Florida and earned his Master's degree with clinical honors from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, a member of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association as well as the National Association of Medical Communicators. He is the Chief Audiology Officer for a private hearing healthcare practice in New York City.

Dr. Kasper completed his Clinical Fellowship and served as a clinician in the Department of Otolaryngology / Head & Neck Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Medical Center. While he was there he founded the Columbia University Center for Hearing Conservation, one of the first preventive hearing health and wellness programs designed for performing artists. Prevention continues to be a focus of his practice. As a result, he is recognized in the music and entertainment industries as a preferred hearing healthcare provider for many touring professionals and media personalities.

He has contributed to scholarly articles that have been published in peer-reviewed journals and he also writes informative and educational articles for the general public. Dr. Kasper serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards for the professional publication Advance for Audiologists and the American Academy of Audiology’s publication Audiology Today. He was also appointed to a fundraising and educational committee for the American Tinnitus Association.

Dr. Ian Windmill is Professor and Director of the Division of Communication Science in the Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center where he is responsible for directing the clinical, educational and research programs in audiology and speech-language pathology. He spent 25 years at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, the last ten as Director of the academic and clinical programs of the Division of Audiology. He was a partner in University Surgical Associates, a 50-doctor multi-specialty surgical practice, where he served as a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors and as managing partner of University Audiology Associates, a private audiologic practice associated with University Surgical Associates. Dr. Windmill received his Bachelor’s, Masters, and Ph.D. in Audiology from Florida State University, graduating in 1983. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and has served on the Board of Directors of the AAA as well as holding key committee chair positions. He currently chairs the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology and the Ear, Nose and Throat Journal. His teaching responsibilities include medical students, residents in otolaryngology and Doctor of Audiology students, primarily focusing on his two interest areas – the diagnosis of hearing and balance disorders and the education of audiologists.

Dr. Jackie Clark maintains her international perspective through a number of outlets which include: faculty appointment as a Research Associate at University of Witwatersrand in South Africa; collaboration with another university in South Africa; her role as managing editor of an international peer-review journal; a humanitarian audiologist committee chair for the International Society of Audiology; and personal philanthropic program in a South African country. Dr. Clark is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor UT Dallas’ School of Brain & Behavior Sciences, and when in Texas, she carries an active clinical caseload with clinical duties involving adult and pediatric diagnoses, hearing aid dispensing, and electrophysiological assessments.

Dr. Clark is board certified with the American Board of Audiology, holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in Audiology, and is licensed to practice Audiology and dispense hearing aids in the State of Texas. She has authored many peer reviewed research articles, some book chapters, and has been invited to lecture in many parts of the world. In addition to Hear the World Foundation, Dr. Clark is on the advisory board of the "Better Hearing Institute"; both groups seek to ensure that underserved populations are receiving due recognition and regard. In addition, in her role as the Humanitarian Committee Chair she is involved in helping hearing health professionals find ways to maximize audiology volunteer efforts.  

Since 1998 she began leading teams of volunteers annually to Chicuque Mozambique and introduced audiological services to that region of Africa. In fact, her annual visits have resulted in accumulating demographic data about a specific region in Mozambique, which was published in 2008.