Jeffrey C. Senge, M.S. and Fodi
Board Chair
California
Jeff is the founder and coordinator of the Information and Computer Access Program at California State University, Fullerton. He was the co-project director of the Braille Transcription Center Project and co-authored "Preparing for College and Beyond, A Guide for Students with Visual Impairments." During his nearly 20 years in the field of adaptive technology and information access, he has authored numerous articles and presented at many professional conferences. His work for the past 15 years has focused on improving information accessibility for persons with disabilities in postsecondary education. Jeff has conducted campus-wide as well as state-wide research studies in this area. He has provided assessment and consultant services for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights as well as the California State University and the California Community Colleges.
Judy Mathews and Sachet
Vice-Chair
Florida
AA Cuban American, Judy grew up in Miami and is now a certified vision rehabilitation therapist working at Lighthouse Central Florida in Orlando. She has a Bachelor of Music in music therapy from the University of Miami, and a Master of Science in visual disabilities from Florida State University. In 2005, Judy received her first Guide Dog, a female black lab named Sachet. Together, travel is easier and more fun. Judy established the Florida Guide Dogs for the Blind alumni chapter, the Sunshine Guide Dog Teams of Florida. Judy enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing cards/board games/computer games, traveling, singing/playing/listening to all kinds of music, shopping, and origami.
Samantha Adams and Lotto
Secretary
California
Sam Adams is a Canadian transplant now living in Gold River, California, Sam is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan. She has a degree in English literature as well as a law degree. Sam worked as a defense lawyer in southern British Columbia and in the Yukon Territory before switching to criminal prosecutions. In 2008, she moved to northern California to marry her husband and her life has changed dramatically. She assists with her husband’s business, manages a household consisting of a blended family of teenage girls and two working Guide Dogs and one retired Guide. Sam enjoys reading, writing, cooking, music, yoga, exercise and participating in pet therapy work with her retired Guide Gilbert. She is actively involved in her church and her local puppy raising club. She received her first guide dog from GDB in 1995 and has never looked back. She currently shares her travels with Lotto, a male Yellow Lab.
Members at Large:
Jen McEachen and Aiken
BC Canada
Jen McEachen currently resides in Northern BC, with her third Guide Dog, Aiken, a male yellow lab. She is very active with the Canadian Red Cross, city's accessibility advisory sub-committee, bowling, and various other activities. Jen runs her own business, “Pampered Critters Pet and House-Sitting Services” as well. The web site is: www.pamperedcritters.ca She runs and monitors the GDBLounge e-mail list on Yahoo!Groups and a few other small, minor e-mail groups as well. Jen graduated with an adult high school dogwood diploma and administrative assistant certification in college in 2008. In her spare time, she enjoys watching DVDs (TV shows), reading, current events, watching hockey or curling, visiting her friends, continuing to practice and attain her ASL (American Sign Language) skills and playing Scrabble.
Becky Andrews and Cricket
Utah
Becky enjoys life in Bountiful Utah with her husband, Steve and current 2nd Guide, Cricket. They have two adult children - Natalie and Kendall. Becky loves to run, tandem bike, garden, hike, travel, time with family and friends and enjoys long walks with Cricket.
With a master's degree in psychology counseling, Becky is a marriage and family therapist. After several years as a therapist with different agencies, Becky started her own business, Resilient Solutions, Inc and has 12 therapists who work in her company. As a fellow in thanatology her passion is working with clients who are experiencing trauma, grief and loss.
Terry M. Christensen, Ph.D., and Zane
Pennsylvania
Terry is a historian of science. With the able assistance of his Guide, Zane, Terry is currently working on a biography of the renowned theoretical physicist John Archibald Wheeler. In an earlier career, Terry was a professional mariner who held a U.S. Merchant Marine Master’s License. In addition to his time at sea (typically ocean towing and salvage work, often in Alaskan waters), Terry also served as a maritime educator. Terry is currently Clerk of Yardley Friends Meeting, in Yardley, PA and serves as a volunteer assistant coach for the football and wrestling teams at George School in Newtown, PA.
Martin Courcelles and Laton
Ontario, Canada
Martin Courcelles presently resides in Toronto, Canada with his overly energetic Black Lab Guide Dog by the name of Laton. He currently works for the CNIB as an Accessible Technology Trainer/Consultant. His most recent project is an accessibility blog found at: www.cnib.ca/blog. His hobbies include: computers, biking and running. He refers to himself as an athletic nerd.
