we have a committed board of directors

Michael is a co-founder of Partners in Hearing Inc and serves as its President and member of the Board.  His granddaughter, born deaf,  benefits greatly from bilateral cochlear implants since age 18 months.  She is progressing wonderfully in large part due to excellent medical care, support of her devoted therapist team and family, a level of support that we want for other kids. In addition, Michael served with distinction as a member of the Global Board of Directors of Hedge Funds Cares, Help for Children Foundation (dedicated to the prevention of child abuse).  He is a senior partner of a New York City law firm where he founded the Investment Management Law team.  

Dana is a member of our Board and our and Executive Vice President.  She brings real life experience to Partners in Hearing as the Mom of two wonderful girls, one of whom benefits from bilateral cochlear implants since age 18 months. Her firsthand experience and complete understanding of the needs of  children who are hearing impaired provides our Board with insight into what it needs to do to fulfill our Mission of helping other children post cochlear implantation.  Dana has a career in marketing, public relations and communications having worked with a number of high end fashion firms.

Eileen joined CIBC in March 2026 as Managing Director of the Government Solutions Group. With over 25 years of capital markets experience, Ms. Solla-Diaz is recognized for her leadership in building and scaling businesses at the intersection of fixed income origination and the public sector landscape, including Government Sponsored Enterprises. Eileen will be pivotal in working with leaders in Fixed Income Sales, Trading and Origination to grow the dealer in core products.

Prior to joining CIBC, Ms. Solla-Diaz served as Managing Director at TD Securities, where she led origination businesses in Global Debt Capital Markets, including U.S. Agency Capital Markets and Public Finance Origination.

Ms. Solla-Diaz began her career at Bear Stearns, where she was among the youngest-ever Managing Directors, generating significant revenue and establishing a reputation for strategic vision and operational excellence. She has also held senior roles in the technology sector, serving as Head of Revenue and Business Development at an artificial intelligence startup focused on pricing and liquidity innovation in commercial real estate and private assets.

Eileen is the proud Mom of two sons.  Her oldest son, MJ, is a successful college student and has profound bilateral deafness. He was implanted with this first cochlear implant at 18 months old and the 2nd implant at 3.5yrs old.  MJ has been mainstreamed since Kindergarten and is a successful listener and speaker. He has presented at several hearing loss support events.  Her work is grounded in empathy, action, and a lifelong commitment to positive impact.

David is an otolaryngology physician specializing in ear, nose, and throat matters, now retired. He is board-certified and is a member of the State and County Medical Societies.  During his career of close to 50 years he was associated with Mt. Sinai Medical Center, NY United Hospital, Sound Shore Hospital and Greenwich Hospital.  David has been named one of the Best Doctors in the New York area for four years. His addition and support of PIH brings a physician’s point of view regarding the issues facing the kids we care about.  We are grateful for his participation on our Board.

Chrissy joins our Board with a wealth of experience having worked with children who are deaf and hard of hearing for over 14 years.  She has worked in all types of settings: leading a classroom, collaborating with teachers for in-classroom support, 1:1 support for children in schools and in their homes, as well as parent coaching. She's worked with children across the hearing spectrum who use a variety of communication methods from sign language to listening and spoken language. She's also worked with children of all age levels, from 6 months old to high school seniors. She has a Masters Degree in Deaf Education and is a certified Auditory Verbal Therapist.  She is passionate about working with children from diverse and multilingual households, which is a cornerstone of our Mission.

Dr. Brian Nicholas joined our Board in 2023.  He is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and is a fellowship trained otologist/neurotologist, spearheading the cochlear implantation program at White Plains (NY) Hospital as Director of Hearing and Balance.  Prior to joining White Plains Hospital, he practiced at Upstate Medical University and the Syracuse NY VA Medical Center (as Chief, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery), where he successfully made cochlear implantation a reality for those who are profoundly deaf.  He is on the editorial board of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery and is a fellow of the prestigious Triological Society.  Brian has volunteered his medical services both within the United States and abroad and will certainly help guide the future of Partners in Hearing. 

Jennifer joins our Board  with expansive expertise in hearing loss advocacy and hearing health communications. She is the parent of a daughter who has been bilaterally implanted and is now thriving. This experience shapes how she connects families navigating similar paths. Professionally, Jennifer deepened her hearing-health focus as Social Media Manager at The Children’s Hearing Institute where she led strategy across several major social media platforms.  She has spoken at Iona College about her family’s experience and serves her community through the Chappaqua School District’s Special Education PTA.   She is a high quality addition to our Board.