Board members Self Introduction


Last Update: Jul 01, 2005

Board and Advisory board members Self Introduction
Stefan Hoffmann My name is Stefan Hoffmann, I am 33 and from Cologne / Germany. Currently I am living in Beijing / China, where I'm working for a German car manufacturer. I joined the Stuttering Self-Help Movement in 1991 in Cologne and found with it the help, which speech therapy in the years before could not give me. As I always was interested in foreign countries and languages, I became involved with ISA in 1998, when I attended the World Congress for People Who Stutter in Johannesburg / South Africa. Since then I work on the ISA Board, mainly dealing with "Outreach" to countries where the public is still not aware of the stuttering problem and of ISA. Targeted regions are especially East Asia and Latin America.

Mark Irwin - Chair Mark Irwin is a dentist in private practice in Adelaide, Australia. He is a past president of the Australian Speak Easy Association (1995 -1997) and has been a board member of the ISA since 1998. He currently serves as ISA chairman.
Benny Ravid Benny Ravid is a software engineer. He is the chair and founder of AMBI, the Israel Stuttering Association. He is also ISA board member , head of the webmaster group of the ISA website and webmaster of AMBI website .
Martine de Vloed Martine De Vloed is an employee at a company in Ghent, Belgium. She is a co-founder and the past vice chair of the Belgian Stuttering Association, vzw BEST. She is also the past vice chair of the ISA (1998-2001) .
Mel Hoffman - Former ISA Treasurer Mel Hoffman: Retired. Certified Public Accountant. Formerly director of taxes at Ampex Corporation. Member of the board of directors of the National Stuttering Association from 1983-1994, serving some of these years as either secretary or treasurer. Member of the ISA management committee, 1995-1998. Member of the ISA board of directors, 1998-2001, also serving as treasurer.
Thomas Krall Thomas Krall is a teacher of mathematics, sports and music at a comprehensive school. He is currently on a sabbatical. Chair of a stuttering self-help group in Duesseldorf, Germany, 1989-1991. Chair of the German stuttering association, 1992-1993. Member of ISA management committee,1995-1998. Chair of ISA board of directors, 1998-2001.
Thomas Krall (Left), Mark Irwin (Right)

Judith Eckardt Judith Eckardt is a licensed certified speech-language pathologist and a Board Recognized Fluency Specialist in ASHA She received her training at the University of Wisconsin, worked in the IL public schools for many years, and maintained a private practice with emphasis was upon fluency. Since 1999, she has been a clinical supervisor at Eastern Washington University for the Successful Stuttering Management Program. Much time has been donated to the self-help movement for people who stutter. Judith is a stutterer and she founded NSA Metro North in 1996 in IL. In June 2000, she was Chair of the Annual Convention of the National Stuttering Association (NSA) in Chicago. At this time, she continues to be on the Board of Directors and Secretary of the International Stuttering Association and has done many presentations both nationally and internationally. Most recently she presented at the 2004 World Congress for People Who Stutter in Australia, the IFA Meeting in Canada in 2003, and the ASHA Convention in Chicago in 2003. Judith received the award of SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST OF THE YEAR in 2001 from the NSA.
Judith Eckardt (Center), Mark Irwin (Left), John Steggles (Right)

