Emma Faye Rudkin became profoundly deaf at the age of three and has dedicated her life to turning a perceived disability into a powerful platform for advocacy, inclusion, and hope. She is the founder and Executive Director of Aid the Silent, a nonprofit that equips economically disadvantaged deaf and hard-of-hearing (HOH) children and teens to reach their full potential and live life more richly by providing funds for resources, ministry, research and education.

An internationally recognized role model in the Deaf/HOH community, Emma Faye has earned numerous accolades, including being named San Antonio Business Journal’s Woman of the Year and Rotary Club of San Antonio’s Outstanding Young San Antonian. She held the title of Miss San Antonio in both 2015 and 2017 and was a Top 4 Finalist at Miss Texas 2017.

Appointed by Governor Greg Abbott, she is currently serving her third term on the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities. She was also honored on the Morgan’s Wonderland Wall of Fame as an individual who has gone above and beyond to do great things for people with special needs and named the Oticon People’s Choice Advocacy Winner for her outstanding work for the Deaf/HOH community.

Emma Faye stars in the award-winning PBS children’s series “Hank & Emma Faye”, alongside her service dog, Hank. The show teaches American Sign Language (ASL), kindness, and inclusivity. The series has won a Regional Emmy, and their 30-minute PBS TV show l “Cool to be Kind with Hank & Emma Faye” received three national Telly Awards.

Emma Faye travels all around the country speaking at business conventions, school, ministries, churches and conferences sharing her story of redemption and letting others know about the programs Aid the Silent offers. She is the primary fundraiser and Executive Director of Aid the Silent as well as a mission staff member for Deaf Young Life.