Award description

VisionServe Alliance’s Board of Directors may recognize exceptional contributions or achievements of an actively employed, retired, or deceased individual who has made outstanding lifetime contributions to services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired.  While it has traditionally been bestowed upon chief executives of member organizations, any exceptional employee of a member organization is eligible for nomination provided that the nominee’s contributions have been significant at a local, regional, and/or national level. Nominees should act in accordance with VisionServe’s Code of Ethics. Nominators should review the VSA Code of Ethics Policy at this link.

Nominations must be initiated by a current member of the VisionServe Alliance Board of Directors. If you have someone in mind, contact a current VSA Board Member to discuss. Nominations are accepted December through February of each year. Awards will be presented each year at the annual conference.

2013

Tom Miller, Blinded Veterans Association

2014

June Mansfield, Center for the Partially Sighted in Seattle

2015

Allan Brenner, Earle Baum Center in Santa Rosa, CA

Carl Augusto, AFB

2017

Jim Phipps, The Iris Network and

Gidget Hopf, ABVI-Goodwill

2018

Cathy Holden, NewView Oklahoma

2019

Lou Moneymaker, Bosma Enterprises

David Ekin, St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired

2020 (None awarded)

2021 (None awarded)

2022 (None awarded)

2023 (None awarded)

2024

Don LoGuidice, Retired CEO of CABVI, Founding Member of VisionServe Alliance

Kevin Lynch, National Industries for the Blind

Nancy D. Miller, VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Dan Spoone, American Council of the Blind

John E. Crews (Scientific Lifetime Achievement Award), Principal Investigator, VisionServe Alliance Big Data Project

2025

Sharon Bensinger, Founder, Vision Interventions and Parental Services (VIPS)

Bernadette Kappen, Executive Director, New York Institute for Special Education

Steve Pouliot, Executive Director, Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Dennis Steiner, President and CEO, VisionCorps