Leadership Crisis at NAD

Many Deaf people and organizations in the United States are upset with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) president, Lisa Rose. They are asking her to resign. The NAD has supported Deaf rights in education, jobs, healthcare, and civil rights for 145 years. Lisa Rose became president last year after defeating former president Jenny Buechner. Before that, she served on the NAD board starting in 2020. Since Rose became president, many people say the organization has struggled. The search for a new CEO has been delayed. Bobbie Beth Scoggins is filling the role for now, after the previous CEO resigned because of questions about his behavior during the Super Bowl. Several state Deaf associations say Rose’s leadership is harming the NAD. They accuse her of not filling empty board seats, canceling meetings, and stopping the board from doing its work. They say these actions break NAD rules. Seven out of 16 board members have already resigned. Some states now have no representation at NAD because their board seats remain empty. Scoggins is also being criticized for canceling a Deaf conference in Austin, Texas, just days before it was supposed to happen. The NAD said the event was canceled for safety reasons, but many people were angry and felt it was done to protect Rose. The pressure for Rose to step down continues to grow. Many want the Vice President to become Acting President and for the empty board seats to be filled. More than 1,100 people have signed an online petition showing the Deaf community’s frustration. Supporters say the NAD must stay strong, especially now that U.S. budget cuts could hurt Deaf education and services.