Gabriel Lopez Kafati
6371 Pent Pl.
Miami, FL 33014-2305
Cell: (786) 547-5465
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/lopezkafati/
Twitter: @LopezKafati
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gabriellopezkafati
1. My name is Gabriel Lopez Kafati, from Miami Lakes, FL. I am seeking one of the Director positions in the Board of ACB. For over ten years, I have been an active Member of our organization. While I have shared my talents with ACB in several Leadership roles, I feel I have received so much more from this organization and its Members. I am interested in a Director position because I am ready and eager to be a part of the team in charge of driving ACB towards a new level. I have participated of ACB’s growth; and ACB has been an integral part of my own growth. Today, I stand tall as a blind, gay man; a successful professional and a fierce advocate; a happy guide-dog handler; and a proud naturalized citizen of this great nation. ACB has been a part of all these accomplishments, and it is my moral duty to give back to this organization that has given me so much.
Professionally, I have a Corporate Law degree from my native Honduras, which I use to interpret and apply policies and regulations. I hold an MBA, which I use to strategize and manage organizational resources. I have a Life-Coach Certification, which I use to better the lives of those around me. Personally, I have great passion and commitment for the mission and vision of ACB. It was through the work of this organization that I was able to understand the importance of advocacy as I navigated graduate school in the US; especially, after a higher education experience in a developing country, where I had to design my own accommodations. This organization has given me a home, a family, and my loyalty towards these gifts drives me to continue serving ACB with honesty and dedication.
2. I consider my authenticity as my strongest contribution to ACB. I highly value this trait because it represents the bond and the synergy I share with ACB. Growing up with sight loss and being LGBTQ+ was a challenge. Was there something wrong with me? Was it that I was going blind? Was it that I was not attracted to girls? Along came so many other questions, yet no answers. It was through ACB that I found those answers. I am not different, but unique! ACB gave me the support to become my authentic self and contribute everything of who I am to the organization.
At the local and state levels, I have served as the Board representative for my Chapter with the Florida Council of the Blind since 2011; I have participated with FCB in our D.C. Leadership Meetings since 2015; and I have chaired FCB’s Scholarships Committee since 2018. At the national level, I have been part of the leadership of Blind LGBT Pride International since 2012. I have served as BPI’s President since 2018; I am proud to say that under my Presidency, we have re-engaged our Membership; we have fostered our relationships with our allies and with our parent organization, we have significantly strengthened BPI’s Treasury; and we have become a solid part of ACB Community and ACB Media. I sit on ACB’s International Relations Committee; and recently, I was appointed to chair two of ACB’s newly-created efforts- the Hispanic Sub-committee and the Special Interest Affiliate Circle.
Today, I am able to fully serve ACB and its Members because my authentic self has been embraced by the organization. As a leader of ACB, I plan to work in maintaining a safe space for others to achieve their own authenticity and gain a sense of belongingness.
3. I consider succession to be the most important challenge facing ACB. For decades, ACB has been blessed with extraordinary Leadership. We have grown to become a driving force in the community of persons with disabilities, regionally and worldwide. As part of the global community, it is crucial to ensure that ACB will continue to be sustainable while preserving its Core Values. This global community has brought forth growth opportunities as well as challenges for ACB.
Our growth can be perceived in the global connections achieved during the past two years. ACB has become a worldwide brand, identified with advocacy, education, resources, and support, for and by blind and visually impaired individuals. This global awareness has raised the expectations of diversity and inclusion. It has also moved ACB to a digital environment, accessible to younger generations through a swipe or a double tap. These movements can be a challenge or an asset for ACB.
I plan to address the challenge of ACB’s succession by working to transform diversity and sustainability into assets. As a blind, gay Hispanic immigrant, I have first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing persons of diverse backgrounds. While ACB is, and should always be, primarily a blindness organization, I believe we must strengthen our outreach to attract more individuals who identify with an intersectionality. I want to work to expand ACB’s flexibility to welcome and embrace blind individuals of diverse backgrounds. I also plan to work in mentoring efforts to engage and retain younger individuals, while providing them the necessary know-how for them to carry on the work of ACB. In both cases, I plan to use the roots and values of ACB as a framework, yet not as a barrier to design and implement the transformations needed to move ACB forward.