Don Cullen is joining TDI as the new Director of Public Relations, filling for the position previously left vacant by Jim House. Don will be taking over public relations including communications with TDI’s members, corporate sponsors and others in the industry and business, media community, and government. Don will also be managing production and operations of the annual resource guide and directory (commonly known as the Blue Book), the quarterly TDI World magazine, the TDI website (tdiforaccess.org), and the eNotes. Don will also assist from time to time with public policy filings, grant writing, and fundraising.

Claude Stout, Executive Director of TDI said,

“We are thrilled to have Don on board as our Public Relations officer at TDI. He will build on the good work in fifteen years from Mr. Jim House, who left the position in November, 2013. Don will offer some new perspectives in public policy advocacy, and help “toot the horn” on our efforts with the general public via social media venues. We look forward to having a highly productive working relationship with him.”

Hailing from Frederick, Maryland, Don is a 2015 Gallaudet University graduate with a BS degree in Business Administration with concentrations in law and marketing. Don previously was contracted with the Brain and Language Laboratory (BL2) at Gallaudet University as a software engineer/web developer, and also previously interned at the National Public Radio Labs as an engineering intern. Additionally, he also established and maintains the Twitter account @Deafism, an automatic news aggregator with over 2,000 authentic followers. Don previously served as the founder and CEO of ThinkBiz Scholars, a non-profit organization that serves as an incubator for deaf student entrepreneurs. Don has over 6 years’ experience working for several telecommunication providers for VRS/TRS services. He started his career with Sprint in 2002 and has been involved with the telecommunications industry since. Don has previously advocated for captioning with Netflix, and also successfully advocated for the right to be able to choose whether to make use of an interpreter at San Joaquin Delta blood bank in Stockton, California. Don is engaged to be married in May 2015 to Marisa Jones. They have two wonderful children, Violet (2 years old) and Alex (due to be born on August 22nd, 2014).

Don Cullen, the new Director of Public Relations of TDI, had a message to share:

“It is truly an honor to be joining TDI in their endeavors. It’s an adventure with much to explore, to experience, and to shape. Jim has left a quite big pair of shoes to fill, and I look forward to delivering the same level of excellence he has given TDI. While I was brought on board to bring new perspectives to TDI, it is my belief that perception is always a two way street – I’m excited to experience new perspectives TDI and its members may have to share with me. Please always feel free to reach out to us at TDI; it’s not just our world to shape, but yours as well!”

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