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IntroText HLO recruiting for public members for several boards ​Are you interested in getting involved with state service but unsure where to begin? Consider serving on one of Health Licensing Office's regulatory boards. You don't have to be a member of one of the regulated professions to serve. In fact, many of the openings are for public members. A public member is typically someone who represents a consumer's point of view (and has no conflicts of interest in the board's business). Serving on a volunteer citizen board is a great way to dip a toe into the waters of state service. Board members participate in the rulemaking process, helping enact the laws adopted by the legislature and getting a better sense of how government works on the state level. (Click headline to learn more)​

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Practitioner information

The following regulated profession is overseen by the Advisory Council on Hearing Aids; learn about how to apply for a license and more at the link below:

• Hearing Aid Specialists

About the council

The Advisory Council on Hearing Aids oversees the practice of hearing aid specialists in the State of Oregon. Hearing aid specialists recommend, select or adapt hearing aids and may alter, adjust or reconstruct hearing aids specifications for proper functionality, such as taking ear impressions for proper fit. The Council is composed of:

• One physician licensed in Oregon by the Oregon Medical Board who is certified in otolaryngology (an ear, nose and throat specialist, or ENT).
• One member who holds a clinical certification in audiology with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a member in good standing with that association as well as licensed as an audiologist in Oregon by the Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
• Four individuals who are licensed by HLO to dispense, or sell, hearing aids under Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) Chapter 694.015 to 694.170.
• One public member who is a consumer of hearing aids.

Terms of office are three years terms beginning July 1 or until a successor is appointed.

Board recruitment

Are you interested in serving as a volunteer citizen board member? HLO-regulated boards seek new members as current board member terms expire.

Overview of HLO-regulated professions and boards
Current vacancies and how to apply

Board members

Tiffany Parret

Chair

Tiffany Parret

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 12/31/2020
Portland

Tiffany Parret has served the hearing-impaired community of the greater Portland area for more than a decade and has been a hearing aid specialist at Avada of Oregon since 2006. Parret also is a supervisor for hearing aid specialist trainees. Previously, she was Operations Manager at Cascade Hearing Centers from 2002 to 2006. Miss Parret majored in international business at Northeastern University in Boston and in economics at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. She is a member of the Oregon Hearing Society and the International Hearing Society. “I take great pride in staying up on the industry’s current events,” Parret said. “As a member of the Advisory Council on Hearing Aids, I’m allowed the opportunity to take that one step further and be involved in issues affecting the profession and consumers.”

Garry Harris

Vice Chair

Garry Harris

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 10/31/2018
White City

Garry Harris, MD, has served as an ear, nose and throat consultant at the Veteran's Administration Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics in White City since 2005. Dr. Harris previously was in private practice as an ear, nose and throat physician in Medford and Sidney, Ohio, where he also supervised an employee who dispensed hearing aids. He has provided self-funded volunteer work as an ear, nose and throat specialist in Belize, Central America.

Dr. Harris earned a bachelor's of arts in biology from Earlham College, Richmond, IN, and his medical degree from University of Cincinnati Medical School, Cincinnati. He served his residency at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA, and is certified in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) by the American Board of Otolaryngology.

"I'm interested in emphasizing patient satisfaction rather than hearing aid sales," says Dr. Harris. "I want to focus on how regulation can help assist consumers in receiving the best hearing health care possible."

Cheryl Blackman

Cheryl Blackman

Term: 1st Full
Term end: 2/28/2018
Lebanon

Cheryl Blackman has worked in the hearing aid business for 16 years. She is the manager of Costco Hearing Aid Center, in Albany and has been a licensed hearing aid specialist for the past 11 years. Blackman has been a member of the Oregon Hearing Society (OHS) and the International Hearing Society for the past 10 years. She currently serves as the president of the OHS board. She expresses a sincere interest in serving the public by ensuring best practices are met for testing hearing and fitting hearing aids.​

Jonathan Hamm

Jonathan Hamm

Term: 1st Full
Term end: 9/30/2018
Salem

My name is Jonathan Hamm and I am a Hearing Instrument Specialist working in the Salem area for Salem Audiology Clinic. I started out in the field as a technician in 2005, then moved into dispensing in 2008, working closely with audiologists and clients to meet the clients' needs. I have been a member of Oregon Hearing Society for the past five years. Even before I came into this field, I always been willing to help those in need. I enjoy working with the technology and making a difference in people's lives for the better. To see a smile on someone’s face because they are hearing better is worth it all. I see an opportunity to expand the care for the hearing consumers and the professionals.

Randy Lerner

Randy Lerner

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 7/31/2019
Salem

Dr. Randy Lerner joined the Advisory Council on Hearing Aids in January 2015. He has been helping people experience better hearing since 2000 and has been certified by the American Board of Audiology since 2004. Dr. Lerner has worked in many areas of audiology including: clinical audiology, educational audiology and neurophysiology. He has lived in Salem for four years and loves it. His wife, Pamela, is a speech pathologist for the local school district. They have been together 25 years and have a wonderful 8-year-old son. When he isn’t helping people hear better he enjoys golfing, fishing, and spending time with his family.

Rod Walker

Rod Walker

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 12/9/2020
Happy Valley

Rod Walker gradually began losing his hearing in 1999 and by 2001 had in the canal hearing aids in both ears. As his hearing continued to deteriorate, he received his second and third set of hearing aids (both behind the ear) in 2004 and 2008. He began using FM wireless technology and assisted listening devices to further expand his hearing ability. At the encouragement of his audiologist, he was tested for a cochlear implant and qualified in 2009. For the next year he wore one hearing aid and one cochlear implant. In 2010 he qualified for a second cochlear implant and began a new life of significantly improved hearing.

“My audiologists saved my life. They are people I will never forget. They truly cared about me and made a remarkable difference in my hearing journey,” he says. “I want to help all Oregonians have that kind of hearing experience.”

VACANT

The Advisory Council on Hearing Aids currently has an opening for a Hearing Aid Specialist. To apply, fill out the Application form.

Questions?

For policy questions, contact Policy Analyst Anne Thompson at 503-373-1904 or anne.p.thompson@state.or.us.

For licensing qualification questions, contact Qualifications Specialist Sarah Bye at 503-373-1989 or sarah.e.bye@state.or.us.

For board recruitment questions, contact Amanda Schuck at 503-373-1915 or amanda.r.schuck@state.or.us