Skip to main content

ACB Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, July 4, 2025

Call to Order

Hyatt Regency, 300 Reunion Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207

President Deb Cook-Lewis called the meeting to order at approximately 9:00 AM Central time. Without objection, Katie Frederick was elected secretary pro tem.

Roll Call

Attendees:  Deb Cook Lewis, President; Katie Frederick (appointed secretary for the meeting); David Trott, First Vice President; Ray Campbell, Second Vice President; Michael Garrett, Treasurer, and Kim Charlson, Immediate Past President.

Directors: Chris Bell, Donna Brown, Peter Heidi, Gabriel Lopez-Kafati, Cecily Laney Nipper, Terry Pacheco, Rachel Schroeder, Koni Sims, Kenneth Semien Sr., and Jeff Thom

Members Absent: Denise Colley, Secretary (excused)

Staff present: Scott Thornhill, Executive Director; Nancy Marks-Becker, Chief Financial Officer; Dan Spoone, Director of Operations, Claire Stanley, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs; Kolby Garrison, Accessibility & Training Services; Cindy Hollis, membership engagement; Michael Babcock, Membership Services Assistant; Rick Morin, Director of ACB Media and IT; and Jo Lynn Bailey-Page, Development.

Following the call of the roll, a quorum was present for the meeting.

Review and Approval of Agenda

  • The agenda for the meeting was reviewed.
  • An additional agenda item was requested by staff regarding a protocol for establishing the physical impact of resolutions.
  • Rachel Schroeder moved, and Michael Garrett seconded the approval of the agenda as amended. The motion passed.

Review and Approval of Minutes

Ray Campbell moved and Donna Brown seconded approval of the May 19, 2025 meeting minutes.

Mission Moment

President Deb Cook Lewis thanked Denise Colley for her service as ACB Secretary (and other leadership roles she held in the organization). Ray Campbell was recognized for his years of service on the ACB Board of Directors.

  • Ray Campbell gave a farewell speech as this would be his last board meeting. He served two full terms on the board, three terms as secretary, and is ending his third term as second vice president.
  • He thanked his mentor MJ Schmidt and Karyn, his wife.

Convention Report

Conference and Convention Coordinator, Janet Dickelman, shared the following convention information and updates with the board.

  • Hyatt Hotel information: A $50 per night incidental hold is optional; if you opt out, you can't charge incidentals to the room.
  • The hotel restaurant menu is a more limited "summer menu".
  • Pickup for the convention tours has changed to the lobby near the front doors. The guide dog relief area is also in this location.
  • An issue with hotel elevator announcements was brought up, and the hotel staff is working to fix them.
  • Upcoming conventions were announced:
  • 2026: Hyatt Regency in St. Louis, July 24-31, rate $104/night.
  • 2027: Hyatt Regency in Jacksonville, July 23-30, rate $119/night.
  • 2028: Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, June 30-July 7, rate $125/night.
  • 2029 and 2032: Minneapolis, rates $139 and $149 respectively.

President’s Report

President Cook Lewis shared the following with the board.

  • The fall in-person board meeting will October 31 and November 1 in St. Louis, MO.
  • October 31 is a strategic planning session, with the board meeting following on November 1.
  • There will be another board meeting between the July and November meetings, but the date is not confirmed.
  • Elections: There is strong national interest in serving, which is exciting! President Cook Lewis reminded everyone each run-off election incurs additional expenses for ACB.
  • Hotel bids for the March 2027 leadership conference in the DC area were presented.
    • The Sheraton Hotel was proposed for a rate of $179 per night plus tax.
    • A concern was raised regarding the Sheraton’s lack of automatic doors, but ADA clarification indicated they are not required.
    • Ray Campbell moved, and Kenneth Semien seconded, a motion to approve the Sheraton hotel bid for the 2027 DC Leadership Conference. The motion passed.
    • The dates for the upcoming 2026 DC Leadership Conference will be March 6-10.

Prohibited Conduct Annual Report

  • Mitch Pomerantz presented the 2025 prohibited conduct report.
  • Officers and directors, David Trott and Kenneth Semien, and members Becky Davidson and Peggy Garrett served on the investigation panel and conflict resolution team.
  • The panel conducted three investigations this year, a record number of complaints.
  • A working group is considering revisions to the prohibited conduct policy and will have more to share at the September board meeting.
  • Board members will vote on any policy changes at the November meeting.

Staff Reports

Rick Morin: ACB Media and IT

  • IT Infrastructure: There was a successful shutdown of the Microsoft cloud environment and the transition to a new platform is expected to save $20,000 annually.
  • The team is working on a new scheduling platform.
  • Highlighted that AI, specifically ChatGPT, can be used as a tool for productivity and for neutralizing the tone of emails.
  • Rick acknowledged Ryan Cordell and Dennis Becker for their work, and they are key to setting up the ballroom and meeting rooms.  The audio in the Zoom meetings is a good alternative to the ALDs (assistive listening devices).

Scott Thornhill: Executive Director

  • Membership numbers are relatively flat in 2025.
  • Efforts are being made to find ways to save money, such as shutting down an enterprise cloud environment for cost savings.
  • Corporate fundraising is a heavy, year-round task.
  • Cheryl Rayburn has joined ACB’s staff to assist with development activities
  • An attorney will be added to the staff.
  • Kolby Garrison has moved into the accessibility coordinator role.
  • The organization has invested in the Entrepreneurial Operating System and training.
  • He reiterated the commitment to making all systems accessible by the end of 2027.
  • Organizational Vision: Scott touched on the importance of increasing membership numbers and adapting to an increase in the number of individuals encountering blindness and low vision, as predicted by the CDC. He also stated that he has added the importance of the "whole life experience" to the organization's focus.
  • A new social media strategy has been implemented and has led to an increase in Facebook followers from 8,023 to 10,242 since the end of 2023.
  • The Helen Keller birthday post was shared 411 times and reached over 33,000 people on Facebook.
  • Partnerships: The organization is looking for partnerships with various entities, including the NFL, Sony, and Microsoft, to expand into areas like audio-described gaming.

