Edward "Ted" Schaefer
Lafayette, California
Board Chair
Mr. Schaefer is a retired attorney and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2001. He has served as a volunteer driver at Guide Dogs for the Blind, as a member of the St. Mary's College-County Scholarship Committee, as a tutor at Project Second Chance (Contra Costa County's Adult Literacy Program), and as a volunteer at the KIPP Bayview Academy in San Francisco. He and his wife Susie have two children, both schoolteachers, and three grandchildren.
Morgan Watkins
Austin, Texas
First Vice Chair
Morgan Watkins is a graduate of Guide Dogs for the Blind and has received two Guide Dogs from the organization, most recently in 2004, when Morgan was paired with his current partner Will. Morgan recently retired from the University of Texas where he served for thirty years as a programmer, analyst, manager, and finally the director of computing support operations. Morgan lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife DD and son Richard. Morgan has been on the Board since 2004.
Etta Allen
Greenbrae, California
Second Vice Chair
Ms. Allen has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2003 and served as the Secretary from 2004 to 2008. Ms. Allen is a long-time volunteer at Guide Dogs for the Blind. She is the President of Allen Heating & Sheet Metal and Sunny Slope Vineyard; a Director on the Westamerica Bank Board of Directors; a member of Rotary Manor; and is the volunteer coordinator for the dog therapy program at Marin General Hospital in partnership with Guide Dogs for the Blind. Ms. Allen also serves on the Executive Committee of the Dominican University President's Council.
Gregory B. Rice
Novato, California
Vice Chair, Finance
Greg is originally from San Francisco. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Business from Regis University and an MBA from Golden Gate University; he started his own tax accounting practice after leaving government service, focusing on sophisticated tax and financial planning strategies for high income individuals. Greg designed and built Adobe House; the facilities offer specialized care to individuals with dementia. Greg has also been active with the Alzheimer's Association; since 2005 he has served on the Association's Board of Directors. He and his wife have two grown daughters and live in Novato with their career change dog.
Nancy E. S. Gardner
President and CEO
Sonoma, California
Nancy E. S. Gardner has served as the CEO and President for Guide Dogs for the Blind since October 1, 2007 and in that capacity is responsible to the Board of Directors for leadership and management of the entire organization. She served as the Executive Director of North Bay Regional Center (NBRC), a private non-profit agency supporting persons with developmental disabilities for 15 years prior to coming to GDB. During most of her tenure at NBRC, she was the chairperson of the statewide Association of Regional Center Agencies Legislative Committee, and was actively involved in all relevant legislative and state budget affairs. She has received numerous statewide awards, and was honored in a Resolution in the Congressional Record in October 2007.
Ted Ward
Ross, California
Secretary
Ted Ward is a retired investment banker and executive search consultant. He has served on the Board of Directors since 2002.
Michael J. Bragg
Portland, Oregon
Vice Chair, Pacific Northwest
Mr. Bragg is an attorney at Grenley, Rotenberg, Evans, Bragg & Bodie, P.C. in Portland, Oregon. He serves as the director on several boards: West Coast Bank (WCBO), Oregon Humane Society (past Chair), West Coast Trust. Mr. Bragg is also a member of Guide Dogs' Pacific Northwest Advisory Board, Oregon State Bar, Washington State Bar, and the Estate Planning Council of Portland, Inc.
Joan Boyd
Napa, California
Ms. Boyd is co-owner of the Boyd Family Vineyard in Napa Valley, California. She is a past President of the Junior League of San Francisco, volunteer at Guide Dogs for the Blind as a puppy tester, member of the Support our Canine Heroes Wine Gala Committee, Chair of the Betty Krahl Spirit of Volunteerism Committee, and a member of the Holiday Luncheon Committee.
Bob Burke
Lafayette, California
Elected to the Board of Directors in 2008, Mr. Burke is a corporate President and visionary entrepreneur with a unique set of skills and accomplishments. He has over 25 years of successful experience in the restaurant industry, and he has achieved remarkable results in a wide range of other industries, including investment banking, hospitality, radio, publishing, aviation, real estate, and even brewing beer.
