Our Mission

Sasha Ponappa (she/her) is a passionate advocate and an endlessly curious learner. She led an agency serving deaf survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence, supported multiple nonprofit networks, and managed various federally funded and state-funded programs. As the executive director of DOF, she works with the board of directors, builds donor relationships, and acts as an organization liaison, directly supporting countless deaf-centric nonprofits across the country! This will be Sasha’s sixth time overseeing DOF’s grant opportunity.

ID: Sasha, a brown woman with long wavy brown hair, is wearing a light blue dress. Behind her is a teal backdrop.

Avi Haimowitz (she/her) identifies as a white deaf cis woman with over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She credits her leadership opportunities at a statewide deaf domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy organization for her broad expertise in fundraising, grant writing, and community work. In her current role, Avi focuses on ensuring Deaf Organizations Fund's ability to support the needs of deaf nonprofits by cultivating and stewarding donor relationships along with coordinating fundraising events.

ID: Avi, a smiling white woman with long brown hair, is wearing a light pink sweater and clear-rimmed glasses, with a teal backdrop behind her.

Dan Mabashov (he/him) is an experienced Project Manager with eight years of organizing, implementing, and delivering successful projects. As a white deaf gay man, Dan is committed to leveraging his privileges to make an equitable and accessible impact in philanthropy by ensuring DOF’s grant applications and materials are accessible and available in multiple languages, including American Sign Language (ASL). Beyond work, Dan’s always imagining his next travel destination and doting on his adorable nibling, Lux.

ID: Dan, a white male, has a short, neatly styled dark hair and a beard. Dan is wearing a black sweater over a black and white floral-patterned collared shirt. Behind him is a teal backdrop.

Christopher Soukup is a senior leader and advocate for deaf and disability communities. After Chris graduated from Gallaudet University in 2001, he started working at Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), the world's largest deaf-led social impact organization, in a community-based role. In 2014, he was appointed CEO of CSD.

Over the past decade, he has led CSD’s global transformation to become a fully virtualized organization; the development of a disruptive software platform for sign language interpreting service delivery; the creation of the first social venture fund dedicated to deaf and disabled entrepreneurs; the launch of a jobs marketplace for deaf and disabled professionals seeking contract work and full time employment opportunities; the implementation of online learning spaces for both children and adults to access educational and training content in ASL; the introduction of a new community foundation dedicated to strengthening the capacity of nonprofit organizations serving deaf and disabled people; as well as a continuum of innovative direct video communication solutions designed to bolster the relationship between government and corporate entities and their deaf and disabled customers. Most recently, Chris and CSD are seeking to deploy a new health care-focused initiative that will be introduced nationally in phases this year.

In addition to the oversight of these community-focused brands, Chris has played an important role in the advocacy of key legislation and accessibility during crucial cultural events such as the development of the CVTA bill, a COVID-19 hotline in American Sign Language, and the inclusion of interpreters and captioning at White House briefings.

Chris has served on several prominent committees and advisory boards that address barriers faced by deaf and disabled communities including the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee and the Disability:IN Disability Equality Index Advisory Committee.

Chris has been featured in: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Business Insider, Market Watch, Thrive, Forbes, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, INC, HuffPost, NPR, and USA Today.

ID: Chris, a white man, is wearing a dark gray polo and is smiling. Behind him is a teal backdrop.

Maria Wilson (she/her) is a deaf attorney and impassioned human rights advocate. Strategic and intuitive, Wilson is the multi-faceted Chief Legal Officer and Board Secretary at Communication Service of the Deaf, Inc. (CSD), serving the CSD parent Board of Directors, along with the Deaf Organizations Fund. As a proactive pragmatist, Wilson has a reputation for delivering under pressure in a rapid and complex environment. She is a trusted and collaborative leader capable of effectively communicating and effectuating change at all professional levels. She received her B.A. with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center. She keeps Austin weird with her son, her rose garden, and a small populace of pets.

ID: Maria, a smiling Latina with dark wavy brown hair, wears a black blouse underneath a bold red blazer and gold jewelry. Behind her is a teal backdrop.

As the Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of CSD and a former Big 4 auditor, Thomas Means (he/his/him) is a leader among Finance circles. This is fitting for Thomas, as a native Texan and alumni of the University of Texas at Austin (BBA, MPA), where they do everything big. Thomas Means’ buoyant charisma allows him to effectively collaborate at all corporate levels and manage CSD’s entire Finance Division with ease and a touch of Southern swagger. Serving as CFO, Thomas also has cross-organizational experience into Technology and Human Capital projects, providing key insight into special projects and development. Thomas serves a wide range of committees and boards, most recently the Deaf Action Center. In 2015, Thomas took a leap of faith leaving Ernst & Young as an Assurance Senior Manager to join a non-profit dedicated to its mission, speaking more volume to his character than any bio could, even this one.

