Marcy Colton - Executive Director

Marcy Colton has been with DEAF C.A.N.! since January, 1983. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s degree in Deafness Rehabilitation from New York University. A native Detroiter, Marcy has had the opportunity to live in California, New York and Texas but loves being home where she grew up. She has two grown children, Michael and Jennifer.

Lisa Rowinski, MA, NIC
HIV Program Coordinator

Lisa Rowinski is a Nationally Certified ASL Interpreter and has been interpreting for over 20 years. Lisa began her career as a social worker at MORC where she spent nearly 20 years providing case management services to Deaf/DeafBlind/Hard of Hearing adults with developmental disabilities. She went back to school and got her master’s degree in counseling and worked for a few years providing counseling services to LGBTQ individuals, particularly in the transgender community. Lisa is particularly interested in working with the DeafBlind community and has done so, from providing case management, to counseling, to interpreting. Lisa engages in ongoing independent and structured learning to continue to gain awareness about the mental health and linguistic/communication needs of people in the DeafBlind community. Lisa is an as-needed consultant with DeafBlind Central, as well as a volunteer with the Usher Syndrome Coalition. Lisa is an adjunct instructor in the ITP at Oakland Community College teaching beginning ASL to English. Lisa is a certified Pilates instructor and enjoys working out, teaching reformer Pilates, reading, watching movies, and online shopping. Lisa is thrilled to have been chosen by DEAF C.A.N.! to work in the role of HIV Program Case Manager and looks forward to lots of learning, meeting new people, and becoming more deeply involved in the community. ​

Carol Jensen - Interpreter Coordinator

Carol still cannot believe how many years it’s been since she retired from AT&T and the Michigan Relay Center and started working at DEAF C.A.N.! as the Interpreter Coordinator. She loved her job at AT&T for 35 years but thoroughly enjoys the job at DEAF C.A.N.! For Carol, working at DEAF C.A.N.! is a second career. She is proud to be associated with an agency and working with Interpreters that have such a good reputation in the community. Carol is the proud parent of Madison (her little Shih Tzu) and Baby (her Yorkie Shi Tzu mix).

Dylan Secord, MSW, LMSW-C Assistant Director
​Clinical Social Worker

I am proud to be a Deaf person. I received an associate degree in Liberal Arts from Oakland Community College and my Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Madonna University. Additionally,  I have obtained certification in Addiction Studies. I just received my Master of Social Work (MSW)  at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Go Blue!).  My focus is interpersonal practice and mental health. I have received various formal trainings, including those provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Medical University of South Carolina. My role at DEAF C.A.N.! is to provide behavioral health services and advocacy services to Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing clients in medical and legal settings.  I have a huge passion for volunteer work!  I have volunteered at various places in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community and truly enjoy working out in the field. During the summer, I enjoy relaxing at my family's cottage on Lake Huron where I love to swim and enjoy the beautiful lake.  I am an avid reader who enjoys a good book and I also enjoy following tech blogs on the internet to stay current with applications for technology. I hope to see you at DEAF C.A.N.! soon!

Kyah Kitchen, BA
​Case Manager

Kyah is a case manager who graduated from Oakland University in May 2020. She received her Bachelors of Art in Psychology and plan to attend graduate school for further education in the field of Social Work. She is also a member of Michigan LEAD-K’s core group to promote strong language foundation for all Deaf and hard of hearing children before kindergarten.  
As a child, Kyah used to attend to DEAF C.A.N!’s youth program and created lifetime friendships within the Deaf community. As a Deaf person, she knows the importance of advocating for the Deaf community to ensure all would have equal access to education, employment, healthcare, and quality life overall.

Michaela Jitaru - Case Manager Assistant & PAH! Advocate

Michaela is a Case Manager Assistant and Youth Program Coordinator at DEAF C.A.N.! She was born and raised in Michigan as a first-generation Romanian American in a second-generation Deaf family. Michaela is trilingual in American Sign Language (ASL), English, and Romanian Sign Language (RSL). She graduated from Lahser High School in 2012 and has attended both Gallaudet University and Oakland Community College. She is currently working toward completing her degree in Recreation and Deaf Studies. Michaela was practically raised in the Deaf C.A.N.! community, having been a camper at the Pathways of the Future Day Camp and a participant in Deaf C.A.N.!'s youth program, where she formed lasting friendships with her Deaf peers. Outside of work, she serves as a Deaf mentor for The Holley Institute and also works as an Art Teacher for ASL storytelling events.

Henry Lowe

Henry Lowe, BA, BEI1, EIPA, is the Program Coordinator for the Deaf C.A.N.!-Detroit Public School Professional Sign Language Interpreting Services Contract.   Having spent over three decades as an Educational Sign Language Interpreter in school districts from Washington State, to California, and finally the last 22 years in Port Huron Area Schools, Mr. Lowe brings a wealth of educational and community interpreting experience to his latest position.  He has also been involved with the Detroit Public Schools for over twenty-years, as a former Educational Technician in the early ‘90s, and as the Artistic Director for the former Detroit Day School for the Deaf.  A native Houstonian, Mr. Lowe received a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Madonna University, and is currently enrolled Educational Leadership Graduate Program through that same University.  Married with five children, he enjoys time with his family.

Susan Lundy, BS
​Case Manager

Susan graduated from Lahser High School in 1988 and attended NTID for a year and then transferred to Michigan State University. She majored in Family community Services and received her Bachelor of Science in 1994. Susan has been affiliated with DEAF C.A.N.! since 1994 when she did a casework internship for the agency. In 1998 Susan worked as an Independent Living specialist for Deaf and Hard of Hearing High School students. She taught students what they could do after they graduated from High School, options for the future like college, how to budget, find employment and how to live successfully and independently.She was a substitute teacher at the Michigan School for the Deaf and has been co-teaching DEAF C.AN.!’s LEAP Program. She attended LEAP with her own daughters and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Susan is now DEAF C.A.N.!’s Case manager for the HEAL and Shield Program.

Margaret Yellin, MSW, PAH! Program Coordinator

Margaret has two degrees from the University of Michigan: Bachelor of Arts (Psychology major), and Master of Social Work (Community Organization major; Interpersonal Practice minor). She worked in many roles advocating for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault for over 20 years at HAVEN, as well as at SafeHouse as an intern before then. She was awarded Outstanding Advocacy & Community Work in Ending Violence Against Women by the Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in 2020. She went back to school at Oakland Community College (OCC) to study sign language for personal development, but ended up enjoying learning about ASL, Deaf culture, and the Deaf community so much that she graduated from the Sign Language Interpreter program with an Associate in Applied Science degree, and was fortunate enough to be in the first group of interpreters to receive the Michigan BEI certification. She now works part-time at OCC as an adjunct and mentor.