Katharine Coakley Baker
Portland, Oregon
Elected to the Board of Directors in 2009, Ms. Coakley is a Senior Vice President of Key Private Bank in Oregon and Southwest Washington. She has held numerous positions in international and commercial banking, working in San Francisco, London, and Milan. Ms. Coakley received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Finance from the University of California at Berkeley and later completed the Berkeley Advanced Management Program. She has volunteered as a senior ski patroller at Squaw Valley for more than 25 years, has been a member of GDB's Planned Giving Advisory Committee in Portland since 2006, is a member of the Oregon Bankers Association Trust Committee, and is on the board of Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts in Portland.
Ruth Ann Dodson
Portland, Oregon
Ms. Dodson was elected to the Board of Directors in 2008. A former elementary school teacher, Ms. Dodson went on to work in government; first in the Portland Mayor's office, and then the Oregon Governor's office in charge of Boards and Commission appointments and public outreach for the Portland area. After taking time off to raise her two children, Carrie and Kevin, Ms. Dodson worked at the Portland Chamber of Commerce and served for eight years as Vice President for Governmental Affairs. Ms. Dodson has served on the Oregon Children's foundation (SMART reading program) as a founding board member, the Oregon State University Board of Trustees, the Samaritan Counseling Center Board, and the Gales Creek Camp for Children with Diabetes Board. Ms. Dodson, her husband Mark, and their yellow Labrador retriever, Cooper, live in Portland, Oregon and spend time at their home in Sonoma, California.
Clayton Earle
San Francisco, California
Mr. Earle is a Portfolio Manager in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has served on the Board of Directors since 2001.
Debra Gershen
Rancho Santa Fe, California
Elected to the Board of Directors in 2008, Ms. Gershen relocated from the east coast in 1991 when she retired after 23 years with Kmart as Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for Ladies and Girls Apparel. Her volunteer work has included serving on the Boards of Lifeline Center for Child Development, the San Diego Museum of Art, Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, and the Telluride Foundation. Debra and her husband, Bill, live in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
Jay Harris
Chico, California
Elected to the Board of Directors in 2008, Mr. Harris graduated in 2007 with his fourth guide dog, Tula. Mr. Harris is the Assistant Executive Director of Independent Living Services of Northern California, a private non-profit organization providing support services to help empower community members with disabilities.
Vickie Kennedy
Honolulu, Hawaii
Ms. Kennedy graduated with in June 2000 with her first guide dog, Freida, and graduated in March 2008 with her second guide dog, Angela. Ms. Kennedy is an advisory board member of the Ho'opono Center for the Blind; former volunteer president of the Northern California Affiliate of the Foundation Fighting Blindness; and former member of the Executive Board of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Northern California Affiliate. Ms. Kennedy and her husband, Jim, along with retired guide Freida (who is now a therapy dog) volunteer at Queens Medical Center and St. Francis Hospice. Ms. Kennedy has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2002.
George Kerscher, Ph.D.
Missoula, Montana
George Kerscher is dedicated to developing technology to make information not only accessible, but fully functional in the hands of persons 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, Mr. Kerscher is a recognized leader in document access. In addition, he chairs the DAISY/NISO Standards committee, chairs the W3C's Steering 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. Mr. Kerscher was elected to Guide Dogs' board in 2009.
Dr. Stephen McLeod
San Francisco, California
Dr. McLeod was elected to the board of Guide Dogs for the Blind in 2009. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1985, receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1989. He joined the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine in 1998, and became full Professor in 2005. He is currently the Theresa M. and Wayne M. Caygill, M.D. Endowed Chair, Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California San Francisco, and Director of UCSF's Beckman Vision Center. Dr. McLeod serves as a consultant to the Ophthalmic Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Amongst other committees, he has been a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Panel for Refractive Error since 2001, and is currently the Panel Chair.
Stuart Odell
San Francisco, California
Elected to the Board of Directors in 2008, Mr. Odell is the Director of Retirement Investments in the Treasury Department of Intel Corporation in Santa Clara, California. Mr. Odell and his investment team at Intel are responsible for oversight and management of Intel's $10 billion in qualified and nonqualified retirement plan assets. Prior to joining Intel in 2000, Mr. Odell worked in banking, finance, and engineering. Mr. Odell received his BS in mechanical engineering from Union College in Schenectady, New York and his MBA from New York University. Stuart lives in San Francisco with his four-year-old twin boys and his chocolate Labrador retriever, California.
