[nabs-l] NABS Leadership Transition

[Amy Sabo]

wow
! what a speech and farewell to what you said shawn.... i didn't know
that you have been on the nabs board as the president for nabs... i do
understand you reasons for stepping from the board and, i do respect
you as leader in both nabs and in the federation... you certainly have
done a great job for the division and, i commend you on that! i too am
a leader here in the federation when i lived in Michigan and when i
moved to Colorado in 2003 where i have served on 2 committes in the
Denver chapter where for 2006-2007 i was the chapter newsletter editor
and, in 2004-2005 i served as the vp for the Colorado association of
blind students but, was never elected but, i continued to be a leader.
  i hope that we can stay in touch you can always call me at
303-588-7725 or you can email me at amieelsabo at gmail.com   again, i
wish you good luck in life and, i lookforward to hearing from you
soon!     hugs, amy

On 6/28/16, Sean Whalen via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Good afternoon to each of you,
>
>
>
> As the National Federation of
> the Blind 2016 National
> Convention rapidly approaches,
> I am writing regarding the
> impending transition in NABS
> leadership. As you may know,
> my term as President of NABS
> is set to expire this Friday
> at the conclusion of our
> annual business meeting. I
> have been privileged to serve
> in this role for the last 5
> years, and have enjoyed
> working with and for so many
> of you. Though I will be
> continuing my studies at
> Harvard Law School, and while
> I remain dedicated to changing
> what it means to be a blind
> student in America, I will not
> be seeking another term as
> President of NABS during
> Friday’s elections. As I walk
> away from this position,
> though not the division, I am
> writing to convey a few quick
> messages.
>
>
>
> First, I want to offer my most
> sincere and heartfelt thanks
> to those of you with whom I
> have had the opportunity to
> work over these years. It has
> been a pleasure to get to know
> so many of you. I am proud to
> call many of you friends. I am
> grateful for the confidence
> that the membership has placed
> in me in allowing me to lead
> this vibrant division of the
> most important organization
> related to blindness in the
> United States of America, the
> National Federation of the
> Blind. Though I have certainly
> made my mistakes and had my
> shortcomings, I am proud of
> what we, both on and off the
> board, have been able to
> accomplish. I believe that
> over the past number of years,
> including under President
> Arielle Silverman from 2009 to
> 2011, NABS has continuously
> grown bigger, stronger, and
> more active. Not only do I
> believe this, objective
> measures like members added,
> funds raised, articles
> published, and programs and
> activities executed bear it
> out. We can be proud of our
> successes in sharing
> resources, offering advice,
> and demonstrating to blind
> students that blindness is so
> much less limiting than is
> often assumed. We all share in
> this success and our work
> truly matters.
>
>
>
> Second, I wish to communicate
> to you my wholehearted and
> unequivocal endorsement of
> Kathryn Webster for NABS
> President in the upcoming
> election. Kathryn has
> demonstrated a skill set, work
> ethic, passion for the cause,
> and strength of character that
> I believe make her an
> excellent candidate for the
> position. Kathryn has served
> as Secretary, Treasurer,
> Fundraising Chair, and
> Webmaster over this last year.
> And she has met or exceeded
> expectations in each role. In
> virtually every program we
> carried out this term – from
> funding students to Washington
> Seminar to collecting letters
> to Congress about accessible
> materials, from running a
> legislative leadership
> workshop to expanding our
> membership database, from our
> annual NABS Café to improving
> our website – Kathryn has had
> a hand. As Fundraising Chair,
> she and her excellent team
> gave NABS the biggest
> fundraising year we have had
> in at least the last 7 years,
> and almost certainly much
> longer than that. As Secretary
> she has executed her duties in
> a timely and professional
> manner. And as Treasurer she
> has been responsible,
> organized, and accurate.
> Though her skills speak
> volumes, there are other
> equally important
> considerations. Kathryn has
> shown herself to be truly
> passionate about the work of
> NABS and the NFB. She
> understands the immense
> positive impact that the
> philosophy and resources of
> the NFB can provide to blind
> students. And she is willing
> to work hard to ensure that as
> many blind students as
> possible are exposed to the
> Federation. Finally, Kathryn
> is forthright and honest. She
> takes responsibility and is
> accountable. And, most
> importantly, she acknowledges
> her weaknesses, accepts and
> considers criticism, and
> consistently works to improve
> her leadership and
> performance. On Friday we as a
> division will decide who will
> lead NABS for the coming two
> years, and I urge each of you
> to give strong consideration
> to this track record of
> success. I firmly believe that
> one of the best indicators of
> what somebody will do is what
> they have done, and Kathryn’s
> demonstrated leadership and
> passion lead me to conclude
> that she is hands down the
> best individual for the job.
> She has my vote, and I hope
> you will consider giving her
> yours, too.
>
>
>
> Third and finally, I just want
> to make it very clear that,
> while I am not going to
> continue to serve on the NABS
> Board, I certainly intend to
> remain an active engaged
> member of the division. I
> still have ideas about how
> NABS can improve, and I still
> have a deep-seeded desire to
> empower and lift up blind
> students to our full
> potential. I hope NABS will
> continue working on
> legislative matters, perhaps
> by replicating programs like
> the leadership workshop we did
> in Connecticut this term.
> Students are powerful
> advocates and we must continue
> to harness our enthusiasm and
> skills to move our legislative
> agenda in the Federation. I
> also hope that we can return
> to being a source of powerful
> and informative articles
> related to blindness, be it
> through the Student Slate
> Blog, or some other medium
> identified by the incoming
> board. I hope to be involved
> in seeking out, editing, and
> writing content for such an
> effort. Lastly, I hope to
> continue to serve as a
> resource to anybody out there
> who might benefit from a chat.
> So, as I step away from the
> position of President, please
> remember that I am still here
> and interested in doing what I
> can to further our work.
> Starting after convention, you
> can all reach me at
> smwhalenpsp at gmail.com rather
> than at the NABS address.
>
>
>
> Thanks for the opportunity to
> serve and grow in this role.
> And thanks for reading. I hope
> to see many of you in Orlando
> at the NABS meeting on July 1
> at 7pm. And remember,
> registration starts at 6:00,
> so come early!
>
>
>
> Take care,
>
>
>
> Sean
>
>
>
> Sean Whalen
>
> President, National
> Association of Blind Students
>
> (608) 957-7337
>
> @nabslink
>
> www.nabslink.org
>
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