Abigail Poyser, AuD, MBA, has over a decade of experience at Phonak, where she's held roles in Sales, Training, Product Management, and Marketing, and is now the Senior Brand Manager. Before Phonak, she worked in clinical settings, conducting audiometry and leading newborn hearing screenings in Washington D.C. Abby graduated from DePauw University with degrees in Psychology, French, and Music, and holds a Master's and Doctorate in Audiology from Indiana University, along with an MBA in Digita...

Dr. Bailey is a leading expert on consumer technology in the audiology industry. He is a staunch advocate for patient-centered hearing care and audiological best practices, and welcomes any technological innovation that improves access to quality hearing outcomes. Dr. Bailey holds an Au.D. from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Achin Bhowmik, PhD, is the Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering at Starkey Hearing in Minneapolis. Dr. Bhomik is responsible for the company’s technology strategy, global research, product development, engineering, and program management organizations. Previously, he was the VP and general manager of the Perceptual Computing Group at Intel Corp, and he also currently serves as an adjunct professor at the Stanford School of Medicine.

Adam Chell qualified as an audiologist in the UK in 2009. He is now the clinical director for Sevenoaks Hearing, an independent provider of hearing care in Kent, England. He is also the founder of Adjust Hearing which is a UK based teleaudiology service. Adam has a keen interest in Hearables and is the founder of the information website HearablesOnline.

Adriana Aleksandrova is a consultant and content writer for Hear4U. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from De Montfort University. Adriana is an employee health advocate and regularly writes for the healthcare sector. She can be reached at Adriana@hear4u.co.uk.

Dr. Ana Anzola, CCC-A, FAAA, ABA is CEO and President of Ascent Audiology & Hearing serving Northern Virginia and Maryland. She views the practice of audiology as a mix of art and science in an effort to find the best solution for each individual. Dr. Anzola received her Doctorate degree in Audiology (AuD) from the Arizona School of Health Sciences, and her Master’s Degree in Audiology and her Bachelor's Degree in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology from Towson University.

Andrew is a new hearing aid user who currently works as Dir. of Market Development for Knowles Corp. Andy hopes that by sharing his story he can influence others to protect their hearing, and to make it easier for those with untreated hearing loss to accept their condition and seek care without waiting as long as he did. 

Angela Flores received her Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of South Alabama and completed her CFY at Mayo Clinic.  She received her AuD from Salus University in 2009.  She worked clinically with Mayo Clinic and the University of Florida Pediatric Program for over 8 years. Dr. Flores currently works as an adjunct professor for the University of New Hampshire and as a consultant.

Archelle Georgiou, MD, is the Chief Health Officer for Starkey Hearing Technologies. She is also a nationally recognized physician, author, medical executive and health reporter.

As HLAA’s chief executive officer since March 2016, Barbara is the primary spokesperson for the organization. She is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the organization. Other key duties include fundraising, advocacy, marketing/media relations, and national and international outreach.

Bari Nan Rothchild is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Self, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, and The New York Times.

Dr. Ben Thompson is an audiologist and tinnitus expert. Dr. Thompson is the founder of Pure Tinnitus. He completed his residency at University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and is a past board member of the California Academy of Audiology. Via telehealth, Dr. Thompson provides services to patients with hearing loss and tinnitus.

Bill Austin is owner and chairman of Starkey, the largest American-owned hearing aid manufacturer, and founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Through the Foundation, Bill and his wife, Tani, have volunteered in more than 100 countries to give the gift of hearing and have established hearing healthcare clinics and aftercare services in 70 countries to date. Recently, Starkey launched a corporate social responsibility program called Starkey Cares which in 2022 partnered with Special Olympic...

Bill Bielski, AuD, is a Senior Marketing Manager for the Phonak US Marketing team. In short, Bill focuses mainly on the Roger and pediatric product portfolio with the mission to execute product launches and marketing campaigns. Bill has a long history in the hearing health care universe including previous tenure in private practice and also within Phonak developing new channels for Roger product adoption. He has a passion for hearing healthcare and the technology that can serve as a conduit t...

Brad Ingrao, AuD is a Doctor of Audiology who grew up around hard-of-hearing people. He has been practicing clinical audiology since 1992. Known as an early adopter and supporter of disruptive technologies and practices, he is always on the lookout for ways to improve access to quality hearing care.

Brandy Heckroodt, AuD is an Audiology Manager for Phonak US. She earned her Doctor of Audiology degree from Nova Southeastern University and practiced privately until she joined Phonak in 2012 as a Lyric Clinical Trainer. Dr. Heckroodt is passionate about supporting HCPs and their patients live a life without limitations.

Dr. Taylor is the Senior Director of Audiology at Signia. He is also the editor of Audiology Practices, a quarterly journal of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, editor-at-large for Hearing Health and Technology Matters, and adjunct instructor at the University of Wisconsin. He has authored several peer reviewed articles and textbooks and is a highly sought out lecturer. He has nearly 30 years of experience as a clinician, business manager, and university instructor. His most recent textboo...

Caleb Hill is a Sales and Marketing Intern at Bellman & Symfon North America, Inc.

Carly Sygrove is a hearing loss coach and a hearing health writer who has single-sided deafness. She writes about living with hearing loss at My Hearing Loss Story and manages an online support group for people with hearing loss. She is also the founder of the Sudden Hearing Loss Support website, a source of information and support for people affected by sudden hearing loss.

Cary W. Tucker is a former paralegal who transfigured into a paraplanner. He obtained a Certificate in Personal Financial Planning from the University of California Irvine and went on to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ or CFP® professional. He enjoys providing treatments for financial health.

Accessibility lead at Phase2 Technology. Cochlear implant recipient. Focused on mainstream digital experiences for all. www.phase2technology.com

Dr. Chad Ruffin is an ear, nose, and throat doctor in Seattle who specializes in hearing restoration and ear surgery. He is one of the first people born with severe hearing loss to become a surgeon using cochlear implants. He performs cochlear implants and hearing restoration surgery and teaches his patients how to live to the fullest with hearing loss. In addition to treating patients in the clinic, he also researches and develops technology for hearing loss.

Chloe Brittain is the owner of Opal Transcription Services, an audio transcription company for businesses, academic and research institutions, and media professionals.

Dr. Pickup is the owner of Mt. Harrison Audiology in Rupert, Idaho. Dr. Pickup follows a medically-based approach to diagnosing and treating hearing disorders that is compassionate and personalized to each patient.

Cj Wild is the Head of Engineering and Technology at Scoop Technologies, a prominent Bay Area Startup. Originally from Leeds, England. Cj has been living in Marin, North California for the last 10 years. Cj has mild-moderate hearing loss, perhaps as a result of many years playing rugby and working with live bands.

Constantine is a hearing aid user for 20+ years and is currently Sr. Embedded Security Systems Engineer at TrustPoint Innovation Technologies, Ltd. He received his B.A.Sc in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto and has 8+ years in software design and development in secure real-time communication for embedded systems. At TrustPoint he is the Technical Lead for V2X Security Technology, is a contributor to IEEE 1609.2 / SCMS protocols for secure vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communicat...

Danielle S. Powell is an Audiologist and Epidemiologist, currently serving as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has expertise in the connection between hearing loss and late-life mental health for older adults, including hearing loss and depression. Her current work focuses on the effect of hearing loss and dementia on health services utilization and caregiving. Her research goal is to bridge in...

David Cochran is a retired design director who worked for over 40 years in biomedical communications, broadcasting, and publishing in Philadelphia. He now lives in Myrtle Beach, SC.