Claire Stanley: Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs

  • A new advocacy platform was launched to encourage members to contact their representatives.
  • ACB is part of a coalition to reintroduce the Communication and Accessibility Act.
  • There was a discussion about the LabCorp lawsuit, which was sent back to district court.
  • There were cuts to Medicaid in a bill that was passed.
  • There are ongoing issues with Uber and Lyft not picking up people who use guide dogs.
  • The advocacy team is working with federal agencies and private entities like Procter & Gamble and Paramount to carry out resolutions.

Dan Spoone:  Director of Operations

  • Dan Spoone provided the following updates about ACB’s technology and infrastructure, resource and development updates and work on the Audio Description Project (ADP) initiatives.
  • IT Infrastructure: Dan Spoone provided an update on the organization's IT infrastructure, noting a journey to a secure and working system. The ACB Media application and websites (acb.org and adp.acb.org) have been moved to a new, secure platform with development, test, and production environments. The ACB Media application is now on Amazon AWS. The old ACB Media server was retired a month ago. The Consumer Technology Association has funded copyright licenses and scheduling for ACB Media internet radio stations.
  • Partnerships and Fundraising: Spoone highlighted the value of partnerships, citing the importance of working with entities like the Consumer Technology Association. He explained that these collaborations are not just about receiving grants but also about building relationships with key partners that can provide significant funding and support, which is critical for the organization's financial health. But the relationship is more than just financial. Companies and organizations have the opportunity to hear directly from members who are blind or low vision about products and services—a win-win.
  • Audio Description Project (ADP): Spoone reported on the ADP coordinator role and website development. A new ADP awards committee has been created, and the awards presentation will be on Wednesday. The People’s Choice Awards will kick off on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. with audio clips for the best movie and professional industry awards.

Kolby Garrison: Accessibility & Training Services Coordinator

ACB continues to receive and address accessibility challenges reported by ACB members and encourages them to continue sending feedback.

  • A website assessment was completed, and the feedback was very positive.
  • ACB is in discussions with municipalities and their digital accessibility team to help them meet compliance deadlines.
  • If members have an accessibility issue, they want reviewed, email accessibility@acb.org.

Cindy Hollis, Manager of Membership Engagement and Michael Babcock, Membership Services Administrative Assistant

  • Membership & Affiliates: Cindy Hollis provided an update on membership, noting that the organization is down two special interest affiliates: one chose not to affiliate (BPI), and the other, ACB Veterans, was struggling to grow. New Mexico did not submit its membership, having only submitted four members in the previous three years. Hollis also announced great interest from a group in Montana to form a new affiliate, and she will be attending their convention in September to discuss the benefits of affiliating with ACB.
  • Communication with Affiliates: The "Hump Day" calls have evolved to include affiliate representatives in addition to presidents and now feature various speakers on topics like bringing in younger members, voting, and legislation. Cindy is working on ways to involve chapter leaders and affiliate leaders (maybe a call just for them).
  • Community Platform: The community has held over 24,600 events since March 2020. Cindy noted that the success of the platform is due to the committed volunteers, with more than 50% of them attending monthly host check-ins. Kayla Allen, a former leadership fellow, is the team lead for the virtual team assisting with the convention.
  • TikTok and YouTube: Michael Babcock came on board at the end of February and has been instrumental in the organization’s new TikTok presence. He records short daily highlight videos and "this week on Mondays" content, which are also repurposed as YouTube Shorts to provide daily content. This has significantly increased the amount of content on YouTube, which had not had much content in the past. The organization hopes to create a process for ACB members to submit video content to be shared on TikTok and YouTube.

Fiscal Impact of Resolutions

Following comments from President Deb Cook Lewis and others from staff, the board discussed the need for working on determining the fiscal impact on ACB’s resources when resolutions are presented.

  • A discussion was held about the fiscal impact of resolutions, noting the organization is operating in a technical deficit. A motion was made to have the board consider a more formalized process for motions and resolutions to determine their fiscal and human resource impact, considering time, talent, and money. It was highlighted that a real cost analysis is often not done before committing to a new initiative.
  • Cecily Laney Nipper moved the board move forward with exploring the process of assigning fiscal impact and benefit to decisions that come to ACB. Koni Sims seconded the motion. Gabriel Lopez-Kafati and Peter Heidi voted no. The motion passed.

Financial Reports:

Michael Garrett, ACB’s treasurer, reviewed the financial information that was provided in the board packet for ACB.

Board of Publications Update

Katie Frederick shared the following from the Board of Publications.

  • The Board of Publications is working on finalizing guidelines for email conversations.
  • They are creating a form for people to submit content.
  • The board will present its awards during the banquet Thursday evening.

Announcements

  • President Cook Lewis will begin working on affiliate liaison and committee assignments following the convention.
  • Kenneth Semien reminded everyone to look for the 2025-2026 mentor applications (coming shortly after convention ends).
  • The meeting adjourned at approximately 4:30 PM Central time.

Adjourn: 4:30 PM Central Time

Respectfully submitted
Katie Frederick, pro term Secretary

Date submitted: 9/3/2025
Approved: 9/15/2025