CSDVRS Press Release: New Vp Of Marketing Communications

From: CSDVRS - May 30, 2007
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PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT                                   
Release Date: May 30, 2007
Contact: Tanya Miller
CSDVRS Communications Office
tmiller@csdvrs.com

CSDVRS Names New VP of Marketing Communications

SIOUX FALLS, SD (May 30, 2007) CSDVRS, a leading Video Relay Service provider, today announced the appointment of Chris Wagner to the position of Vice President of Marketing Communications.

Wagner will be responsible for leading CSDVRS’s marketing communications department, by establishing initiatives defining and refining the company's marketing strategies, processes and objectives, as well as orchestrating the launch of services that support the company's continued growth.

Wagner brings to CSDVRS a decade of extensive experience as a deaf advocate and administrator. Most recently, he served as the Executive Director of the Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing serving the Manatee, Sarasota, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of Pasco and Hernando Counties in Florida.

Success comes naturally to Wagner, as evident in his accomplishments stretching throughout the state of Florida and beyond. He was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush as the first member and Chairperson of the Florida Coordinating Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

As the President of Florida Association of the Deaf, Inc. (FAD), Vice President of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), Vice Chair of the Governor’s American with Disabilities Act Working Group (ADAWG), and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, Wagner has numerous connections within the Deaf community. Prior to his election as FAD President, he served as the first president of the Florida Coalition for Disability Rights.

In 2004, Chris received several awards for his outstanding leadership and advocacy on both state and national levels, including the first Claude Seale Advocate Award from the Florida Independent Living Council, the Robert Greenmun Award for State Leadership Excellence, and the Knights of the Flying Fingers Award from the National Association of the Deaf (NAD).

“We are very excited about Christopher Wagner joining the CSDVRS management team.  Chris’ experience in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community is outstanding.  He has been an advocate for the deaf community for 15 years.  This is combined with Chris’ business and marketing acumen as well as his passion and enthusiasm for our Video Relay products,” said Sean Belanger, the CEO of CSDVRS. "Chris will be a great contributor to our company as we move forward."

“It is an honor to be part of an outstanding leadership team who is committed to making a positive impact in our deaf and hard of hearing community through high quality video and interpreting services,” stated Wagner. “As a pioneer in the VRS industry, CSDVRS continues to strive with a vision to create the most accessible video technology for everyone, and I look forward to help lead this exciting endeavor.”  

About CSDVRS — CSDVRS offers an effective way for 28 million Americans with hearing loss to make telephone calls. A VRS customer connects to a video interpreter (VI) via a high-speed Internet connection (such as DSL or cable modem) to place a call to a hearing person using a standard telephone. Using a personal computer with a Web cam or a television with a set-top video box, VRS callers who prefer to communicate through sign language utilize the VI to translate spoken words into sign and to voice their signed conversation to the hearing person. Hard of hearing callers can benefit by using the same setup to place voice carryover calls and selecting the lip-reading option in their personal profile, allowing them to voice for themselves while using the VI’s lip movements to enhance their understanding of the words spoken by the other caller.

To learn more about CSDVRS, please visit www.csdvrs.com.

CSDVRS can be accessed by anyone, whether deaf or hearing, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Connect to CSDVRS by any of the following:
Videophone:  csdvrs.tv
Web-cam:  www.csdvrs.com
Voice:  (866) 926-8877 or (866) WANT-VRS

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