Zelda Gebhard, 1st VP/Membership Chair
CCLVI Executive Board
701-709-0262 call/text
1. Hi, I am Zelda Gebhard. I live in rural North Dakota seven miles from the small town of Edgeley. I seek reelection as a director of the ACB Board of Publication.
My formal education, work and life experiences have prepared me for the responsibilities of the BOP overseeing communication and policies. I attended Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD and earned my degree in Business Administration. My career started as a Medical Transcriptionist in a local hospital. That evolved into being on the administrative team as Director of Outpatient Services. My duties included managing the clinic, doing the professional credentialing, overseeing the specialty outreach clinics, supervising the medical records department, and conducting the marketing program for our healthcare network.
At age 34, I was diagnosed with Stargardt's, a genetic retinal disease. My vision has deteriorated to legal blindness. After my initial diagnosis, I continued to work with the use of low vision aids like handheld magnifiers and a CCTV. When I was unable to safely drive the 15-mile commute to my job, I gave it up and we moved from South Dakota to North Dakota. For two years I worked from my home as a contracted medical transcriptionist. In March 2020 I retired after working for 18 years for a local insurance agency. I am currently a full-time volunteer.
2. Vision loss has presented me with many opportunities. I served two terms on the governor-appointed, advisory committee for Vocational Rehabilitation, the ND State Rehabilitation Council, of which for a time I was the Chair.
I have been a member of the North Dakota Association of the Blind (NDAB), an affiliate of ACB since 2003. I was the editor of its newsletter for five years, served two terms as Vice President and Membership Chair, five years as President and the current Past President. 17 years as Legislative Liaison has given me opportunities to advocate on state and national levels. We were successful in the passage of HB 1253 in 2021 which allows those who cannot mark or read a paper ballot the option of voting absentee completely electronically in 2024.
I joined the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI), a special interest affiliate of ACB, in 2015, was elected as board director in 2016 and the current 1st Vice President and Chair of the Membership and Awards committees, also member of the e-Communications, Public Relations, Finance and Constitution and Bylaws committees.
Since 2014 I have served on both the ACB Auction Committee and the Durward K. McDaniel Fund Committee. I am the current DKM Vice Chair and Chair of the Interview and Selection Process Subcommittee where I have played a leading role in the development and refinement of the interview documents and process.
My interest in communications led me to serve as a director on the ACB Board of Publications (BOP). I was first elected in 2019 and seek my third and final term.
I suggested the creation of an email list for ACB Affiliate Editors. This list and the quarterly events that followed provide a place where they can communicate with others doing a similar job.
3. I fully acknowledge each person’s need to be respected and valued. This is why it is crucial to our organization’s success for us to continue the efforts started to educate, enlighten, and implement information and actions promoting healthy diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibly for all.
These efforts must be ongoing, repetitive, and continuous to the point where they become automatic actions that are a natural part of our culture. How do we know we are making progress? Ask and then actively listen to responses. We do not want to hear negative responses, but we cannot make true change without hearing and adjusting according to what we have heard.
I fully support ongoing training and education. We do not need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful and listen carefully with openness and kindness. In other words, treat others the way we want to be treated.
4. I feel one of the biggest challenges facing ACB is the lack of member engagement and involvement. We have “much to do and the workers are few.” Obviously, some are very dedicated and devoted volunteers but there are also many who are members but not active. I acknowledge that there are seasons of service, and some may have been actively involved in the past and now could be of service in advisory roles.
I believe we must actively mentor new leaders and workers. Each has something valuable to contribute. We need to focus not only on leadership development but add to that of workforce development as both have important roles in an organization.