Carrie Lou Bloom, PhD, is Director of the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes and a faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin. With experience securing more than $42 million in grant funding, she brings extensive expertise in using data, research, and community needs to build compelling cases for investment. Her work focuses on improving education and career opportunities for deaf people by examining where systems fail—and changing the systems, not deaf people.

ID: Carrie Lou Bloom, a smiling white woman with shoulder-length, curly brown hair, is wearing a black blouse and glasses, with a white pillar behind her.

Darian B. Gambrell is currently the Executive Director for DEAF, Inc. in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, where she oversees 5 Eastern regional offices. Prior to arriving at DEAF, Inc., Gambrell was a manager at the Raleigh regional center of the North Carolina Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, which has seven regional centers across the state. She was employed at Gallaudet University for over 15 years and was known for her student-centered management; she oversaw the Office of Student Success and had a leadership role in the university’s JumpStart and Peer Mentoring programs for incoming students. Gambrell has worked in several positions in non-profit, colleges, and state agencies throughout her career. She is a current member on the Board of Trustees at Gallaudet University and a former board member for Arts Access, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. Gambrell hosts community conversations and workshops and has since cultivated a reputation as an engaging facilitator. She received her certificate from Institute for Nonprofit Practice in May 2023 and is a member of 2024 YW LEADBOSTON Cohort.

ID: Darian, a Black woman with short hair and glasses, smiles warmly at the camera. She is wearing a bright red blouse and small earrings. The photo of Darian is framed centered within a circular crop and surrounded by a thick teal circular border.

Marilyn Jean Smith (she/her) is the founder and former executive director of the Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services (ADWAS) in Seattle, Washington and is considered the Mother of the Anti-Violence Movement in Deaf America. She received her B.A. and her M.A. from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Her work at ADWAS brought many awards, including those from President Clinton, Gallaudet University, and the National Association of the Deaf, and Deaf Women United. She received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Gallaudet University in 2004.

ID: Marilyn, a white woman with long gray hair, smiles at the camera. She is wearing a red top and a beaded necklace, framed in a circular image with a teal border against a leafy background.