Board of Directors
Our dedicated Board – comprised of industry and business leaders – guides the vital work we do.
Meet our Board
Executive Committee
Serving January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2024
Lauren Branch
Board Chair
NewView Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, OK
Serves on the Executive (Chair), Finance (Chair) & Fund Development Committees
Bernadette Kappen
Vice-Chair
NY Institute for Special Education
Bronx, NY
Serves on the Executive & Public Policy (Chair) Committees
Dennis Steiner
Treasurer
VisionCorps
Lancaster, PA
Serves on the Executive, Governance & Finance Committees
George Abbott
Secretary
The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.
Seattle, WA
Serves on the Executive, Conference & Governance Committees
Lee Nasehi
President & CEO, VisionServe Alliance
St. Louis, MO
Serves on the Executive Committee
Board at Large
Serving January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2024
Courtney Plotner
Member-at-Large
ABVI- South Carolina, Charleston, SC
Serves on the Membership (Chair) & Public Policy Committees
Sharon Giovinazzo
Member-at-Large
Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, San Francisco
Serves on the Membership (Co-Chair) & Public Policy Committees
Diane Nelson
Member-at-Large
Visual Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS)
Serves on the Conference (Chair) & Membership Committees
Tammy Owen
Member-at-Large
VIA
Serves on the IDEAL (Chair) & Public Policy Committees
Reinhard Mabry
Member-at-Large
Alphapointe
Serves on the Finance & Public Policy Committees
Board at Large
Serving January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2025
Craig Meador
Member-at-Large
American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
Louisville, KY
Serves on the Finance & Conference Committees
Laura Park-Leach
Member-at-Large
St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired
St Louis, MO
Serves on the Membership & Conference Committees
Denise Jess
Member-at-Large
Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired
Madison, WI
Serves on the IDEAL (Co-Chair) & Public Policy Committees
Board at Large
Serving January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026
Jennifer Lake
Member-at-Large
Goodwill of the Finger Lakes
Rochester, NY
Serves on the Public Policy Committee
Brian Patchett
Member-at-Large
Louisiana Association for the Blind
Shreveport, LA
Serves on the Public Policy Committee (Chair)
VisionServe Alliance
Innovate. Lead. Collaborate.