Leadership Series: Brad Hermes

CSD’s Chief Financial Officer Brad Hermes discovered a passion for accounting in his junior year in high school. Mainstreamed throughout his educational years, Brad places high value on family.

“Being mainstreamed was a great experience, because I was able to be with my family,” Brad said. “My parents were very supportive of me, they learned sign language. I had a younger sister, she learned sign language. We had communication access.”

His father’s work ethic and persistence have influenced Brad’s journey. His hard-working traits served him well at the University of Texas at Austin, where he made the Longhorn football team as a walk-on his sophomore year. Brad’s impression on coach Mack Brown was so profound, there’s a chapter in Brown’s book, One Heartbeat, titled ‘The Deaf Kid.’

In this video, Brad shares his deaf experience and the motivation behind why he wants to use his leadership position at CSD to continue to change the perception of deaf people. 

“One of my passions is to ensure that CSD continues another 40 years,” Brad said. “Because I want to continue to make the impact. I want to help CSD make a difference.”