Betty Proctor’s advocacy, attention to detail, amazing work ethic, and diligence with every task she undertakes has made her well-known within the hard of hearing community in Tennessee.

2012 celebrates Ms. Proctor’s 21st anniversary as a designer at Chattanooga State Community College.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Chattanooga State in 1992 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Advertising Arts. She then went on to earn her Liberal Arts degree from Governor’s State University in 2004. She served 14 years as student newspaper adviser until 2011, and received numerous awards for design, photography, newsletters, newspapers, and as a team member for national and regional recruiting and promotional marketing campaigns.

Ms. Proctor has been instrumental in advocating for real-time captioning and for the future purchase of an LED captioning board to be used at the Chattanooga State Community College. The first event to provide real-time captioning at the college included a special guest appearance by a renowned theoretical physicist and drew in a crowd of over 1,500 people. Additionally, she advocated for the provision of captions during two large public events held in 2011 – “She!” and “Life!” Expos. The shows, which included celebrity guest stars, welcomed thousands of visitors and were accessible for the first time to individuals with hearing loss.

For more than 20 years, Ms. Proctor has been known nationally and locally as a leader and champion for individuals with hearing loss. She was recipient of the National Spirit of SHHH Award and was selected twice for the National Hearing Loss Association of America’s (HLAA) Best Newsletter Award. She has served as the HLAA Chattanooga Chapter Newsletter Editor and Publicity Chairperson for 21 years. She has been a chapter team leader for 6 years, and currently serves as the Chattanooga Walk4Hearing chairperson; a position she has held for 4 years. The walks that Ms. Proctor chairs have grown significantly each year, involving a greater number of participants from the tri-state area. In 2011, under her leadership, the HLA-Chattanooga Chapter accepted the National Walk4Hearing Award for Best Use of Funds.

Officials said, "Betty exemplifies the spirit of the Hamilton Relay Better Hearing and Speech Month Award. We commend Betty for her many accomplishments and Tennessee is fortunate to have such an individual."