Message from the Chair of the Board of Directors, American Cochlear Implant Alliance

It is both an honor and a bittersweet moment for me to reflect upon Donna Sorkin’s recently announced retirement.  Donna is our founding Executive Director and has functioned in the role ever since, serving 13 years as our dedicated, tireless, and passionate leader.

From ACI Alliance’s inception, Donna has been the driving force behind our mission to expand access to cochlear implant services and improve the lives of all individuals with hearing loss. Donna’s goal was to build not only an advocacy organization, but also a community where people with hearing loss, their families, and their hearing healthcare providers could feel supported and heard. Under her guidance the ACI Alliance has grown from a small passionate group of voices into a nationally and globally recognized organization that has opened doors to hearing services, shaped policy, guided research efforts, advocated for the underserved and misrepresented, and given countless individuals the chance to experience or reexperience the world of sound. Donna’s accomplishments are too numerous to list, but I have known her for a long time, and I think she would tell you her proudest achievement is the culture of inclusion, collaboration, and unwavering commitment to those we serve that she has fostered. We all have our own stories of how her dedication has made a difference in our life or the lives of others, and those connections will be her lasting legacy.

While we will miss her daily presence and leadership, we know her impact will continue to be felt in the strength of this community she helped create and cultivate. And as we look to the future, we are confident the foundation she built will allow us to grow, adapt, and continue championing access to cochlear implant services for decades to come.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the tens of thousands of people who have worked with her over the years, I want to personally thank Donna for her extraordinary service and wish her every happiness and ongoing successes in her next chapter. Donna, you will be missed immensely, but you will certainly never be forgotten.

- Daniel M. Zeitler, MD FACS

Grateful Thanks from Donna Sorkin, Executive Director 

In 2012, the American Cochlear Implant Alliance was begun to advance access to cochlear implantation. After agreeing upon a mission statement, the Founding Board of Directors’ first task was to hire an Executive Director to serve under the direction of the Board to advance the mission and oversee all aspects of ACI Alliance.  I joined knowing it would be an extraordinary opportunity to be part of something unique and contribute to the organization’s development in ways that would truly matter for people. We had a mission statement, a board composed of dedicated people in the field, a non-functioning website, and an initial conference planned for 2014 in Nashville.  We had 11 organizations, and 70 individuals signed up as members when I began. 

Who would have guessed that 13 years later we would have grown to be the entity we are now with nearly 3000 members, 250 student members, and 220 State Champions? Our website is the leading non-commercial source of information on cochlear implants.  We answer questions every day from a range of people who found us via the website including individuals and family members dealing with hearing loss, primary care clinicians, hospitals, reporters, government agencies, and more. Our annual conference is where clinicians, educators, scientists, students, commercial entities, nonprofits, schools, and others gather to learn and share their clinical research, relevant products and services.  What I am most proud of is the extent to which our members have been empowered to become advocates for CI access at the state and national levels.  We provide support and they take on challenges—just as they have done recently with Medicaid expansions in Arizona and Missouri.

I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with so many extraordinary people to make a difference. We have fantastic members and superlative staff. I am ready to pass the torch and am working with the Board of Directors to begin a search for a new Executive Director.  I will support the transition for the next director to help them be successful and build on what we have done so far. 

Thank you for this tremendous honor, for your partnership, and for the opportunity to learn from you. See below to apply. 

Donna L. Sorkin, Executive Director, American Cochlear Implant Alliance

Executive Director, American Cochlear Implant Alliance