Sharing the joy of hearing —one hearing aid at a time

Adriana serves as HearAid Foundation’s President and CEO. With 20 years of experience in strategy and brand management, Adriana has held management positions with The Walt Disney Co., Häagen-Dazs, Pillsbury International, Procter & Gamble (P&G), and Citibank. She also founded Pozzani & Associates in 2003. After undergoing brand management training at P&G Brazil – where she managed Pampers and Always – Adriana came to the United States and earned her MBA from Harvard, graduating in 1996 with Second Year Honors. Her international experience has taken her throughout Asia, Russia, Middle East, Greece, Israel, and Latin America.

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Adriana also brought her experience and expertise to healthcare, leading the Marketing and Corporate Communications team for St Joseph Health System, a $4 billion non-profit healthcare organization with hospitals in Northern and Southern California, Texas, and New Mexico. Her vision has led to the development of a pioneer study on consumer choices in healthcare, including behavioral segmentation.

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Her passionate support for HearAid Foundation comes from her first-hand experience of seeing the devastation from hearing loss and the amazing recovery made possible by proper hearing aids.

Tanya has had a lifelong interest in matters related to hearing loss. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s in Communication Disorders and a master’s in Audiology. She later earned her Au.D. from A.T. Still University.

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Directly out of school, she worked at a Special Educational Regional Resource Center (SERRC) in rural Ohio in order to serve at-risk children for hearing loss, ages birth to three years. She then moved on to the Veteran Administration Hospital (VA) in Cincinnati where she provided hearing services for veterans, including compensation evaluations. In 2000, after the birth of her second child born with significant health issues putting him in a NICU for one month, she was asked to develop and co-lead the first Family Centered Care Initiative at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

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She moved with her family to California in 2004. After getting her three young children well on their way in their young lives, she identified a way to contribute to her new community when asked by her otologist brother, Dr. Jack Shohet, to help establish HearAid Foundation in 2010. Together, with the help of an incredible group of professionals with diverse skills who have volunteered their time and expertise, they created a resource for those in need of amplification to come for help.

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As the president of HearAid Foundation, Tanya values her relationships with the candidates and recipients who come her way, understanding that asking for help when falling through hard times is not an easy task. She likes working with both their pediatric recipients and families, as well as their adult recipients, trying to create a warm and professional environment while ensuring they get the hearing devices they need to get them well on their way to reaching their fullest potential. Comment end

Jack is one of HearAid Foundation’s co-founders and board members. He is a neurologist and otologist specializing in ear and skull base surgery. In addition to his private practice, Jack is engaged in medical research and teaches at the University of California, Irvine, where he is an Associate Clinical Profession in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery. He also serves as a medical editor of eMedicine Online Textbook and has authored numerous papers related to his field. He is a member of several professional organizations and lectures frequently to professional and community groups throughout Southern California.

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He currently serves as Chairman of the Otolaryngology Department at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. Jack received his bachelor’s and medical degree from the University of Cincinnati and completed his internship and residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Cheryl has a diverse background and experience in many different aspects of Audiology. Most recently, she earned her Doctor of Audiology degree from the University of Florida. She also received a bachelor’s degree in Communications Sciences and Disorders from Arizona State University and master’s degree in Audiology from Syracuse University. Prior to graduation, she completed her externship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, where she put her education to work by evaluating hearing disorders and providing rehabilitative services such as hearing aid dispensing, cochlear implant, and aural rehabilitation. After graduation, she joined Illinois Masonic Medical Center, a full diagnostic trauma center in the heart of Chicago. There, Cheryl set up Illinois’ first early intervention and detection program for hearing loss in infants.

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After seven years with Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Cheryl shifted her focus. She joined Siemens Corporation, where she was actively involved in both international and domestic relations. She was also a National Account Representative for the continental United States, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

Joni is board certified in both Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Neurotology. She is experienced in the evaluation and treatment of outer, middle, and inner-ear problems, including exostosis (surfer’s ear), ear infections, cholesteatoma, hearing disorders, Meniere’s disease, otosclerosis, and acoustic neuromas. Prior to joining Shohet Ear Associates, Dr. Doherty served as an Otolaryngology faculty member and Neurotology Fellowship Director at the University of California, San Diego after completing her neurotology fellowship training at the House Clinic in 2006.

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Dr. Doherty received her medical degree as well as a doctorate degree in Molecular Cell Biology from Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. She completed her internship and Otolaryngology Residency at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and her Neurotology Fellowship at the House Clinic in Los Angeles.

is an entrepreneur, with a professional background in client services. After moving to Southern California from Chicago, Ayca learned about the HearAid Foundation through a newsletter. Due to her own personal experience with hearing loss, she instantly knew that she wanted to be a part of our Foundation. Ayca was diagnosed with moderately severe hearing loss in both ears when she was only three years old.

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Upon returning home with her first pair of hearing aids, she heard birds singing for the very first time. Ayca aids in event planning, fundraising, and marketing for the HearAid Foundation and attends fittings as often as possible. One of Ayca‘s greatest joys is seeing our recipients receive their hearing aids and hearing their equivalent of her first birdsong.

Sonny leads Sonnyside Up, LLC, a  brand consulting firm focused on developing brand strategies and enhancing brand identities across diverse industries. He has a rich portfolio of collaborations with major clients, including industry giants like Mattel Toys, ConAgra, Williams-Sonoma, and Mars. His recent endeavors involve guiding high-tech startups and private equity-related business ventures in forging impactful relationships with their target audiences.

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As a hearing advocate, he has witnessed the discrepancy between the hearing aid needs of the community versus the lack of affordable resources available to fill those needs. Sonny oversees all branding and marketing efforts of HearAid Foundation. He received his bachelor’s degree in Economics at University of California, Berkeley and Master of Architecture at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc).

Dr. Daniel M. Zeitler is a board-certified Otologist/Neurotologist at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA, where he serves as Co-Director of the cochlear implant center and Director of Research and Academics for the Department of Otolaryngology. Dr. Zeitler is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Otolaryngology, Triological Society, American Otological Society, and American Neurotology Society. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the American Cochlear Implant Alliance.

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Dr. Zeitler remains active in clinical research, has authored more than 50 articles, and has served as principal investigator on multiple clinical trials. He graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University and earned his M.D. with honors from New York University. He completed his General Surgery internship and residency in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at New York University and his Otology/Neurotology & Skull Base Surgery fellowship at the University of Miami Ear Institute. Comment end