Heather Grantham, PhD

On June 7, 2021, Dr. Heather Grantham became CID’s ninth executive director. She is the former co-director Washington University School of Medicine’s Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences (PACS), where she also served as director of deaf education and an associate professor of otolaryngology. She has worked as a teacher of the deaf, authored numerous publications and presented extensively on improving education for children who are deaf and hard of hearing.

In addition to teaching university courses, Dr. Grantham has authored or co-authored numerous research articles and presented at professional conferences worldwide. She has served as project director for U.S. Department of Education grants totaling more than $3 million, focused on preparing graduate-level teachers of children who are deaf and hard of hearing (2014–2019) and interdisciplinary personnel development in deaf education and pediatric audiology (2019–2024). Her research interests include reading and spelling development, vocabulary acquisition and best practices for teaching spoken language to children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Dr. Grantham holds a master’s degree in education of the deaf from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and a PhD in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a member of the Association of College Educators for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the A.G. Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the American Cochlear Implant Alliance.

Through the PACS program, Dr. Grantham has regularly collaborated with CID leadership and staff. She has played a critical role in maintaining a strong relationship between CID and Washington University — historic partners in the education of teachers of the deaf, pediatric audiologists, speech-language pathologists, early intervention providers and speech and hearing researchers.

”CID is such a cherished place to children, families, teachers, audiologists and the St. Louis community,” Dr. Grantham said. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead such a venerable institution. With the support of its deeply-committed board of directors, and its exceptional staff, I look forward to positioning CID for the future while still honoring its rich legacy to deaf education.”

“Heather’s passion for deaf education, her appreciation for CID’s rich history and her bold vision make her uniquely qualified for this position,” CID executive director emeritus Robin Feder said. “I’m confident in her leadership and look forward to working with her to sustain CID’s reputation for excellence and innovation.”

Watch an interview with Heather Grantham.

PART 1       PART 2