Education and Workforce Development Cabinet
KCDHH appoints dynamic leadership team

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH) is pleased to announce the selection of its new executive director, Liz Hill. The appointment is effective Nov. 3.

Hill brings with her a long history of advocacy and policy experience on behalf of the deaf and hard of hearing community, most recently as coordinator of Deaf Services for Region III for the Office of Deaf Services at the Alabama Department of Mental Health, one of the nation’s premier mental health programs for the deaf. While there, she managed a 24-county region to ensure accessible and uniform mental health service delivery for deaf and hard of hearing consumers. Her accomplishments include working with partner agencies for statewide mental health services for deaf children, implementing a quarterly training series for providers, and creating a program for deaf consumers at a substance abuse facility.

“I am extremely honored to have the opportunity to work with the dedicated people of the KCDHH as we look to the future,” said Hill. “KCDHH, through its staff and the board, is unparalleled in its commitment to providing quality services and advocacy on behalf of the deaf and hard of hearing community. I am excited to advance the mission of the KCDHH in the years to come.”

Hill is a presence on the national stage as well. Most notably, she was elected in July 2008 to the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Board of Directors as the Region III representative. She is an accomplished public speaker and has given numerous presentations at local, state and national organizations. Her areas of expertise are broad but include disability policy, effective service delivery, early intervention, sign language interpreting, education and mental health. She also has written several articles for publication. Hill is a licensed clinical social worker. She has a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s degree in social work from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

KCDHH has also named longtime employee Virginia Moore as deputy executive director.   During Moore’s 14 years of service to KCDHH she has worked as executive staff interpreter to Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, state interpreter administrator for the Access Center and executive staff advisor. 

Moore assumed the interim executive director position in November 2007 and successfully led the agency during a challenging 2008 legislative session, obtaining funding for vital agency programs during a climate of budget cuts.  She was also the catalyst in passage of legislation to promote expansion of interpreter training programs throughout the state, obtaining funding for the Telecommunications Access Program, producing DeaFestival-Kentucky 2008 and expanding the goals of the agency while maintaining the high standards and expectations for which Kentucky is known. 

“I am very fortunate to work with a dedicated, passionate staff that works for KCDHH for the right reasons and we are all excited to begin a new chapter of leadership to Kentucky,” said Moore.

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The Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has spent more than a quarter century providing effective and efficient leadership, education, advocacy and programs to eliminate barriers and to meet the social, economic, cultural and intellectual needs of deaf and hard of hearing Kentuckians. For more information, contact: