1. I’m Doug Powell running for a second term on the Board of Directors. For those who might not know me, I have been married for almost 48 years, have two grown children, and live in Falls Church, VA. I read a lot, and have been training for triathlons since 1985.
I have enjoyed the honor of serving you on the Board since 2017, and wish to continue because:
- I get satisfaction contributing to a team dedicated to moving ACB forward, while doing our best not to leave anyone behind.
- I want to continue to break down silos through participating on Steering Committees where committees and task forces working on similar types of issues meet and coordinate efforts rather than duplicating work or sending out conflicting messages.
- I would like to continue to explore the new opportunities for true democracy that our virtual world has shown us are possible.
- Over the past several years, the leadership and staff of ACB has worked very hard to stabilize our financial base enough to be able to hire several new staff members. I would like to help mold the new paradigm of staff and volunteers so that we can actually do what we all as members have been dreaming we could do.
- ACB is becoming a respected collaborator in the business, the nonprofit, and the governmental spaces. I would like to continue to be a part of this evolution and expand our influence at the state and local levels by empowering members of both geographic and special interest affiliates.
2. I couldn’t choose which of the following was my strongest contribution to ACB and its affiliates, so here are a few I think are important:
- Principle author of the Rehabilitation White Paper of 2020 mapping out where current rehabilitation falls short and what directions we feel will lead to significant improvement,
- As a Board member of the Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss (AAVL), team leading the Area Agencies on Aging Project learning what AAA services would be beneficial to blind and low vision seniors, and engaging our membership in useful advocacy for their local community,
- As Board Liaison to RSVA and PCB, strengthening the bonds between the national and its geographic and special interest affiliates that help everyone,
- At the state level, working on the team that litigated for electronic absentee ballots which turned into law July 1,
- At the state level, worked with VDOT to ensure that Accessible Pedestrian Signals are installed wherever visible signals are needed in new and renovated intersections, and retrofitting older intersections,
- Being appointed to a statewide working group to advise the General Assembly on appropriate guidelines for safe pedestrian crosswalks throughout the Commonwealth,
- Mentoring ACB’s leaders of tomorrow through active participation on the Berl Colley Leadership Training Institute and by actively mentoring local aspiring leaders.
All of these accomplishments have contributed to the specific area of concern, and, I would like to think, they have also contributed to the good reputation of ACB and its future success.
3. The most important challenge facing ACB is making sure our membership numbers rise. We need to employ multi-pronged strategies that attract and engage people who are blind or have low vision at all economic and technological levels for the health and relevance of our organization. We have been, and must continue to be, creative and tenacious in this pursuit.
The ACB Community Events is a perfect example of a creative way to attract new members and engage the ones we have. Another initiative that will bear us fruit is the drive to learn and take advantage of new social platforms such as Clubhouse. There are many ACB members who are leading the way for us to have a significant presence on these platforms.
Another way we can attract and engage members is a project such as the Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss’ Area Agencies on Aging Project where we can engage members at the local level and, hopefully, through their advocacy efforts meet and encourage nonmembers to join and participate fully in our causes. One of the advantages we have noticed in the AAA Project is that we have attracted and welcomed some members who are not as technologically advanced as others. As Team Lead on this project, I have learned a lot that I can pass along to interested members.
I would appreciate your vote for a second term on the ACB Board of Directors.