Lana L. Cromeenes

Dr. Lana L. Cromeenes' experience and exposure to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and culture began 45 years ago with her grandmother, who worked at the School for the Deaf in Morganton, N.C. Throughout college, Dr. Cromeenes was a member of a local church with a deaf congregation and enjoyed working with the ministry leaders, attending Deaf Camp, leading worship, and socialization. Dr. Cromeenes began as an elementary classroom teacher; her bilingual status (English and ASL), afforded her the opportunity to provide sign support to students that wore hearing aids, cochlear implants, and/or displayed autistic characteristics. As the years passed, her involvement with the deaf and hard-of-hearing continued to develop. Currently, she interprets, teaches college-level courses, and voice interprets as needed at community events. Dr. Cromeenes is a graduate of Gallaudet University (GU), a university established for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, in Washington, D.C., where she graduated with a Master Level Certification in Educating Deaf with Disabilities and has her PhD in Educational Leadership with a research focus on American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf culture, and Deaf studies.