As CEO, Dr. Teresa H. Caraway leads the Oberkotter Foundation in advancing its mission of helping families ensure their children who are deaf or hard of hearing have opportunities to reach their full potential through Listening and Spoken Language (LSL).
With more than 35 years’ experience in Auditory-Verbal practice, consulting, writing, and presenting, Dr. Caraway is an esteemed leader in pediatric hearing healthcare for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and supporting families seeking an LSL outcome for their child. She first joined the organization in 2012 as the CEO of Hearing First, an educational initiative of the Oberkotter Foundation that supports families and professionals on the LSL journey through awareness, education, and community.
Having previously served as the founding president of the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language and as the co-founder and executive co-director of Hearts for Hearing, Dr. Caraway has been a driving force behind numerous initiatives that have advanced LSL outcomes for children with hearing loss. Additionally, she has contributed significantly to the field through her work serving on the board of Auditory-Verbal International and as a founding board member of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance.
As Senior Vice President of Innovation, Dr. Jace Wolfe leads the Oberkotter Foundation’s Science and Innovation initiatives to advance and inform the science of hearing loss. In this role, Dr. Wolfe helps to translate science into practice to improve Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) and literacy outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing nationwide.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Wolfe led a team of clinical audiologists at Hearts for Hearing in Oklahoma for two decades. While there, Dr. Wolfe played a key role in creating collaborative partnerships with individuals and organizations to advance hearing technology and audiological practices for children and adults.
Dr. Wolfe is the author of the textbook Cochlear Implants: Audiologic Management and Considerations for Implantable Hearing Devices and is co-editor of Pediatric Audiology: Diagnosis, Technology, and Management, Third Edition and Pediatric Audiology Casebook, Second Edition with Dr. Carol Flexer, Dr. Jane Madell, and Dr. Erin Schafer. He is also a co-author of Programming Cochlear Implants, Third Edition and has published more than 130 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed and trade journals.
As Vice President of Programs, Dr. Andrea Dunn cultivates strategic partnerships and oversees the grant program to propel initiatives aligned with the Oberkotter Foundation's mission and new strategic direction. She brings over 15 years of clinical, administrative, teaching, and research experience in pediatric audiology, in both academic and industry domains.
Dr. Dunn served patients and families during her time at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she worked as Associate Director of Pediatric Audiology. Previously, she has spent time as an assistant professor at both Vanderbilt University’s Hearing and Speech Sciences department and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Speech and Hearing Sciences department. Most recently, Dr. Dunn served as Director of Pediatric Research at Sonova, a global hearing technology company.
Dr. Dunn is published in trade and peer-reviewed journals on the developmental impacts of hearing loss and has lectured internationally on various aspects of childhood hearing loss, pediatric audiology, and pediatric amplification.
As Vice President of Administration and General Counsel, Albert Suh oversees a broad portfolio of operational, administrative, and legal affairs for the Oberkotter Foundation. He contributes to the implementation of the strategic direction in all aspects of the Foundation's work.
With over 15 years of distinguished experience as a legal executive, Mr. Suh has a strong track record of developing and managing business, legal, risk management, and compliance strategies across complex U.S. and global organizations. Previously, he served as general counsel for a major U.S. art museum and in senior legal roles for global companies in the medical technology, manufacturing, and management services industries.
As Vice President of Hearing First, Jennifer Ransley leads with integrity, vision, and a commitment to excellence, driving impactful change and shaping the future of children born deaf or hard of hearing. She joined the Hearing First team in 2015 as a Planning & Integration Specialist, then in an expanded role as Director of Operations. In her current role as Vice President, Ms. Ransley brings her commitment to excellence and innovation as she brings teams together, solves problems, creates positive outcomes, and aligns processes.
With over 20 years of experience, Ms. Ransley brings a dynamic background in strategic planning, project management, and marketing. Previously, she worked in various marketing and leadership roles in a variety of organizations.