Melissa Hudson (awaiting new Guide)
California
Melissa Hudson is a proud Latina and graduate of Class 639 with her first Guide Dog, Anya. Fluent in English, Spanish and Braille, she received her B.A. from California State University, San Bernardino in 1996. She worked as an elementary, bilingual school teacher for several years before moving into the corporate world as a project manager for a global Internet consulting firm and later served as the National Sales Manager for the Latino Speakers Bureau. Melissa found her true passion, however, as a speaker and advocate for Guide Dogs for the Blind, especially reaching out to underrepresented communities. She also volunteers at the Braille Institute and at Charles H. Kim Elementary School. Her husband is a GDB puppy raiser and they both are members of L.A. Southwest Guide Dog Raisers. Melissa was honored at the GDB 2010 Alumni Reunion with the Forward Award. She enjoys traveling around the U.S. and has taken adventures in Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and Nepal.
Keith Kramlinger and McQueen
Minnesota
Keith Kramlinger is a native of Minnesota, where he continues to live and work. Keith learned as a college freshman that he had a retinal degenerative disorder (choroideremia) that would eventually result in blindness. Despite discouragement from others, he persevered in his desire to pursue a career in medicine, successfully completing medical school and training in Psychiatry; during this time period, he also received orientation and mobility training and began learning Braille. He has received training and conducted research in clinical and laboratory neurosciences at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland and at the Nobel Prize awarding Karolinska Institue, Stockholm, Sweden. For twenty-five years he has been on staff at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, where he remains in active clinical practice,consulting on topics ranging from serious mental health disorders to life transitions and personal fulfillment. He has received awards from two national medical organizations for leadership and has been recognized by Mayo Clinic physicians-in-training for excellence in teaching. He has served on the Editorial Board of mayoclinic.com and served as Editor-in-Chief of the book Mayo Clinic on Depression, which is available in 10 languages. Keith also has a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) focusing on Leadership and Organizational Development; in the mid-1990’s, he helped establish, develop, and coordinate a multi-site international clinical research initiative. Keith has been a Guide Dog user since 2003, with , first, Yellow Lab Nikos, and current Guide, Black Lab McQueen, both from the Oregon campus. He enjoys talking with others about the joys and benefits of dog guides, and sharing his enthusiasm and respect for Guide Dogs for the Blind. He is honored to have the opportunity to participate as a Board member of the GDB Alumni Association.
Michelle R Miller and Tango
Virginia
A life filled with constant enrichment, integrity and a love of sharing life’s gifts are the guiding principles for Michelle R. Miller. Throughout her professional career, her community projects, and her personal relationships; she has been fortunate to share my gifts and interests with countless others. This exchange of information and ideas is extremely meaningful to Michelle in all aspects of her life, particularly when it comes to educating individuals about dog guides. It not only affords her happiness but fosters true fulfillment.
Presently, Michelle serves as Director of Community services for the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind; she oversees program creation and direction, counseling and guidance to blind and low vision clients. She has been in this field for nearly ten years both in the nation’s capitol, and Sacramento, California.
Michelle is a clinical social worker, and earned her respective degrees at the University of Mary hardin-Baylor, and Tulane University. Empowering clients to live productively and independently through guidance, training, and mentorship is not only what she contributes to others, but is also how she lives her life, since losing her vision.
On both national and international travel excursions, she has had Tango her current guide by her side to experience the adventure, and educate others about dog guides. I love to explore unique places, learn new fun facts, and increase my awareness about other cultures.
Some of her hobbies and interests include urban ministry, cooking, shopping, and collecting items with butterflies.The uniqueness, colors, and exquisiteness of these amazing creatures have charmed her for a majority of her life, and are symbolic for all new adventures and endeavors she undertakes including this new opportunity of serving on the Alumni Association Board for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
George Kerscher, Ph.D. and Mikey
GDB Board of Directors Representative
Montana
George Kerscher is dedicated to developing technology to make information not only accessible, but fully functional in the hands of prsons who are blind or who have a print disability. He believes that properly designed information systems can make all information accessible to all people, and is working to push the evolving technologies in that direction. As Secretary General of the DAISY Consortium and Senior Officer of Accessible Technology at Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic in the USA, Dr. Kerscher is a recognized leader in document access. In addition, he chairs the DAISY/NISO Standards committee, chairs the W3Steering Council for the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), and serves on the IDPF and NIMAS Boards. In his professional capacities, George Kerscher travels the world. His first dog guide, Nesbit, logged over 1.2 million air miles (Delta gave Nesbit his own frequent flier card). His second guide Mikey is already racking up the air miles as well. Dr. Kerscher was elected to Guide Dogs' board in 2009, and began his service on the Alumni Association Board in 2010.