Sara H. Basson

Sara H. Basson

Doctor of Civil Law

Dr. Basson holds four degrees, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Studies (magna cum laude) from New York University; a Master of Arts degree in Applied Linguistics from Hunter College of the City University of New York; Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Science from the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York; and an M.B.A. degree in Management/Marketing with honors from the Stern School of Business, New York University.

From 1977 to 1983, she was an adjunct instructor in English as a Second Language at New York University and Hunter College of the City University of New York; and for the next four years, an instructor in Speech and Hearing Science courses, Long Island University and the C.W. Post Center, followed by a stint as a consultant with IBM, Thomas J. Watson Research Laboratory from 1984 to 1986. For the next twelve years, she was employed at NYNEX/Bell Atlantic Science and Technology in White Plains, New York, serving in various capacities as the Operations Manager for Network Systems Advanced Technology Organizations; marketing to NYNEX business units as well as external sponsors to ensure project funding, etc. From 1988 to the present, she has been employed with IBM in several capacities, first in the human language technologies from 1988 to 2000; following by working in the Accessibility Centre where she served as Manager of Marketing and Business Development. From 2002 to the present, she has been serving as the Program Manager of Accessibility Service in Global Services for IBM. It was in this latter capacity that she has been working very closely with Dr. David Leitch and his staff at the University?s Atlantic Centre for the Support of Students with Disabilities and is frequently on the Saint Mary?s University campus.

Aside from her professional work, she has an extensive list of publications with joint authorship ranging in date from 1986 to 2001 and is currently on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Speech Technologies. Her other interests include serving on the Board of Directors of the Meals-on-Wheels program for White Plains, New York and as the President of the Board of Directors of the Applied Voice Input/Output Society from 1999 to 2001.

She and husband, Amnon, have four sons ? Jordan, Tom, Jesse, and Adam.