Austin, TX – Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) is proud to announce the election of a new Board Chair, Rogelio Fernández Mota. Fernández Mota succeeds Danny Lacey, who served as Board Chair since 2016.
“I am excited to welcome Rogelio Fernández Mota as the newly appointed chair of the CSD board and look forward to working with him closely in the years to come,” said CSD CEO Chris Soukup. “Danny has been an instrumental resource for CSD during a period of important transformation and rapid growth.”
Rogelio Fernández Mota is a longtime activist involved in social justice with Latinx Deaf organizations, with roots in El Paso, Texas and Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. He first joined the CSD Board of Directors in 2016. Alongside the ten other CSD Directors, Fernández Mota has provided strategic leadership and guidance launching several innovative and empowering initiatives including the CSD Social Venture Fund, one of the only venture capital partners in the world designed to support Deaf entrepreneurs and Deaf-owned businesses. Fernández Mota also founded Manos de Tejas in 2006 and served as president of Council de Manos in 2015.
“I feel extremely honored to have the opportunity to lead this incredible organization and excellent Board of Directors, driving CSD to new heights,” said Fernández Mota. “As a social impact organization, we continue to evolve so we can better serve as leaders and changemakers for our employees, community members, and partners.”
Fernández Mota’s predecessor, Danny Lacey, served as Board Chair for six of the nine years he spent on the CSD Board of Directors. He plans to stay involved in a variety of volunteer roles within the Deaf community, encouraging the next generation of Deaf and hard-of-hearing people to get involved in essential leadership and board roles.
“I am proud of all that we have accomplished during my time on the board, including CSD’s investment program, CSD Social Venture Fund,” said Lacey. “Our excellent collaborative spirit has allowed us to navigate through several challenging times – including a change to virtualization, managing several significant leadership changes, and working through the COVID-19 pandemic. With Rogelio’s deep institutional knowledge of CSD, he is well-positioned to lead the board.”
About Communication Service for the Deaf
Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) is the largest Deaf-led social impact organization in the world. For more than four decades, CSD has been a leader in creating and providing accessible and innovative solutions for the Deaf community. Today, CSD continues its work creating opportunities for personal and economic growth within the Deaf community, specifically addressing leadership and employment. For more information, please visit CSD and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.