Leadership

Zachary Ennis is the Founder and Executive Director of Rochester Deaf Kitchen, Inc. (RDK), a nationally recognized organization advancing food justice and health equity in Deaf communities. He created RDK after personally navigating food insecurity and surviving Hodgkin’s lymphoma, experiences that exposed the systemic barriers Deaf individuals face in accessing care. His vision is grounded in pragmatic idealism and the Sirvagian principle of dorsality, the belief that Deaf communities thrive by watching each other’s backs.

Under Zachary’s leadership, RDK has distributed more than 500,000 pounds of food to thousands of Deaf individuals and families across New York State. He is the architect of the Deaf Systems Reentry Architecture (DSRA) Framework, a nationally relevant model that positions food access as an entry point to health care, public systems, and policy reform.

Zachary holds a degree in Political Science from Gallaudet University and serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, a $260 million regional philanthropic institution committed to advancing systems-level health equity. 

Education: Baccalaureate in Political Science at Gallaudet University (2013), graduate coursework in Social Work and Deaf Education at Gallaudet University and McDaniel College, Certificate in Community Based Participatory Research from URMC

Recognition:  Monroe County Legislative Proclamation Honoree (July 2025), University of Rochester Presidential Award in Inclusive Excellence (April 2025) & Gallaudet University Alumni Association Outstanding Young Alumnus Award (April 2025). 

Linzie Fuechtmann is the Deputy Executive Director of Rochester Deaf Kitchen, Inc. (RDK), where she oversees two of the organization’s flagship programs: the Deaf Community Food Pantry (DCFP) and Nourishing Deaf Learners. Under her tenure, RDK has expanded its reach and deepened community partnerships to include gardening education, Medicaid eligibility screenings, pre-cancer screenings, and emergency preparedness initiatives. Her leadership has helped position RDK as a trusted, community-rooted hub for Deaf health equity.

Raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Linzie was profoundly shaped by the experiences of her Deaf grandmother, Ms. Karen Mattson, and her family. During chemotherapy treatment, Karen faced systemic failures in interpreter access and language support. It was those systemic barriers that Ms. Mattson found it to be more traumatic than chemotherapy itself. That foundational premise fuels Linzie’s belief that Deaf health equity is not only essential for Deaf people, but transformative for all communities.

Before joining RDK, Linzie worked in a research lab at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), contributing to studies on language deprivation and early language access. She also led national STEM outreach initiatives at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), connecting Deaf youth and families across the country to educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Linzie holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Arts and Sciences with a focus in Public Health, Health Communications, Biology from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT/NTID). She is also a certified member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), reflecting her commitment to safety, preparedness, and public service. She was a member of the NTID team that won the National Association of the Deaf College Bowl Championship in 2014.

Education:
BS in Applied Arts and Sciences, Health Communications, RIT/NTID (2018)

CERT – Community Emergency Response Team Certification

Recognition:
University of Rochester Presidential Award in Inclusive Excellence (April 2025)

NTID NAD College Bowl Champion (2014); recognized for advancing Deaf-centered public health leadership

Janeva Mosher joins Rochester Deaf Kitchen as the organization’s first Social Impact Fellow, bringing a heightened focus on systems change and youth-centered empowerment. A Deaf student at Rochester Institute of Technology, she is majoring in Community Development and Inclusive Leadership with a concentration in Deaf Leadership and a minor in Psychology.