ID: Thomas, a white man with short brown hair and a trimmed goatee, is wearing a dark gray, short-sleeved denim button-down. Behind Thomas is a teal backdrop.

Brendan Gramer is a UX Design Manager on the Payments team at Amazon, and has been with the company for 16 years. Gramer is passionate about advocating for accessible design at Amazon, and previously served as an internal advisor and stakeholder within the company’s Design Tools & Resources Working Group, AUX (Accessibility to the UX Design Community), and for various initiatives focused on Deaf representation in accessibility, diversity, and inclusion. Brendan recently transitioned out of his 3-year role as the Global President serving AmazonPWD (People with Disabilities) affinity group, and led the creation of Amazon’s first American Sign Language logo.

Gramer is the recipient of several awards recognizing his work and advocacy, including Honorable Mention at the 2011 FCC Chairman’s Award for Advancement in Accessibility, the Northwest Access Fund’s 2016 Innovation Award, and Amazon’s 2019 Global Accessibility Awareness Month (GAAM) Award in the ‘Relentless Forward Progress’ category. Brendan is an active advocate for the deaf community, and holds various volunteer leadership roles including the Hearing Loss Advisory Council of the Washington Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Deaf Kids Code, United Airlines Accessible Travel Advisory Board, and the Deaf Thrive Steering Committee.

Brendan was born profoundly deaf in Chicago to a hearing family. He grew up using oral communication, and learned ASL later in life. He currently uses a mix of both modalities, and lives in Seattle with his Deaf wife, and Deaf sons. Gramer uses his life experiences, and passion for self-advocacy and change to help make the world a more inclusive and accessible place for the Deaf community.

ID: Brendan, a white man with gray hair and a beard, is wearing a polo shirt in front of a teal backdrop.

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 smiling white woman with pink lipstick, has shoulder-length grayish-blonde hair and is wearing a black and white striped shirt. Behind her is a teal backdrop.

Avi Haimowitz (she/her) identifies as a white deaf cis woman with over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She credits her leadership opportunities at a statewide deaf domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy organization for her broad expertise in fundraising, grant writing, and community work. In her current role, Avi focuses on ensuring Deaf Organizations Fund's ability to support the needs of deaf nonprofits by cultivating and stewarding donor relationships along with coordinating fundraising events.

ID: Avi, a white woman with long brown hair, is seated on a chair in a corner, smiling upward toward the camera. She is wearing a light pink sweater and clear-rimmed glasses.

Christopher Soukup is a senior leader and advocate for deaf and disability communities. After Chris graduated from Gallaudet University in 2001, he started working at Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), the world's largest deaf-led social impact organization, in a community-based role. In 2014, he was appointed CEO of CSD.

Over the past decade, he has led CSD’s global transformation to become a fully virtualized organization; the development of a disruptive software platform for sign language interpreting service delivery; the creation of the first social venture fund dedicated to deaf and disabled entrepreneurs; the launch of a jobs marketplace for deaf and disabled professionals seeking contract work and full time employment opportunities; the implementation of online learning spaces for both children and adults to access educational and training content in ASL; the introduction of a new community foundation dedicated to strengthening the capacity of nonprofit organizations serving deaf and disabled people; as well as a continuum of innovative direct video communication solutions designed to bolster the relationship between government and corporate entities and their deaf and disabled customers. Most recently, Chris and CSD are seeking to deploy a new health care-focused initiative that will be introduced nationally in phases this year.

In addition to the oversight of these community-focused brands, Chris has played an important role in the advocacy of key legislation and accessibility during crucial cultural events such as the development of the CVTA bill, a COVID-19 hotline in American Sign Language, and the inclusion of interpreters and captioning at White House briefings.

Chris has served on several prominent committees and advisory boards that address barriers faced by deaf and disabled communities including the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee and the Disability:IN Disability Equality Index Advisory Committee.

Chris has been featured in: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Business Insider, Market Watch, Thrive, Forbes, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, INC, HuffPost, NPR, and USA Today.

ID: Chris, a white man, is wearing a dark gray polo and is smiling. Behind him is a teal backdrop.

Maria Wilson (she/her) is a deaf attorney and impassioned human rights advocate. Strategic and intuitive, Wilson is the multi-faceted Chief Legal Officer and Board Secretary at Communication Service of the Deaf, Inc. (CSD), serving the CSD parent Board of Directors, along with the Deaf Organizations Fund. As a proactive pragmatist, Wilson has a reputation for delivering under pressure in a rapid and complex environment. She is a trusted and collaborative leader capable of effectively communicating and effectuating change at all professional levels. She received her B.A. with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center. She keeps Austin weird with her son, her rose garden, and a small populace of pets.

ID: Maria, a smiling Latina with dark wavy brown hair, wears a black blouse underneath a bold red blazer and gold jewelry. Behind her is a teal backdrop.

