by Katie Frederick
The American Council of the Blind’s Board of Directors convened on May 19, 2025, with President Deb Cook Lewis calling the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Eastern. All board members and ACB staff eventually joined the session. The board reviewed and approved the meeting's agenda and the minutes from the March 15 board meeting. You can listen to the meeting podcast at https://acb-business.pinecast.co/episode/05b324e4/20250519-acb-board-of-directors-meeting.
Janet Dickelman, reporting on the upcoming conference and convention, announced that 351 people had already registered, with several tours fully booked. She and the team are finalizing the program and making progress on other convention-related preparations.
President Cook Lewis reminded the board about their next meeting, the pre-convention session in Dallas on July 4, starting at 9 a.m. Central time. The fall board meeting will take place on Friday, October 31, and Saturday, November 1, 2025. She also stressed the importance of board members actively engaging with their assigned affiliate liaisons and providing updates on those interactions.
The ACB recently updated its leadership email list, with approximately half of the individuals being new additions. President Cook Lewis urged board members to help ensure that all affiliates submit their three representatives for the list. The email list now encompasses the Board of Directors, Board of Publications, committee chairs, past ACB presidents, DKM first-timers, JPMorgan Chase Leadership fellows from the past two years, and three designated individuals from each affiliate.
President Cook Lewis highlighted some committee changes that are underway. Discussions are underway to formalize the INSPIRE mentoring program into a regular committee. The Accessibility Services initiative will establish a new advisory committee to guide its efforts. The Development Steering Committee actively meets, focusing on crucial fundraising strategies. Finally, Mitch Pomerantz will chair this year's Nominating Committee.
President Deb Cook Lewis, alongside board members Rachel Schroeder and Cecily Laney Nipper, addressed the evolving policy on artificial intelligence (AI) on ACB Media. A central question arose regarding whether AI-generated music falls under existing copyright restrictions. Rachel Schroeder, Rick Morin, and other committee members conducted extensive research, consulting licensing providers and holding numerous meetings to understand AI's rapidly changing role in music. They determined that AI's swift and unpredictable development presented significant challenges for establishing a comprehensive and lasting policy.
Consequently, the ACB Media committee recommended prohibiting AI-generated music content on ACB Media platforms at this time. Cecily clarified that this policy does not apply to AI voices used to read human-generated content, such as the constitution and bylaws. The restriction specifically targets music content created by AI. Deb further clarified that the organization's copyright requirements and licensing agreements pertain solely to music. Therefore, other AI uses, such as AI-generated summaries of Zoom calls or AI assistance in writing, remain unaffected by this policy. ACB Media has now added "AI-generated music" to the list of media types that cannot be reused on its platforms.
Deb also provided an update on this year's processes for resolutions and constitution and bylaws amendments. She highlighted a proposed amendment to Bylaw 4A, addressing a concern raised by Terry Pacheco. The current bylaw mandates a 15-day notice for board meeting agendas. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee, however, proposed a 5-business-day notice and agenda for both the board and members. This amendment aims to formalize the existing practice of providing meeting notices and packets to both the board and members, particularly for items seeking member input, such as the Code of Conduct. This change seeks to codify current practice, as the Constitution does not currently require informing members about board meetings. Deb encouraged members with questions about the amendments to contact Koni, Pat, Jeff, or John McCann.
The discussion then shifted to this year’s resolutions. The board received 12 resolutions, with a few later withdrawn. President Cook Lewis categorized resolutions into two broad types: those addressing external organizations (e.g., NLS, Congress) and those concerning internal ACB matters. Gabriel Lopez Kafati raised a question about resolutions "superseding the board," suggesting that, as a membership-driven organization, resolutions should directly reflect the members' will. Deb acknowledged this perspective but emphasized the practical challenges of operating the organization when resolutions have unforeseen budget implications or impact established work plans and staff responsibilities. She stressed the need to balance member input with the realities of organizational resources and operational stability.
Executive Director Scott Thornhill also weighed in, noting that resolutions passed during conventions can indeed "supersede the board" and impose significant demands on staff and the board after the convention concludes. Receiving an unusually large number of internal-facing resolutions this year prompts a need to consider how to balance the value of member input through resolutions with the organization's existing commitments and budgetary constraints.
Chris Bell presented a refined proposal to hire an attorney and a logistics person to collaborate with Kolby Garrison in the Accessibility Services Department. This initiative aims to bolster advocacy efforts and generate revenue. The board approved exploring the financial and staffing resources required for this initiative, with further updates expected later this year.
Scott Thornhill introduced the Speak4 advocacy platform, which empowers members to easily contact their elected officials. The platform includes features for sending emails, making phone calls, and creating video messages. The board approved funding for this platform using money from the National Education and Legal Defense Service (NELDS).
Nancy Marks-Becker discussed the renewal of the lease for the Minneapolis office. The proposed lease will decrease the rent for the first year and then increase it incrementally over the remaining four years. The board approved renewing the lease.
She also mentioned the need to update the affiliate banners displayed at the convention. ACB Families agreed to increase their sponsorship to cover the costs of replacing the banners. Additionally, Nancy Marks-Becker reported the successful audit of the 2024 financial statements, and the 990 form is now available on the ACB website. She also provided an update on the certification process for affiliates.
The board discussed and approved adopting the standing rules for the upcoming convention. These rules included a new subsection for a record vote and a provision for unanimous votes if no one objects.
Board members received reminders to support the walk and participate in the auction and leadership link-up events.
The meeting concluded at 10:15 p.m., with the board moving into an executive session to discuss confidential matters. They took no action during the executive session.