Board of Directors

hear ME now! directors are committed to supporting its Mission Statement:

ME now!, Maine’s leading auditory oral education enter, is committed to supporting children and adults with hearing loss, their families, and their communities. We are uniquely qualified to provide the resources, technology, and innovative teaching necessary to foster opportunities to learn to listen and speak.

hear ME now! Board of Directors

Gregg Lagerquist – President
Gregg works with a number of non-profit groups and charities in Maine—singling out "hear ME now!" as especially close to his heart—a group helping deaf and hard-of-hearing kids in Maine get a great start in life. Gregg has been someone you can count on at News 13 for more than a decade. He grew up in Minnesota and came to News 13 in 1996 from Vermont. He is an award-winning journalist, earning state and national awards, including one of the first ever "Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Political Coverage" presented by Mr. Cronkite, himself. "Highlight of my professional life so far," says Gregg. "Covering George Mitchell in Northern Ireland immediately after the Peace Accords was incredible as well—but a distant second." If you visit Gregg in his office, you can see an autographed copy of the Good Friday Agreement and a picture of a smiling "Walter and Gregg" proudly hanging on the wall. When Gregg looks for the best things in his own life, he heads home. His wife, Leslie, co-owns a small business in Maine. "She's amazing! Although, don't tell her I said that. She'll get a big head," jokes Gregg. He and Leslie have three children—two sons, Reece and Max, and a daughter, Tess. ("See... I told you Leslie's amazing!") Gregg enjoys hitting the beach with his family, basketball, bike riding, ultimate frisbee, road trips, and reading biographies. He's a graduate of Carleton College in Minnesota and has a Masters degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Illinois.

Richard O’Meara – Treasurer
Dick serves as the treasurer of the board of directors of hear ME now!, Maine's only oral deaf educational center, and as an advisory board member of the Disability Rights Center, Maine's designated protection and advocacy agency for individuals with disabilities.

In his civil litigation, trial and appellate practice, Dick has handled a wide variety of cases, including a large percentage in the federal courts, in the areas of business, commercial, and contract law, creditors' rights, employment and discrimination law, dealership and franchise regulation, intellectual property rights, securities law, design and construction law, probate litigation, business torts, defamation, and personal injury. Dick also devotes a significant portion of his practice to representing individuals with disabilities and their families, usually on issues arising under federal and state special education or antidiscrimination laws. In addition, Dick has experience in litigating a range of civil rights and constitutional claims, having served since 1989 as volunteer Legal Director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union. In 1997, Dick became the ninth recipient of the MCLU's Justice Louis Scolnik Award in recognition of his work in advancing the protection of civil liberties in Maine. Dick has been recognized over the years at the Maine State Bar Association's Annual Meeting for his service to the community in accepting numerous pro bono case referrals through the volunteer Lawyers Project. Dick is a registered Early Neutral Evaluation and Arbitrator with Maine's Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Service and frequently participates in alternative dispute resolution matters. Dick is a member of the Cumberland County, Maine State, and American Bar Associations; serves as the Amicus Curiae Coordinator of the Maine Trial Lawyers Association.

Connie Ouellette, CPA, FHFMA – Secretary
Connie is a Principal with BerryDunn, the largest regional certified public accounting and management consulting firm in northern New England, headquartered in Portland, Maine. She leads the Firm’s Health Care consulting practice. Since joining BerryDunn, Connie has concentrated on serving the health care industry and specializes in finance and third-party reimbursement. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Southern Maine and is a fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and a local chapter officer. A native of Maine, Connie lives in Yarmouth with her husband Mark. She has been a member of the board of hMn! for three years.

Deb Feagans – Board Member
Deb Feagans has been a member of the hear ME now Board since 2007. Deb is the mother of twins – Emily, who is hearing impaired, and Will. Emily began receiving services from hMn as an infant and both children graduated from the pre-school program. Deb joined the Board as a way to give back to the organization that has done so much for Emily and her family. Thanks to hMn, Emily began kindergarten a week before her 5th birthday, right alongside her twin brother. She is now in 2nd grade, has amazing language skills and loves to read! In addition to being a mom, Deb is an attorney and guardian ad litem. She previously worked for the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office and now has her own law practice with a focus on juvenile law, child protection cases and family law.

Harriet Gray – Board Member
I am a retired college biology professor with bilateral cochlear implants. I have been deaf since early childhood and wore bilateral hearing aids until about 5 years ago when I received my first implant. Immediately after I was turned on, I started aural therapy at hMn! And I have continued with therapy to maximize my CI use. I love my cochlear implants and they have made my life so much easier. As a firm believer in oral communication and hMn!'s mission, I am committed to providing all the support I can to members of the hearing impaired community.

I grew up in Maine and have degrees from Chatham College, Mount Holyoke College, and The Ohio State University. I taught at Washington and Lee University, Wellesley College, and Hollins University (for 33years). Since retiring almost 10 years ago, I have lived in Topsham with a Standard Poodle and 2 cats.

Matthew Hearst, M.D. – Board Member
Matthew J. Hearst, M.D. is an otolaryngologist and surgeon practicing in Portland, Maine at MKM ENT Associates, a Division of Mercy Hospital. As an otolaryngologist specializing in ear surgery, Dr. Hearst has significant experience working with patients receiving implantable devices to enhance their ability to hear.
Dr. Hearst is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and received his medical degree in 2002 from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. He conducted his surgical internship and residency training at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. He pursued fellowship training in Otology and Neurotology at the University of Cincinnati. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.

Dr. Hearst served has served as a board member of the Maine Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Board since 2009. He is also an active board member for Hear ME Now!, a non-profit organization promoting hearing and speech rehabilitation for the deaf and hard of hearing in Maine.

Dr. Hearst published an article in Otology and Neurotology in 2008. He presented research findings at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meeting in Orlando, Florida in May of 2008.

Dr. Hearst first became interested in treating hearing loss during residency training. During residency, he was able to witness first-hand the profound impact that hearing has on the lives of patients. Dr. Hearst is particularly interested in the role of implantable hearing devices, and he moved to Maine in 2008 with the goal of developing Maine’s first cochlear implant program.

Gregg Novick – Board Member

 

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