Board of Directors

Steve Hamman

President and Education Advisor

Steve Hamman began serving on the Texas TERA board in January 2011.  Steve is a career special educator and public school administrator. Steve earned his B.S. in Special Education at Southwest Texas State University, a Master’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Texas in 1980 and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Texas in 1987.  Steve served as a special education teacher for 12 years in Austin ISD.  He was the Assistant Principal and Principal of Rosedale School in Austin ISD which is a campus that serves students with significant and multiple disabilities.  Additionally, Steve served as the Interim Director of Special Education in Austin ISD in the 2000-2001 school year and served as the Assistant Director of Special Education in Austin ISD from 2001- 2007.  Steve is currently employed at Texas Education Agency in the Division of Program Monitoring and Interventions where he serves as a statewide Special Education Program Specialist.  Steve has served as an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Special Education at The University of Texas in Austin and as a guest lecturer at Texas State University and Concordia University.  Steve also teaches special education courses for Texas Teachers and TeXes Reviews.

Julie Miller, M. Ed. , CCC-SLP , ATP

Vice President

Julie is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Julie earned her B.A. in Education as well as her M.Ed. at Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos. She has also earned her Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) from Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America. In the past 6 years, Julie presented at Texas Speech Language Hearing Association (TSHA), Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA), California State University Northridge (CSUN) and Region 13 Educational Service Center, Austin. She is an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Communication Disorders, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX. She has been employed as a Speech-Language Pathologist by Austin ISD since 1980 and has been on the District Assistive Technology Team for the past 15 years.

Merrily Sanders Porter

Secretary

Merrily serves as General Counsel for a local credit union.  She earned both B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and has practiced in a variety of legal settings, including state government and private practice; she has been in her current position for eleven years.  She is an active volunteer with Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, regularly volunteering for a legal clinic for those with limited financial resources.

David Chapple

Treasurer

David graduated from Cleveland State University in 1994 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science.  He has been serving on the AAC Institute’s Board of Trustees as Secretary since its onset.  His main responsibility as Secretary is to write and publish a monthly column named Around the Water Cooler on the AAC Institute’s web site.

David was also a Beta Tester for the quality control department at The Prentke Romich Company (2000-2012).  As a Beta Tester, he tested new software and communication devices.

Kate May, B.A., ATP

Training & Program Development Specialist

Kate earned her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has also earned her Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) from the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). She has presented at Closing The Gap (CTG), Pittsburg Employment Conference (PEC), Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA), California State University Northridge (CSUN) and Region 13 Educational Service Center, Austin. For five years, she has worked for the Austin Independent School District as an Assistive Technology Teaching Assistance serving students with communication disabilities. Prior to working for the school district Kate was employed by two non-profit organizations where she provided consumer training on computer applications, adaptive equipment and software.

Nancy Baden M.A., CCC-SLP

Grant Writing Committee Chair

Nancy earned her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a speech/language pathologist for 31 years in Texas and overseas. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She has worked in acute care settings, in rehab facilities, in private practices and in the public schools. In Germany, she was a charter member of the Overseas Association of Communication Sciences and served as an officer and presenter during its early years. In Texas she co-directed Camp Chit-Chat, a residential summer camp for children using augmentative/alternative communication systems.

Terri Stellar

Advocate

Terri has served on the Texas TERA board since December of 2009.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (1987) from Our Lady of the Lake University. She works contract and volunteer hours for various disability entities, focusing on policy analysis, abuse prevention and general case work for people with physical challenges.  She has been on many ADAPT Texas political actions.

Her hobbies and interests include gardening, cooking, reading, theater, and her son, Denver.

David Dauber

Technology Adviser/Media Producer

David has served on the Texas TERA board since December of 2009.  David was born with Cerebral Palsy and has used assistive technology his entire life.  His passion for assistive technology with computers began as his sixth grade teacher rolled the school’s first Apple IIe computer into his class room.  His love for computers began at first site.  He went on to facilitate a summer camp called T.R.S.P. (Technical Resources for Special People) in his hometown of Salina, KS throughout the summer months of his high school years.  It was during this time he learned how crucial and life changing technology was for people with all types of disabilities.  After meeting with the children and matching their abilities to the buttons, switches, and software he had on-hand, David was able to amaze parents, therapists, and educators with the possibilities of technology.  While attending college and majoring in Computer Information Systems, David helped to establish The Assistive Technology for Kansans Project by serving on its inaugural board for four years.  Since joining the Texas TERA board, David has used his acting and voice over talents, as well, to produce informative videos and help present the Texas TERA dream to other organizations.