As the Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of CSD and a former Big 4 auditor, Thomas Means (he/his/him) is a leader among Finance circles. This is fitting for Thomas, as a native Texan and alumni of the University of Texas at Austin (BBA, MPA), where they do everything big. Thomas Means’ buoyant charisma allows him to effectively collaborate at all corporate levels and manage CSD’s entire Finance Division with ease and a touch of Southern swagger. Serving as CFO, Thomas also has cross-organizational experience into Technology and Human Capital projects, providing key insight into special projects and development. Thomas serves a wide range of committees and boards, most recently the Deaf Action Center. In 2015, Thomas took a leap of faith leaving Ernst & Young as an Assurance Senior Manager to join a non-profit dedicated to its mission, speaking more volume to his character than any bio could, even this one.

ID: Thomas, a white man with short brown hair and a trimmed goatee, is wearing a dark gray, short-sleeved denim button-down. Behind Thomas is a teal backdrop.

Brendan Gramer is a UX Design Manager on the Payments team at Amazon, and has been with the company for 16 years. Gramer is passionate about advocating for accessible design at Amazon, and previously served as an internal advisor and stakeholder within the company’s Design Tools & Resources Working Group, AUX (Accessibility to the UX Design Community), and for various initiatives focused on Deaf representation in accessibility, diversity, and inclusion. Brendan recently transitioned out of his 3-year role as the Global President serving AmazonPWD (People with Disabilities) affinity group, and led the creation of Amazon’s first American Sign Language logo.

Gramer is the recipient of several awards recognizing his work and advocacy, including Honorable Mention at the 2011 FCC Chairman’s Award for Advancement in Accessibility, the Northwest Access Fund’s 2016 Innovation Award, and Amazon’s 2019 Global Accessibility Awareness Month (GAAM) Award in the ‘Relentless Forward Progress’ category. Brendan is an active advocate for the deaf community, and holds various volunteer leadership roles including the Hearing Loss Advisory Council of the Washington Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Deaf Kids Code, United Airlines Accessible Travel Advisory Board, and the Deaf Thrive Steering Committee.

Brendan was born profoundly deaf in Chicago to a hearing family. He grew up using oral communication, and learned ASL later in life. He currently uses a mix of both modalities, and lives in Seattle with his Deaf wife, and Deaf sons. Gramer uses his life experiences, and passion for self-advocacy and change to help make the world a more inclusive and accessible place for the Deaf community.

ID: Brendan, a white man with gray hair and a beard, is wearing a polo shirt in front of a teal backdrop..

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 smiling white woman with pink lipstick, has shoulder-length grayish-blonde hair and is wearing a black and white striped shirt. Behind her is a teal backdrop.

Avi Haimowitz (she/her) identifies as a white deaf cis woman with over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She credits her leadership opportunities at a statewide deaf domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy organization for her broad expertise in fundraising, grant writing, and community work. In her current role, Avi focuses on ensuring Deaf Organizations Fund's ability to support the needs of deaf nonprofits by cultivating and stewarding donor relationships along with coordinating fundraising events.

ID: Avi, a white woman with long brown hair, is seated on a chair in a corner, smiling upward toward the camera. She is wearing a light pink sweater and clear-rimmed glasses.

Sasha Ponappa (she/her) is a passionate advocate and an endlessly curious learner. She led an agency serving deaf survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence, supported multiple nonprofit networks, and managed various federally funded and state-funded programs. As the executive director of DOF, she works with the board of directors, builds donor relationships, and acts as an organization liaison, directly supporting countless deaf-centric nonprofits across the country! This will be Sasha’s sixth time overseeing DOF’s grant opportunity.

ID: Sasha, a brown woman with long wavy brown hair, is wearing a light blue dress. Behind her is a teal backdrop.

Avi Haimowitz (she/her) identifies as a white deaf cis woman with over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She credits her leadership opportunities at a statewide deaf domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy organization for her broad expertise in fundraising, grant writing, and community work. In her current role, Avi focuses on ensuring Deaf Organizations Fund's ability to support the needs of deaf nonprofits by cultivating and stewarding donor relationships along with coordinating fundraising events.

ID: Avi, a smiling white woman with long brown hair, is wearing a light pink sweater and clear-rimmed glasses, with a teal backdrop behind her.

Dan Mabashov (he/him) is an experienced Project Manager with eight years of organizing, implementing, and delivering successful projects. As a white deaf gay man, Dan is committed to leveraging his privileges to make an equitable and accessible impact in philanthropy by ensuring DOF’s grant applications and materials are accessible and available in multiple languages, including American Sign Language (ASL). Beyond work, Dan’s always imagining his next travel destination and doting on his adorable nibling, Lux.

ID: Dan, a white male, has a short, neatly styled dark hair and a beard. Dan is wearing a black sweater over a black and white floral-patterned collared shirt. Behind him is a teal backdrop.