Denise Kavin Headshot

Denise Kavin

Senior Lecturer

Department of Liberal Studies
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
dskpen@ntid.rit.edu
Office Location
LBJ-2245

Denise Kavin

Senior Lecturer

Department of Liberal Studies
National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Education

BS, Gallaudet University; MS, Northwestern University; Ed.D., Northern Illinois University

Bio

Denise Kavin is a faculty member with NTID's Department of Liberal Studies, where she coordinates the BS program in Community Development and Inclusive Leadership and the AS program in Applied Liberal Studies, and teaches LEAD and English courses. Prior to that, she was Assistant Dean for Outreach, Placement and Special Projects and co-principal investigator with DeafTEC: Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education National Center of Excellence. 

Previous positions that Denise has also held at NTID include Special Assistant to the NTID President for Strategic Decisions 2020 and Study Abroad Programming; Associate Director, Postsecondary Education Programs Network- Northeast; Senior Project Associate, Postsecondary Education Network-International; and Employment Advisor, Center on Employment. She also served for nearly ten years as Coordinator of Deaf/ hard of hearing services at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois.

Denise Kavin holds an Ed.D. in Leadership and Educational Policy Studies from Northern Illinois University, a M.S. in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University, a M.S. in Secondary education of the Deaf, from NTID/RIT, and a B.A. in Communication Arts and Psychology from Gallaudet University. She also holds certification from the Training Program on Administration of Programs serving Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Late Deafened Adults at San Diego State University.

dskpen@ntid.rit.edu
Personal Links
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Select Scholarship

Invited Keynote/Presentation
Kavin, Denise, Jessica Cuculick, and Susan Lane-Outlaw. "Language Use in Academic and Research Settings." Biennial Conference of the National Association of the Deaf. National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Louisville, KY. 1 Jul. 2012. Conference Presentation.

Currently Teaching

LEAD-101
Introduction to Community Leadership and Development
3 Credits
This course is designed to provide a basic introduction to leadership by focusing on what it means to be a good leader who facilitates community development. Emphasis in the course is on the practice of leadership within organizations. The course will examine topics such as: understanding leadership and leadership styles, recognizing leadership traits, engaging people’s strengths, attending to tasks and relationships, creating a vision, establishing a constructive community climate, listening to out-group members, handling conflict, addressing ethics in community leadership, overcoming obstacles, and ensuring inclusion of racial and disability justice frameworks in various community leadership approaches. Students will assess their leadership traits and skills to improve their own leadership performance.
LEAD-102
Inclusive Leadership
3 Credits
Being a successful community leader requires the ability to understand and respond effectively to organizational context. This course provides a comprehensive understanding of organizations with emphasis on various approaches to organizational development. Specific focus will be placed on the workplace structure in educational, government, non-profit, and entrepreneurial environments. Finally, students will learn about methods that organizations use for accessibility and learn about organizational racial justice and disability justice.
LEAD-306
Leadership in the Deaf Community
3 Credits
This course will introduce historical and current issues regarding leadership and the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) community. Students will learn about D/HH leaders in the Deaf community over the years, examine movements that have impacted the lives of D/HH individuals, and finally, learn about influential organizations of, by, and for D/HH individuals.
LEAD-308
Current Trends in Community Development and Leadership
3 Credits
This course includes an overview of the current trends in community development and leadership. Content includes best practices and topics for community development and leadership, as well as pertinent laws, policies, resources and information. Students will participate in and critique a designated set of lectures, roundtable discussions and presentations on topics covering current trends in community development and inclusive leadership. The goal is to engage students in discussion of current trends with their peers and with experts in the field.
LEAD-500
Experiential Learning in Community Development and Inclusive Leadership
0 Credits
The experiential learning (EL) requirement may be fulfilled through a variety of methods, such as co-op, undergraduate research, summer research experiences, study abroad relevant to the major, or another activity approved by the experiential learning coordinator.

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