Board Members - Hands & Voices NM
Executive Director/GBYS Parent Coordinator
My name is Carmen Armenta. I have a blended family that I share with my husband. We have four children. Our two eldest are hearing and our two youngest are Deaf/Hard of hearing. I joined Hands & Voices NM in 2013. I started out as a Parent Guide and in 2016 became the Executive Director/GBYS Parent Coordinator. Both my youngest kids referred on their New Born Hearing Screen (NBHS) and were later diagnosed with mild-server bilateral hearing loss. Hands & Voices NM has been a blessing in our lives because we have learned how to advocate for all of our children throughout the years and now are teaching them how to advocate for themselves.
President and Parent Guide
Rachel is our Spanish speaking Parent Guide from South Eastern New Mexico. A mother of six children, two of whom are grown with lovely families of their own. The other four remain at home; the three youngest have the same diagnosis with varying hearing differences.
Rachel joined the Hands and Voices New Mexico Chapter in Jan. 2013. What lead her to HVNM was due to her searching for resources to support herself with her youngest child at the time, who was identified by a newborn hearing screening as having “referred”. However, mom was not concerned, it was not until two months out that she noticed the baby was not responding to sounds in the usual expected ways that hearing babies do. Mom sought answers and with further investigation was diagnosed with Auditory Neuropathy (Spectrum) Disorder, ANSD and immediately aided. Services began soon after through our state’s only school for the deaf, NMSD. The programs provided through NMSD opened up a new world of opportunities for her family. Creating a strong foundation in language was at the heart of the home now. While her toddler attended pre-school, she attended college courses, taking every one offered until there was nothing left, in the process, earning her an AA degree in ASL Interpreting and in Spanish.
Rachel had two more children. The baby was also identified by the NBHS at birth, this time around action taken was prompt. Simultaneously, her 5-year-old was expressing an inability to hear clearly, repeatedly saying, “huh” and “what” or “say it again” with increasing frustration; this child was not identified by the NBHS. Recently, the three children were identified as having ANSD due to a rare recessive genetic mutation, a topic for a later discussion.
Rachel’s goal is to “Reach One, Teach One” doing so through advocacy and sharing awareness through a parent perspective lens. Rachel is passionate about providing continued unbiased support to families; reassuring parents that everything will be alright because “What works for your child is what makes the choice right!"
Board Member
Matthew Bacher is a Deaf filmmaker and Digital Utility from Denver, Colorado. Born Deaf due to CMV, he received his right cochlear implant at age 2 and left at age 4. He attended mainstream school and began learning ASL in middle school, forming lifelong friendships through RMDS and CSDB. Matt graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Film and Digital Media Arts and is a member of the International Cinematographers Guild. He has worked on projects for Disney, Netflix, and A24, as well as several independent films, and his UNM capstone film, Silent Courage, reflects his commitment to emotionally driven storytelling and Deaf representation.
Matt has served for 20 years on Hands & Voices in Colorado and volunteers each summer at a cochlear implant camp, staying active in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community through advocacy, mentorship, and service.
Board Member
Lorraine Crespin worked in the field of Deaf education for 38 years. Now retired, her professional career included working as a classroom Teacher, an Interpreter, a Developmental Specialist, and a Supervisor for an early intervention home visiting program. These days you can find her linedancing, hiking, and playing pickeball. She has served on the NMHV board since 2022. She loves observing parents connect with each other and embracing their child's hearing difference.Volunteers are the backbone of our organization. We offer a variety of opportunities for individuals and groups to get involved and make a difference in the lives of those we serve.
Board member
Kathleen Aranda-Myers was born with a severe-to-profound bilateral hearing loss and became a bilateral cochlear implant user in 2010. Her lived experience from childhood through adulthood as a Deaf individual shapes her passion for advocacy, early support, and family-centered care for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. She supports children and families through hearing device guidance, early development, and language acquisition using spoken language and/or American Sign Language (ASL). Kathleen holds a master’s degree in Mental Health Social Work and has extensive experience providing socio-emotional support, mental health services, and transition planning. She is deeply committed to early intervention, community outreach, and increasing awareness of assistive and implantable hearing technologies, and enjoys volunteering, spending time with family and friends, listening to music, reading, traveling, and photography