Erin J. Farley is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice and a faculty member in the Government program. Since joining the faculty in 2019, Erin has taught a range of sociology and criminal justice courses, and she is responsible for developing Gallaudet University’s Criminal Justice minor. Her research and scholarly work includes an examination of the fees and fines associated with the decriminalization/legalization of recreational marijuana, gun violence and law enforcement, impacts of COVID-19 on the criminal justice system, environmental crime, legal competency for Deaf defendants, the costs of mandatory ADA accommodations and more. Erin recently led an effort to create an interdisciplinary panel of Gallaudet faculty to present their research and scholarly knowledge at the upcoming American Society of Criminology Conference (November 2025). The panel, titled “An Examination of Social and Legal Policies and their Impact in the Deaf Community” will address how policies across government, schools, service providers, and the criminal legal system impact Deaf people. This panel is being sponsored by the newly established (2024) Division of Health and Disability Criminology. Erin earned her Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Delaware in 2007 and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2000 with a B.S. in Psychology.

Dr. Meghan L. Fox is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Rochester, NY. She specializes in neuropsychological testing and psychotherapy. She is fluent in American Sign Language and has expertise in working with deaf and hard-of-hearing people and their families. Dr. Fox has also served as a consultant and expert in administrative, civil, and criminal forensic cases. 

Dr. Fox completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She has also held positions as a clinical instructor at the University of Rochester Medical Center and an Implementation Science Specialist with Centerstone’s Research Institute. Her editorial and journal contributions include academic articles and book chapters. She is a member of the editorial board for American Annals of the Deaf and a reviewer for Gallaudet University Press and the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 

Dr. Fox enjoys clinical supervision with undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate trainees. Last but not least, she adds a unique element to her practice by incorporating her certified therapy dogs, Atreus (pronounced ah-trey-us) and Lucy. She believes in the therapeutic benefits supported by science and practices Animal-Assisted Therapy.

Mary Karol Matchett Ed.D. is a Deaf social worker with a doctorate in executive leadership in higher education.  She is currently Assistant Vice President for Student Services, National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, USA.  She serves on the University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry's Adivsory Council on Consumers and co-faciliates a Deaf Suicide Loss Support Group. Her professional passion is working with deaf and hard-of-hearing students in higher education.  She strives to create better services and opportunities to break down the barriers that DHH students may face.

Investigator Brian McCoy has worked in law enforcement in Rochester, New York, since 2006. He has developed a Deaf Liaison position in three different police departments and served as a Deaf Liaison for 14 years. He is part of the Drone Response Team and Accident Reconstruction Unit. Deputy McCoy is also a Crime Scene Technician, Field Training Officer and Disability Awareness Instructor. Deputy McCoy is committed to learning more about the Deaf community and working with the Deaf community to develop ways to work together to improve accessibility and relationships, including co-presenting at the 2022 ADARA conference.

Dr. Makoto Ikegami is a Deaf-licensed clinical social worker and founder of Deaf Multicultural Counseling, LLC. With over 15 years of experience, he specializes in culturally responsive mental health and substance use services for Deaf communities. He frequently collaborates with interpreters in clinical and educational settings and is a national presenter on Deaf mental health, interpreter teaming, and recovery support. Dr. Ikegami teaches in MSW programs at Gallaudet University and Arizona State University and serves as President of the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association (ADARA).

Debra Guthmann, Ed.D., NIC, is a nationally recognized lecturer, administrator, counselor, researcher, educator, expert witness, presenter and advocate with over 45 years of extensive experience in service to the deaf community. Dr. Guthmann is the founding Director of the Minnesota Substance Use Disorder Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals which is one of the first inpatient treatment programs serving this population in the United States.  She has been involved with the validation of mental health, substance abuse and career related screening tools in American Sign Language. Dr. Guthmann was the Director of Student Services at the California School for the Deaf, Fremont, CA, responsible for clinical services. She has published books, book chapters and articles focusing on substance use and ethics within the deaf community and is one of the editors and a contributor for a book published by Gallaudet Press titled “Deaf People in the Criminal Justice System: Selected Topics on Advocacy, Incarceration and Social Justice.  Dr. Guthmann serves as an advisor for a documentary film called “Being Michelle”, which focuses on the injustices that happened to a deaf and disabled woman while incarcerated. Additionally, Dr. Guthmann has served on a number of advisory boards and is the past President and current Vice President of The American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association (ADARA).

Elizabeth Bowman, PhD, LICSW, LCSW-C, is an Assistant Professor at Gallaudet University in the Department of Social Work. Dr. Bowman earned her doctoral degree from Catholic University in 2020 and her Master of Social Work Degree from Gallaudet University in 2009. Dr. Bowman has a specialization in trauma-informed care and earned her Advanced Clinical Trauma Certification in 2021. She is a survivor of both CSEC and DMST, and founded a nonprofit in the Washington, D.C. area to support survivors of sex trafficking, the Restoring Ivy Collective.

Gabriel Lomas, PhD, is a Professor of Counseling and Director of Counseling Programs at Gallaudet University. He has done extensive work in the field of forensic evaluation and is a popular expert witness in court cases across the nation. Lomas has served as the co-editor for the Journal of the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association, as well as on the editorial boards of numerous journals in counseling and psychology. He is an editor and contributor for Deaf People in the Criminal Justice System, released in 2021 by Gallaudet Press.

Elizabeth Bowman, PhD, LICSW, LCSW-C, is an Assistant Professor at Gallaudet University in the Department of Social Work. Dr. Bowman earned her doctoral degree from Catholic University in 2020 and her Master of Social Work Degree from Gallaudet University in 2009. Dr. Bowman has a specialization in trauma-informed care and earned her Advanced Clinical Trauma Certification in 2021. She is a survivor of both CSEC and DMST, and founded a nonprofit in the Washington, D.C. area to support survivors of sex trafficking, the Restoring Ivy Collective.

Gabriel Lomas, PhD, is a Professor of Counseling and Director of Counseling Programs at Gallaudet University. He has done extensive work in the field of forensic evaluation and is a popular expert witness in court cases across the nation. Lomas has served as the co-editor for the Journal of the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association, as well as on the editorial boards of numerous journals in counseling and psychology. He is an editor and contributor for Deaf People in the Criminal Justice System, released in 2021 by Gallaudet Press.

Tawny Holmes Hlibok, Esq., a third-generation Deaf person, is a passionate advocate for Deaf children’s education and language equity. A tenured associate professor in Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University, she secured $3.75 million in federal funding to lead a national early intervention center for Deaf babies and their families. Tawny was the first Deaf executive director of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf and previously served as a White House Fellow under the Biden-Harris administration. Her work continues to center on policy, language access, and empowering the next generation of Deaf leaders and families.