D-PAN's board members share a commitment to providing the deaf and hard of hearing community with a full range of valuable program offerings and services, and to facilitating the educational and professional growth of aspiring deaf and hard of hearing entertainers, artists, and media professionals.

Joel Martin, Chairman
As a fixture in the Detroit music scene for over 30 years, record producer, studio owner, and music industry veteran Joel Martin is also the co-founder of the Deaf Performing Artists Network. Concern for the rights and well-being of deaf family members spurred Martin to take an active interest in deaf and hard of hearing-related issues and solidified his resolve to develop programs and services that would facilitate enhanced educational, employment, and career opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, particularly within the realms of music, media and the arts. Martin has produced, managed, published, and negotiated recording deals for some of the most prominent artists that have come out of the Motor City, including George Clinton, The Romantics, Sponge and multi-platinum selling rapper Eminem. His passion for music, developing talent, innovation, and protecting the rights of artists has fueled his journey through the ever changing climate of the music industry.

Steven C. Crosby
Steve Crosby is Senior Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs and Public Relations for Frontier Communications Corporation, one of the nation’s largest telecommunications companies. In addition to leading the nation as a rural exchange carrier, Frontier provides local and long distance service, broadband Internet, digital television and computer technology support to residents and business customers across the United States.
Crosby came to Frontier from Vulcan, Inc, a company founded in 1986 by investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen. Crosby was responsible for Vulcan’s public relations, government relations (Federal, state and local), advertising, marketing, media relations and internal communications efforts. Vulcan, Inc. oversees various business and charitable projects including real estate holdings, investments in many companies as well as ownership of Vulcan Productions, the Seattle Cinerama theatre, Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame, Mojave Aerospace Ventures, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
Steve’s previous roles included Vice Presidencies at AT&T Wireless Services and Burson-Marsteller, Director of public affairs for the California Forestry Association and various senior staff positions in the California State Assembly.
Steve earned a BA undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University and a J.D. degree from Loyola Law School in California.

Martin Fischhoff
After 25 years in journalism, Marty Fischhoff became the Managing Director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute at the University of Michigan, at which he is in charge of administrative, programming, communications and development functions at this new organization devoted to finding new treatments and cures for human disease. Prior to that, he was Assistant Managing Editor of The Detroit News, where he worked for 20 years in a variety of capacities. Fischhoff was editor of Detroit Monthly for five years before that, winning the William White Award as editor of the best city magazine in its circulation class in the nation. He has worked in public relations, marketing, and video production, and has written a best-selling guidebook to Detroit. He has participated in many community organizations, serving on the boards of Washtenaw Literacy and the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, as well as Deaf Professional Arts Network.

Howard Hertz
Attorney Howard Hertz is the cofounder of Hertz Schram, which he established with Bradley Schram in 1979. Mr. Hertz specializes in entertainment law and is the lead attorney of Hertz Schram's Entertainment Practice Group. Since 1976 he has represented numerous artists and entities in the entertainment field, including authors, screenwriters, recording artists, radio personalities, producers, production companies, record labels, agents, artist managers, music publishers, songwriters and athletes. Among others, his most well-known clients have been George Clinton, Sippie Wallace, The Romantics, The Bass Brothers, Eminem, Marilyn Manson, Russell Simmons, O-Town, Pantera, The GO, Elmore Leonard, Warner Tamerlane and Atlantic Records.
Hertz is a member of the Board of Directors and President of the Detroit Music Awards Foundation, a member of the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (Grammy Awards) Chicago Chapter, a former member of the Michigan Film Advisory Commission (2006-2008), a Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellow, a member of the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers, a member of the Wayne State University College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts Board of Visitors, a member and former chairperson of the Arts, Communications, Entertainment and Sports Section of the State Bar of Michigan, a member of the Board of Directors of the Sphinx Organization, counsel to and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Music Research Foundation, counsel to and a member of the Board of Directors of D-PAN: Deaf Professional Arts Network and is on the Advisory Board for Common Ground Sanctuary. Mr. Hertz was the 2004 recipient of the John Hensel Award for significant contributions to the arts community. In 2008 Mr. Hertz became an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan Law School, teaching a course in entertainment law. Mr. Hertz graduated from Wayne State University in 1972 with distinction and received his law degree from Wayne State University in 1976, where he graduated cum laude.

Mark A Levinsohn
Attorney Mark Levinsohn is a partner in the entertainment law firm of Levinsohn & Arnay, where he serves a broad range of individual and institutional clients, including Grammy and Academy Award winning singers, songwriters and producers, major and leading independent record labels, music publishing companies, and senior executives.  Mr. Levinsohn is well known and well respected in the music industry, both in the United States and in Europe, and is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences. He is responsible for significant business development at the firm, has a track record of helping industry entrepreneurs develop and grow their companies, and routinely handles complex commercial transactions. Prior to the formation of Levinsohn & Arnay, Mr. Levinsohn was the Managing Partner of Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein, LLP.  He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1983 and received his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the inaugural publication of the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal.

Kimo Williams
Kimo Williams is a Chicago-based composer, musician and educator. Since 1989, he has been a faculty member at Columbia College, where he now serves as Coordinator/Faculty Advisor for Music Business. As a composer, he has released four CDs of original works, including his big-band fusion ensemble "Kimotion", as well as symphonic works that have been performed by orchestras in Detroit, Atlanta, Savannah, and Chicago. As a Vietnam Veteran, many of his award-winning compositions are inspired by his experience in the military, including "Symphony for the Sons of Nam", and "Buffalo Soldiers", which was commissioned by West Point Military Academy in 2002. He founded the United States Vietnam Art Program in 1998 to create opportunities to promote communication through artistic medium between the two countries, and was recently awarded a Fulbright Specialist grant to further this goal. He holds an MA in Management and Human Relations from Webster University as well as a BA in Composition from Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2003, he co-founded the "Lt Dan Band" with actor Gary Sinise, supporting the USO worldwide. His other interests in art include photography and film.