Dr. Jace Wolfe, Chief of Audiology and Research at Hearts for Hearing with offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, will join Oberkotter Foundation – Hearing First as Senior Vice President, Innovation starting April 1.
Dr. Wolfe has led a team of clinical audiologists serving pediatric and adult hearing aid and cochlear implant patients at Hearts for Hearing since 2003 and established its research department. The move allows Dr. Wolfe greater focus on translating science into practice to capitalize on the critical early stages of brain development to improve Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) and literacy outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing nationwide.
“Dr. Wolfe is a highly-regarded expert in the field of hearing health,” states Dr. Teresa Caraway, co-founder of Hearing First and Incoming Chief Executive Officer of Oberkotter Foundation – Hearing First. “He and his colleagues at Hearts for Hearing have been leaders in delivering coordinated audiology and listening and spoken language intervention to young children and their families. Jace has a passion to advance science and innovation to improve audiological, LSL, and literacy outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. His leadership will further the impact of Oberkotter Foundation – Hearing First as we leverage our strategic philanthropy to achieve transformative results for children with hearing loss and their families.”
Joanna Smith, CEO of Hearts for Hearing reflects, “We have grown from a team of five employees in 2003, to 127 team members including speech-language pathologists, audiologists, behavioral health providers and researchers. Jace helped recruit and lead our excellent team of professionals. His impact will remain.” Smith adds, “Our growth trajectory and our dedication to industry-leading care, quality services, excellent patient care, and research will continue. On behalf of everyone at Hearts for Hearing, we wish Jace all the best in his new role and look forward to further collaboration in new and expanded ways.”
The Oberkotter Foundation, headquartered in Philadelphia, is a philanthropic leader advancing opportunities for children who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn to listen and talk. Since 1985, the Foundation has awarded millions of dollars to organizations and providers, including Hearts for Hearing, to support families who have chosen listening and spoken language for their child.
Hearts for Hearing is a comprehensive hearing health clinic for both children and adults with offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Shawnee. It was founded as a 501(c)3 to provide funding for the first set of hearing aids for children with hearing loss in Oklahoma. Its mission expanded to become a comprehensive hearing health clinic that provides industry-leading clinical, technology, and research services. Its collaborative model of audiologists and speech-language pathologists working together enables the best outcomes for its patients.
Hearts for Hearing and the Oberkotter Foundation have long enjoyed close ties and are committed to continuing their collaborative work to improve LSL outcomes for children and their families.