Masuhiko Kawasaki Masuhiko Kawasaki is a member of the Japan Stuttering Project, Vice Chair-person of the Osaka Stuttering Project, Leader of a volunteer group for mentally challenged children and President of a company in Osaka. He writes, "I started stuttering before entering elementary school. For more than 30 years, I avoided situations that involved speaking. I also denied not only stuttering but also myself. However, my attitude towards stuttering has changed since I joined the JSP. Now I do not find the need to hide my stuttering. I feel free to challenge anything that I want. Stuttering no longer interferes with my life. Through my experience of getting involved with the activities of the JSP I discovered meaningfulness in my life and learned ways to live positively even with stuttering."
Anita Scharis Blom Anita Scharis Blom has stuttered since she was 9. She is born and raised in the Netherlands, but now married and living in Sweden, works as a secretary and has taken up studying again. Beside her 9 year old daughter, her saxophone playing in a local band and her private website on stuttering, she is active at the local chapter as information officer and webmaster, international contact for the national stuttering association, vice chair of the European League of Stuttering Associations and on the advisory board of the International Stuttering Association. She has been project manager for different local and national stuttering information projects and is still giving lectures at schools. Her aim is to put stuttering on the political agenda, to raise awareness among all people surrounding us who stutter and to give stuttering a face, full of hope for the future.
Joseph Lukong I am 39 years old and have stuttered since I started talking at the age of two. 17 of my 21 brothers and sisters, and half brothers and half sisters stutter. I hold a Bachelors Degree in law (Licence en Droit) and have worked in a law firm in Douala Cameroon. Presently, I work in CAJUREC a Debt Recovery and Legal counseling Enterprise in Douala Cameroon. I do voluntary work as Coordinator General and Chief Executive Officer of the SPEAK CLEAR ASSOCIATION OF CAMEROON, SCAC which is a national self help movement for stuttering persons in Cameroon which I co founded with other stutterers in Cameroon. We work principally to spread stuttering awareness in Cameroon and also do outreach work for the ISA to the other countries in Africa and other developing countries of the world. I am involved in an important genetic research project with the National Institutes of Health, the NIH of , Washington DC that project is aimed at studying the role the gene plays in transmitting stuttering. Since February 2002 I have been admitted as a full member of the INTERNATIONAL FLUENCY ASSOCIATION, the IFA.
Beatriz E. Biain de Touzet Master in Speech Pathology Speech therapist. Studied the doctorate in LANGUAGE AND TROUBLES OF THE HUMAN COMMUNICATION. Stuttering Specialist: North Western University. Granted a scholarship in France by the Ministry of External Matters to carry out two years of improvement in the career of Speech Therapist. Corporal therapist: System Milderman. Integrates the Committee of IALP: International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics. Fluency Committee Official agent of the International Fluency Association. Integrated Laboratory of Language of the Psychopathology Children and Youthful center of Vicente López. Hospital Coordinator of corporal work of the Program of Mental Health of the Pirovano Hospital. Prof of Stuttering at the Speech language Pathologist Career. Create the first Self Group for People who Stutter in Argentina. Organizes Specialization Seminars on Stuttering from 1991 at University level. Numerous works presented in the magazine of ASALFA. Prize to the best scientific work.. Ex -Member of ISA Board: International Stuttering Association. Regular post degree Courses on Stuttering at the Buenos Aires University. Founder of the Argentina Stuttering Association that develops activities in the Buenos Aires University. Emerit President of the Argentina Stuttering Association . Author of numerous worksto the Nationals and Internationals Congress regarding her clinical and educational experience. Specialists' trainer on Stuttering President of the first Latino American Congress on Stuttering and Convention of People Who Stutter. Emerit Award by the Spanish Foundation of Stuttering Member of the Scientific Committee of last IFA Congress in Montreal. Stuttering Professor at the Salvador University. Author of the book : Tartamudez, Una Disfluencia con cuerpo y alma. Edit. Paidos Buenos Aires-Barcelona-Mexico Actually is considered Expert on Stuttering in the Spanish Community.
Ruth Ezraty (Left), Beatriz Bian de Touzet (Right)
`Warren Brown` `Warren Brown is a newspaper journalist with a bachelor of arts in sociology. For the last eight years, he has been editor of Air Flow, the quarterly magazine of the New Zealand Speak Easy Association. He has also served as vice president and publicity officer for the association. He is an ISA board member, One Voice co-ordinator and a former editor of One Voice. He is also active in Passing Twice. He has stuttered since 1966.`
John Steggles John is an accountant and has been involved in the stuttering self-help movement for nearly 30 years. He helped form the Australian Speak Easy Association (ASEA) in 1981 and is currently the National President of that association as well as a Director of the Australian Stuttering Foundation with Prof. Mark Onslow and Prof. Ashley Craig. John was instrumental in forming the ASEA speech technique booster programs and is highly experienced in the use of the prolonged speech method. John gave a presentation on the prolonged speech method at the 1^st World Congress for People Who Stutter in Kyoto, Japan. He also attended the 2^nd, 3^rd, 6^th and 7^th World Congresses and is well known in the international self help movement.