As Senior Director of Finance, Courtney Laub provides strategic leadership in financial management and human resources administration support to the Oberkotter Foundation and Hearing First. In her role, she is responsible for the oversight of day-to-day financial operations, managing budgets, and ensuring compliance with financial regulations.
Prior to joining the Foundation in 2020, Courtney Laub spent almost 20 years in public accounting where she developed a passion for working with not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Laub uses her experience of working with many different nonprofit organizations to be a strategic thinker to help address the unique challenges and opportunities in this sector.
Bruce Rosenfield has been working with the Oberkotter Foundation since its founding in 1985. He became the second Executive Director of the Foundation in 2003 and joined the Board of Trustees in 2005. In his time as Executive Director, Mr. Rosenfield helped bring the Oberkotter family’s vision for the Foundation to life. He led the efforts to support organizations and professionals in adopting today’s tools and technology to effectively meet the needs of young children and their families. As a key player in the Foundation’s growth, the creation of Hearing First, and the implementation of the mission, Mr. Rosenfield’s dedication to the Foundation has positioned it for the future and its new strategic direction.
Mr. Rosenfield is a lawyer, whose practice includes estate planning, estate and trust administration, charitable giving, private foundations, and planning for closely held businesses. A fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, he also serves on the Board of Directors of the Haverford Trust Company, and as pro bono counsel to the Settlement Music School of Philadelphia.
David Pierson has been a trustee of the Oberkotter Foundation since 2012, when he was invited to serve on the Board of Trustees after previously working as a consultant for the Foundation. Mr. Pierson brings his business experience and passion for the mission to the Board, helping the Foundation position itself strategically for the future.
Mr. Pierson was formerly a tenured faculty member of Temple University’s Fox School of Business and, more recently, a management consultant with Towers Perrin and the Hay Group before founding the Pierson Group. He has previously served as a chair and board member of Gift of Life Donor Program, the transplant organization for the Philadelphia region, and as a board member of the Philadelphia Ballet and the Lantern Theater Company. Mr. Pierson currently splits his time between Philadelphia and Bermuda, where he works with the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce.
Lydia Denworth is an award-winning science journalist, author, speaker, and mother of three sons, one of whom is deaf. Ms. Denworth joined the Oberkotter Foundation as a trustee in 2022, bringing her firsthand experience following a Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) journey for her son Alex, who uses a cochlear implant and a hearing aid.
Ms. Denworth is a contributing editor at Scientific American, with work having also appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and Time, among other publications. She is the author of three books, including I Can Hear You Whisper: An Intimate Journey through the Science of Sound and Language, and co-author with Dr. Dana Suskind of the New York Times bestseller Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child’s Potential, Fulfilling Society’s Promise.
Ms. Denworth has also served as a trustee and board chair of the Berkeley Carroll School, as president of the Park Slope Civic Council, and as a trustee of Oliver Scholars in New York City.
Mildred (Mildie) Oberkotter served as a trustee of the Oberkotter Foundation from 1987, until her passing in 2024. When the Foundation was first formed in 1985 by her parents, Paul and Louise Oberkotter, she helped define the Foundation’s path to support children who are deaf or hard of hearing so they could have a spoken language outcome. In her role, she shaped the vision and strategic direction of the Foundation to focus on removing barriers to high-quality pediatric audiology and Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) services. Ms. Oberkotter remained steadfast in her commitment to remove barriers to quality care and support families so that that every child with hearing loss has the opportunity to learn to listen, talk, and reach their full potential.
Deaf since infancy, Ms. Oberkotter learned to communicate through spoken language and lip reading as a child. She graduated from Green Mountain College with a degree in accounting/business administration and earned a B.A. in psychology and M.A. in social work from Fordham University. She worked as a social worker at Lexington School for the Deaf before retiring to California in 1995.
Ms. Oberkotter is a former board member of the Weingarten Children’s Center and the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) where she chaired the financial aid committee.