<div dir="ltr">An Awesome Interview to read about an awesome leader.<div>Where do you see yourself in our movement?<br><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="auto"><p style="font-size:16px;margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-weight:bold"><span style="line-height:19.200001px"><span style="line-height:28.799999px;font-size:1.5em">Passing the Torch: Denice Brown Reflects on 22 Years as </span></span><span style="line-height:19.200001px"><span style="line-height:28.799999px;font-size:1.5em">Greater </span></span><span style="line-height:19.200001px"><span style="line-height:28.799999px;font-size:1.5em">Philadelphia </span></span><span style="line-height:19.200001px"><span style="line-height:28.799999px;font-size:1.5em">President</span></span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:16.799999px;font-size:14px;color:rgb(89,89,89)"><span style="line-height:25.200001px;font-size:1.5em">By: Kim Y. Stanley</span></span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:21.6px">In addition to being the </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">P</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">resident of </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">the Greater Philadelphia Chapter</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">,</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Denice Brown </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">is the Treasurer </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">for </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">the National Organization of Blind Black Leaders</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">is </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">on the National Scholarship Committee, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">and </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">finds </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">the </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">time to mentor </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">members across the country</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">.</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Even with such a busy schedule, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">she found</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">time </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">for this </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">interview. </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Going over my notes</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">,</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> I realized </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">that</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Denice </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">taught school </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">for 22 years and served </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">as the </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">President of GPC </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">for </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">22 years.</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Not only that,</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">she</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">ran her first meeting as </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">P</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">resident on October 25, 2003 and </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">conducted her last meeting </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">on October 25, 2025</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> when she passed the gavel to the newly elected President, Stacie Leap.</span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:21.6px">The </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">diagnosis of retinitis </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">pigmentosa</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> at two years old </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">did not hold Denice back from leading a full and productive life. </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">An </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">early diagnosis was made because her </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">grandmother noticed that in dim light she was bumping into things</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">. </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Despite </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">slowly </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">losing her vision, she graduated from </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Overbrook</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> High School in Philadelphia, PA and went on to earn a </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">bachelor&#39;s and a master&#39;s</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">degree from Temple University. After </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">briefly </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">working at Associated Services for the </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Blind as a</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> rehabilitation instructor, she </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">took the test </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">and fulfilled</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> her lifelong dream to </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">be</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">a teacher</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">for the </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">S</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">chool District </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">of</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> Philadelphia</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">. </span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:21.6px">Although she enjoyed teaching, she </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">struggled with </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">carrying out her classroom duties. </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">\u201cWhen my vision began failing in the late 1980s, I didn&#39;t give up my career but asked for accommodations. The school district provided everything: a computer, scanner, printer, CCTV, large print books, and a classroom assistant. I retired on my own terms.\u201d </span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:21.6px">So, how did Denice transition from </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">teaching </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">to </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">P</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">resident of GPC? </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">It </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">began with a call to Ted Young of Young </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">O</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">pportunities </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">to obtain </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">assistive technology</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">. </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Denice recall</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">ed</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">\u201cI never set out to lead an organization for 22 years</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">I was simply looking for assistive technology. But sometimes the things we need most </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">are not</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> the things we&#39;re searching for.\u201d She went on to explain, \u201cIt started with a phone call to Ted Young about computers that speak. His answering machine offered two options</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">one for his technology business, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">two</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> for the NFB. I pressed one, but curiosity about that second option changed my life. After our meeting, I asked Ted what this National Federation of the Blind was all about. He explained it was an advocacy organization and suggested I visit both Philadelphia chapters to learn more.\u201d</span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:21.6px">She </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">went </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">to </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">a Keystone Chapter meeting first and planned to </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">go to </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">the Greater Philadelphia Chapter meeting next. In a twist of fate, Denice had attended a planning meeting and </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Gus</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> Jasper and Leon </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Conoway</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> from the Greater Philadelphia Chapter invited her to lunch at </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Reading Terminal. She </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">immediately </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">felt a </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">connection </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">with Gus and Leon</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">. It</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> was the warmth and genuine interest in getting to know her that drew her in. After attending </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">her </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">first </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">GPC meeting in 2001, she knew this was where she belonged. </span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:21.6px">She joined the chapter and</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">said</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">\u201cThe organization moved quickly with me and by 2002, I was </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Second V</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">ice</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">P</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">resident</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> and </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">still learning the ropes. Then in 2003, outgoing </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">P</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">resident Lois Holmes approached me about running for president.\u201d Despite Denice\u2018s protests, Lois simply said, &quot;You have it.\u201d</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Leon kept his promise to </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">mentor </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">he</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">r</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> and</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> with that, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Denice </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">accepted the role of </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">President in 2003.</span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:21.6px">Her</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> teaching background </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">was the foundation</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> she needed to succeed as the </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">P</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">resident and explained, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">\u201cAll of this shaped how I led the chapter. I wanted our meetings to be places where people absorbed information and felt empowered to act. When members started attending conventions and the Washington Seminar, when they began staffing our public awareness tables and speaking confidently about the NFB, I knew we were building something meaningful. Some would listen to me first, then find their own voice. Watching people come out of their shells, learning to travel independently, growing from passive meeting attendees to active advocates\u2014that was my light bulb moment all over again.\u201d</span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:21.6px">Denice </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">is still</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> clear about her </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">thoughts on </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">the chapter&#39;s future. &quot;My hope for GPC is that they continue to grow, they continue to learn more about the National Federation of the Blind, that they continue to work together.&quot; </span><span style="line-height:21.6px"></span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Concerning </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">her</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">feelings about </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">her successor, Denice</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> enthusiastically said</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">,</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">\u201cI am excited to see our new President, Stacie Leap, and her Board take us to new heights. We&#39;re getting younger members now, which we desperately need. If we </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">do not</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> grow, we </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">will not</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> survive.\u201d</span></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;line-height:1.39;font-size:18px"><span style="line-height:21.6px">Wil</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">l </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">she disappear now that </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">she </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">has stepped down as</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">P</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">resident? </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Without hesitation, she said, \u201c</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Absolutely not. I will be at the normal events</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">. </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">And she said, I will be at</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">chapter meetings, different fundraisers. I still plan to attend National Convention</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">s</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">, </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">S</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">tate </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">C</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">onvention</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">s</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">, Washington Seminar</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">s</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">, you know, because this is my organization too.&quot;</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">Denice summed up her NFB journey by saying, \u201cTwenty-</span><span style="line-height:21.6px">five</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> years ago, I walked in looking for technology</span><span style="line-height:21.6px"> and </span><span style="line-height:21.6px">I found family instead.\u201d</span></p><div dir="ltr">Sent from My IPhone</div></div></div><div><br clear="all"></div><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr">Dorothy Griffin - President <div>National Federation of the Blind of Georgia</div><div><a href="mailto:dgriffin@nfbga.org" target="_blank">dgriffin@nfbga.org</a></div><div>770-374-4832</div><div><br></div><div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Lato,sans-serif;color:black;background-image:none;background-position:0% 0%;background-repeat:repeat">The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. Our collective power, determination, and diversity achieve the aspirations of all blind people.</span><u></u><u></u></p><div><span style="font-family:Lato,sans-serif;color:black;background-image:none;background-position:0% 0%;background-repeat:repeat"><br></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>