Specialty Areas - Cybersecurity, Math, IT

Joined February 2019

Jason Roop is currently the director of the NTID Regional STEM Center (NRSC) at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) in Talladega, Alabama. He is a native of Virginia and a graduate of George Mason University where he earned a bachelor’s in computer engineering. Instead of working in the private sector after completing his undergraduate studies, he chose to begin a career in technology education at the Alabama School for the Deaf (ASD). He received his Master’s in Deaf Education from Lamar University shortly thereafter. Because of his personal experience as a Deaf student in a mainstream program and the benefits of being exposed to STEM courses in high school, he desired to promote the same life-changing impact for the students he worked with at ASD. His nearly 21 years of experience in the Deaf Education and Information Technology fields give him a unique perspective for championing STEM content in education. Jason currently oversees NRSC’s robotics, engineering, and academic and transition programs for postsecondary deaf and hard-of-hearing students nationwide. In his free time, Jason enjoys traveling and hiking with his wife and three daughters.

Specialty Areas - Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, Laboratory Science

Joined March 2025

Maggie is a STEM Trainer with a focus on project management, combining her background in education, research, and program coordination to support innovative STEM initiatives. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA (Go Steelers!), she began her career as a high school science teacher at the Rochester School for the Deaf, where she discovered her passion for Deaf Education. That passion led her to join the research team at the SPaCE Center at RIT/NTID, where she contributed to studies on the impact of COVID-19 on Deaf Education, resulting in several publications. She later transitioned into project management with the NRSC Team at RIT/NTID, where she led efforts such as the annual Math Competition and helped develop and support a variety of STEM-related programs and activities. Outside of work, Maggie enjoys taking her service dog, Dublin, on walks, relaxing with her cat and dog, and finding cool new spots to hammock and unwind.

Publications: 
Meek, D. R., Skyer, M. R., & Donaldson, M. M. “I Learned as I Went”: an online distance education case study, The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Volume 30, Issue 2, April 2025, Pages 248–267, https://doi.org/10.1093/jdsade/enae047

Meek, D. R., Green A. N., & Donaldson, M. M. "Together but Apart: Strategies to Improve Inclusive Classrooms." Cases on Teacher Preparation in Deaf Education, edited by Nena Raschelle Neild and Patrick Joseph Graham, IGI Global, 2023, pp. 42-66. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5834-1.ch003

Donaldson, M. M., Meek, D. R., & Skyer, M. R. "The intersection of online distance education and deaf education: Perspectives from deaf and hard of hearing students and educators." Proceedings of the Association for College Educators-Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (ACE-DHH). Ed. n.p. San Antonio, TX: n.p.

Specialty Areas – Engineering, CAD, Mechanical, Electronics

Joined October 2020

Matt is a STEM trainer in M.E.L.D. (Mechatronic Engineering for Leadership in Deafness). A Model Secondary School for the Deaf Alumni who came from a small town in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. He started off as customization manager for a sports uniform company dealing with graphic design, heat press, screen print, and embroidery for 5 years until he was successful in getting his dream job by working as mechanical design and quality engineering within the automotive technology field. He has worked within NASCAR, military, and motorsports fields. After 20 years of working in technology industries, he wanted to share his knowledge and experience in advanced technology with Deaf students. So, he became an Engineering and Automotive Technology teacher at North Carolina School for the Deaf for a couple of years before joining the NRSC Team. He has a huge passion in motorsports and automotive technologies. He enjoys traveling, hiking, and watching movies with his beautiful wife, son, and dogs. 

Specialty Areas - Literacy, Itinerant Services, Transition, and Specially Designed Instruction for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Joined June 2023

Cara is an academic and transition specialist and STEM Academy II Coordinator. She has a dual bachelor's degree in Deaf Education and Elementary Education from Flagler College. Her master's degree is in Special Education from the University of North Florida (UNF). She is a UNF Project SPIDERS scholar sponsored by the Office of Special Education Program. She is pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership, focusing on Deaf Education. She has 26 years of expertise in Deaf Education with specialties in Reading Intervention, Transition, Itinerant Services, and Specially Designed Instruction for DHH. She has taught students from birth to 22 across the continuum of services, from a self-contained classroom to inclusion support at all levels. She is trained in the following programs designed specifically for students who are DHH: American Sign Language - Expressive Skills Test, AvenuePM, Bedrock Literacy Curriculum, Bilingual Grammar Curriculum, Explicit Contextualized Vocabulary Instruction - Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Fairview Learning, Fingerspelling Our Way to Reading, Foundations for Literacy, See the Sounds Visual Phonics, Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction, and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons paired with Visual Phonics. During her free time, she spends time with her husband and two children. She loves reading, traveling, cooking, and trying new adventures. 

Specialty Areas - Science, Robotics, Coding/Computer Science

Joined January 2017

Harry is a STEM Trainer with a science background. He started out as the math/science specialist and now emphasizes learning through Robotics for STEM education. He tries to combine his 18 years of experience as a teacher of the D/d/HH with the best practices of STEM education into a cohesive model. Prior to his current position, Harry taught students in high school science at the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind from 2003-2016. Originally hailing from Maryland, he provides support & enthusiasm in robotics and computer science/coding among many other things.  He has a love for gardening and golfing.

Dawn Vanzo is our NTID Regional STEM Center Interpreter Coordinator. She has proven to be a passionate and dedicated interpreter coordinator with 25 years of experience in the field. She began as an ally in the Deaf/ HH community and, as a result of those relationships, was guided towards becoming a professional interpreter and studied at the University of Tennessee. She holds a national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certification, specializes in mental health, has served as Huntsville RID Chapter President and Vice president, is a past board member of the Alabama Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (ALRID), is a Council of Organizations Serving Deaf Alabamians (COSDA) Interpreter of the Year and Responsive, Encouraging, Sensitive, Perceptive, Expediting, Caring, and Thoughtful (RESPECT) Award recipient, served with vocational rehab, post-secondary access and is a community interpreter agency owner. She actively supports and coordinates access for events under NRSC-AIDB, including but not limited to Robotics, Drones, ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), STEM Academy, Space Camp, GenCyber, MarineLab, English Language Arts, and Bilingual Grammar Curriculum. She enjoys motherhood, being active, and the great outdoors when not working. If you want to join the Interpreting team, contact her regarding upcoming NRSC events.

Stephanie Morgan joined Special Projects in February 2023 as an Administrative Assistant and Accounting Clerk. She graduated from Gadsden State Community College in August 2022 with an Associates in Applied Science Accounting Technology. Stephanie is passionate about serving the deaf and hard of hearing community. She is a mother of two beautiful children. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading and gardening.