Sergei Kochkin, M.S., M.B.A., PhD., is Executive Director of the Better Hearing Institute in Washington DC. Previously he was Director of Market Development & Market Research at Knowles Electronics, chairman of the Market Development Committee of the Hearing Industries Association, a member of the Board of Directors of the Better Hearing Institute for six years, and past editor of the peer reviewed journal High Performance Hearing Solutions. He has conducted extensive research on the hearing- impaired population in the United States, is the author of close to 70 publications on the hearing impaired population, and has spoken worldwide concerning his research. Prior to joining Knowles, he worked eight years for United Airlines as market research manager, industrial psychologist, and marketing performance manager. His formal education includes: PhD. - Industrial Psychology (emphasis quantitative methods), MBA - Marketing, MS - Guidance and Counseling, BA - Anthropology.

Russell Jones, BC-HIS, damaged his hearing in Vietnam and when he was fit with his first set of hearing aids, he got so excited he quit his job and got into the hearing aid business. He has been one of the featured speakers at the IHS International Conventions in both 2008and 2009.He has a Master’s degree in business from the University of California, Berkeley. In1977 he was the “Pacific Scholar”, awarded to one candidate in the United States by The English Speaking Union Russell had his own marketing consulting business New Zealand and Australian companies introduce their products to the American market. This led to Russell becoming Director of Marketing for the Mariani Group of Companies. Russell served as General Manager of the Oakland International Trade Center. Later, as a Vice President for Charles Schwab and Company, Russell was Assistant to the President, and headed Schwab’s Financial Analysis Team. He served for years as Vice President of New Business Development. Russell was an Infantry Officer in the United States Army and was awarded the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal for service in Vietnam.

Douglas L. Beck, PhD., AuD., earned his doctorate from the University of Florida at Gainesville (2000). His career started at the House Ear Institute (LA) in cochlear implant research and intraoperative cranial nerve monitoring. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology and Director of Audiology at Saint Louis University. He cofounded a private audiology-based dispensing practice in St Louis. Dr. Beck became Editor-In-Chief of www.audiologyonline.com, www.speechpathology.com and www.healthyhearing.com in 1999 and joined Oticon in 2005 as Director of Professional Relations. Dr. Beck has addressed a wide variety of audiology and professional topics via hundreds of publications and is well known internationally for his entertaining and educational podium presentations

Scott George, B.S., BC-HIS, is President and CEO of Mid-America Hearing Center headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Missouri. Educated at the University of Missouri at Rolla with a degree in computer science, Scott has worked with the hearing impaired since 1991. He is the past chair of the Missouri Licensing Board and a past President of the Missouri Hearing Society. He has worked on Hearing Health Care Regulatory Issues at the State and Federal level for over 12 years.

A.U. Bankaitis, PhD., is Vice President of Oaktree Products, Inc of St. Louis, MO, a multi-line distributor of hearing health care products. Dr. Bankaitis earned her doctorate from the University of Cincinnati in 1995 where her funded research investigated the effects of varying degrees of HIV on the auditory system. This research track quickly led her to the area of infection control where she is considered the leading expert in this area as it applies to audiology and the hearing industry. She has authored numerous publications in the area of infection control including primary authorship on the popular text books Infection Control in the Hearing Aid Clinic and Infection Control in the Audiology Clinic.

Wayne Staab, PhD., AuD., is an internationally-recognized expert in the hearing health care discipline. He is President of Dr. Wayne J. Staab and Associates, a marketing, research, educational, publishing, manufacturing, and consulting organization. Dr. Staab continues to serve the hearing health care profession through education, new product development, manufacturing and marketing. With his background, he is in a unique position to be able to couple manufacturing and business with the science of acoustics to meet the specific needs of the hearing- impaired population. As a leading spokesperson within the hearing health care industry and considered an expert on hearing aids, Dr. Staab has lectured and written extensively on hearing-related topics and rehabilitation, within the United States and Internationally. He has written in excess of eighty articles in professional and trade journals, has given hundreds of invited presentations, and has written five books and contributed chapters to twelve other major texts in audiology and hearing aids. He has received numerous recognitions and awards for his work in hearing rehabilitation.

David J. Smriga, M.A., is President of David J. Smriga Consulting Services, as well as President of AuDNet, Inc., a group purchasing and marketing organization for audiology providers. Mr. Smriga received his master’s degree in audiology from Northern Illinois University in 1976. During his over thirty year career, Mr. Smriga has held positions in both clinical and research audiology, as well as senior management positions in sales, marketing and public relations for some of the nations leading hearing aid manufacturing firms. Mr. Smriga has conducted over 400 lectures in North America and in Europe, and has authored over forty publications ranging in topics from inter-operative brainstem monitoring to counselor selling. He is best known for his unique way of presenting complex information in a clear, logical and understandable way.

Bruce E. Mow, M.P.A., is founder and President of MSI (Maximum Significance International), a consulting firm based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He and his wife Karen established in October 2000. The mission statement for their company is, “Equipping key leaders for maximum significance.” His success in business, ministry, the military and athletics laid the foundation for a platform from which he partners with business professionals, entrepreneurs and ministry leaders to help them achieve maximum significance in their lives and in their sphere of influence. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration. He earned the Outstanding Graduate award for his Bachelors degree in Interpersonal Communication. Immediately following high school he served in the United States Marine Corps achieving the rank of sergeant E-5 in less than two years. During his college years he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a lieutenant receiving the Honor Graduate award for the top cadet in his class. Bruce makes his home in Tulsa with Karen, his high school sweetheart whom he married while in the Marine Corps, and their two children Daniel and Anna. They are actively involved as lay minister leaders in their church and their community.