AG Bell reflects back on one of our own and dearest.
Lisa Chutjian was always a picture of calm, in her mannerisms and her actions. A perpetual smile on her face, framed by her light hair and sunny disposition, infiltrated her work at the Alexander Bell Graham Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell). As a result, she created many positive impacts and indelible marks on families, children, and colleagues around the world.
As chief development officer at AG Bell, she focused on fundraising and building partnerships; but in reality, she worked tirelessly creating friendships, forming bridges, increasing marketing and messaging, mentoring interns and colleagues, and spreading awareness about the work of AG Bell. She was dedicated to the children, teens, and families in the community of people who were deaf and hard of hearing as they navigated through the journey from diagnosis through college and beyond. Lisa was determined to ensure that everyone’s lives were better after interacting with AG Bell, which they were; and oftentimes people were better just because they had interacted with Lisa herself.
Family was the heart of Lisa’s existence. She raised six children on her own and treated everyone she worked with as family. She was kind, giving, caring, generous, big-hearted, and mixed her blood family with her work family; her own son, Ari, took up employment at AG Bell as well, and everyone at AG Bell knew her family and stories. She listened to everyone, teased, laughed, and made AG Bell a wonderful place. We miss her greatly.
Please honor her wishes to create a scholarship in her name at AG Bell and donate in Lisa’s memory.
From colleagues:
“I will miss Lisa’s perpetual optimism and can-do commitment. A STEM award in her name is a fitting recognition of Lisa’s major contributions to AG Bell’s work and celebration of her passion for its mission.” – Howard Francis, MD, chair, department of head and neck surgery & communication sciences, Duke University
“Lisa has been a stalwart member of the AG Bell team. I will miss her. I will always be inspired by her efforts to advance funding for our kids.”- Arlene Stredler Brown, Ph.D., CCC-SLP; Director Colorado Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program
“She was always making sure that education was accessible to all, so the STEM scholarship goes perfectly well with her generosity in life.”-María Fernanda Hinojosa Valencia, Dirección Clínica, Aurea Lab
“The few interactions I had with her showed her passion for the mission. I knew I could reach out to her and my issue would be addressed.” -Uma Soman, PhD, LSLS Cert. AVEd, Co-Founder & Director, Listening Together
“Lisa was exceptionally both professional and cheerful in her work with AGBell. I will miss her enthusiasm and support for the College Financial Aid Committee and STEMM-HEAR which after two failed attempts with NSF will finally get NIH funding for five years this fall (two reviewers gave a mixture of 1s and 2s, making it fundable). She will be missed and the scholarship is a worthy recognition of her significant contributions to AGBell as well as her respect for college education.” -Tilak Ratnanather, associate research professor of biomedical engineering, Johns Hopkins University
“I speak both personally and for my family that we deeply appreciated her extraordinary commitment and devotion to all things AGBell, and especially to its students and educational efforts. Lisa was always well versed and knowledgeable, as well as kind and caring, with a twinkle in her eye.” – Sara Grosvenor