VisionServe Alliance 2025 Annual Award Recipients
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VisionServe Alliance Honors Denise Jess with the 2025 Excellence in Leadership Award
Advocacy in Action
VisionServe Alliance is thrilled to honor Denise Jess, CEO/Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired, in recognition of her tireless dedication to improving the lives of people of all ages living with blindness and low vision.
The VisionServe Alliance Excellence in Leadership Award honors an Executive Director, President, or CEO of a member organization who has shown exemplary industry and professional leadership.
Throughout her career, Denise has been a powerful advocate for equal participation and inclusiveness for all, inspiring and encouraging by example. She has made her powerful voice heard through ongoing legislative work, facilitating access and awareness in Wisconsin, and leading the way for other leaders nationally.
“Denise is a persistent and passionate champion of people with blindness and low vision,” said Lee Nasehi, President and CEO of VisionServe Alliance. “She has made it her life’s work to ensure that this often-overlooked community have within reach all they need to succeed. We are grateful for all she has done, and hopeful for all she will do in the future.”
The Excellence in Leadership Award will be commemorated at the Annual Awards Lunch on Wednesday, April 30th at VisionServe Alliance’s Adapt and Thrive: Igniting Change in a Dynamic World 2025 Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. Learn more about all of VisionServe Alliance’s 2025 Annual Award recipients and our annual conference.
About VisionServe Alliance
VisionServe leads an alliance of 130+ member organizations that vastly improve the lives of people with blindness and low vision. VisionServe Alliance collaborates with leaders to enhance the health of the BVI field by maximizing engagement with life-changing vision rehabilitation training and services, addressing strategic issues impacting the field, cultivating leadership, enhancing management systems, sharing best practices, increased capacity-building and sustainability, informing public policy, developing groundbreaking data reports highlighting profound issues impacting people with blindness and vision loss, and more. VisionServe Alliance also leads the Aging and Vision Loss National Coalition (AVLNC), a consortium of leaders advocating for the needs of adults 65+ with blindness and low vision. Learn more at VisionServeAlliance.org.
About VisionServe Alliance Annual Awards and Leadership Conference
VisionServe Alliance bestows its Annual Awards on leaders and innovators in the BVI field. Leaders receive Annual Awards in several categories at our annual conference.