Meet the Leadership Team

Thadeus is Deaf, grew up attending a mainstream environment, and has worked in Deaf Education for several years in both mainstream and residential settings. He has witnessed firsthand the inequities and lack of resources in the system. Thadeus saw an opportunity to address these inequities when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the reorientation of education to a virtual format, and VASLA was born. He currently teaches High School and is enrolled in RIT's Master of Science in Secondary Education program.

Jessy A. Willoughby is a former high school teacher and school administrator who loves to inspire students to reach their highest level of academic achievement possible and innovate new bilingual and multicultural teaching strategies with teacher colleagues. She is deaf and went to two different schools for the deaf and a mainstream program before attending Gallaudet

University. She now holds two BAs in English and Theatre Arts from Gallaudet

and a MS Ed. in Deaf Education from McDaniel College. She is also entering her third year of Doctorate​ ​of​ ​Education​ degree program in Educational Leadership and Management with a special concentration in Creativity and

Innovation at Drexel University. Also, she is pursuing a certificate in School

Management and Leadership from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education and Harvard Business School.

Sean is Deaf, grew up in a mainstream environment and a serial entrepreneur, founding three businesses and a nonprofit before joining the VASLA team. Currently, Sean teaches at Gallaudet University, providing a unique understanding of what deaf students need when it comes to being prepared for college.  

Sean believes that there is a significant resources gap, especially for mainstreamed students. He holds a Masters of Public Policy from The George Washington University and is a deaf education policy expert. Formerly, Sean worked at an education research lab, with an unique understanding of the challenges of deaf education.