The BSCB Constitution stipulates that the Board is composed of six officers and four Board members. Officer positions are: a president, a first vice president, a second vice president, a secretary, a treasurer, and the immediate past president. A majority of board members, including the president and vice presidents, must be blind.
The Constitution also stipulates that the chairperson of the Legislative Committee, the webmaster, and the editor of the newsletter serve as non-voting members of the Board.
Short bios of current officers, voting and non-voting Board members appear below.
Officers
David Kingsbury, President
Stoughton
781-974-2001
David Kingsbury is an assistive technology trainer at the Carroll Center for the Blind. He has worked in this capacity fulltime since January 2015 and did similar work part time for several years before that. He is also the author of two books about using assistive technology. In early 2007, David graduated from the Carroll Center’s Independent Living Program.
Prior to becoming blind in 2004, David worked in international development as an agricultural economist, with a geographic focus on Sub Saharan Africa. He lived in Rome where he worked for the United Nations from 1996 to 2006. He previously worked for the US Agency for International Development in Zaire. He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal and Chad.
Sharon Strzalkowski, First Vice President
Worcester
508-363-3866
Sharon Strzalkowski retired as a vocational rehabilitation counselor from the Mass. Commission for the Blind, and is also retired from her position as an Information Coordinator at UMass Chan Medical School. She has been involved in Bay State Council of the Blind as the Publications (now called Communications) committee Chair, has served on auction and convention committees, and is the chapter president for the central Mass. Chapter.
Myra Ross, Second Vice President
Amherst
(413( 253-2668
Myra Ross worked in a Massachusetts public high school for twenty years, as the school-to-career coordinator and later the college counselor. She holds degrees from the University of Rochester and Boston College. Initially legally blind, she is now almost totally blind.
A BSCB member for several decades, Myra has become an active member since her retirement. She is the articles editor for BayLines Express.
Myra was an elected town meeting member in Amherst for eleven years before being elected to the School Committee, which she chaired for five years in the 1990s. She now chairs Amherst’s Disability Access Advisory Committee and is a member of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority Paratransit Riders Council.
Married with three adult children (two legally blind), Myra is a violinist in the Pioneer Valley Symphony and a violist in a string quartet. She has always memorized her music.
Nick Corbett, Treasurer
Mansfield
401-633-4883
Nick Corbett spearheads initiatives at The Carroll Center for the Blind to create digital opportunities for those with vision impairments. His work focuses on identifying critical issues in digital access and actively involving the visually impaired community in crafting solutions. A Magna Cum Laude graduate in Political Science from Wheaton College, MA, Nick brings a unique blend of academic rigor and real-world insight to his role.
James Gleason, Secretary
Watertown
978-761-9275
Born and raised in Massachusetts, James is now a resident of Watertown. A librarian by training, James has been the Deputy Director of the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library for 13 years. Besides advocating for accessible library services, James also supports various LGBTQIA organizations.
Besides spending time with his two children, James enjoys singing, reading, Youtube, podcasts and his secret pleasure, chocolate.
Brian Charlson, Immediate Past President
Watertown
617-831-3272
Brian Charlson is the retired Director of Technology at the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton Massachusetts where he worked for 34 years. As part of his employment, Brian spoke at numerous conferences, both in the U.S. and around the world as well as serving on the accessibility advisory committees of major technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Google and Comcast.
Brian has served in a number of capacities in the American Council of the Blind including as 1st Vice President and as Treasurer of the national organization; as President and as a Board member of Library Users of America; President and as a Board member of the Bay State Council of the Blind as well as on many ACB committees including the Information Access Committee, the ACB Radio Management Committee and the Resolutions Committee.
Married to Kim Charlson, ACB Immediate Past President and Director of the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library, Brian is a resident of Watertown, a fan of the Boston Red Sox, loves to cook, and plays the ukulele.
Directors
Jennifer Harnish, Director
Natick
774-286-1873
Jennifer Harnish has worked as Director of Rehabilitation Services at the Carroll Center for the Blind since 2011. She benefited greatly from completing the Independent Living program and receiving intensive technology training at the Carroll Center. She has been active in BSCB ever since being introduced to the organization. She is also Secretary of the MCB Rehabilitation Council.
Jennifer is a licensed clinical psychologist with degrees from Duke and Vanderbilt. She is the mom of three young adult children and when they were little, she facilitated a blind parent support group. She is also a long-time guide dog handler and serves as Secretary of Guide Dog Users of Massachusetts. In her spare time, she likes to read, cook, garden, ski, and hike.
Pam Loch, Director
Hopkinton
508-435-6545
Pam Loch is a retired special education teacher and department coordinator in the public schools in New York state. She has been involved in BSCB for 23 years after moving to Massachusetts. She now lives in Hopkinton with her husband and guide dog. She has been a guide dog user since 1996, and is a member of the Guide Dog Users of Massachusetts (GDUM) affiliate. She currently teaches weaving to adults with special needs at a program for persons with developmental disabilities in Hopkinton. Pam is also the Chair of BSCB’s Membership Committee.
Dianna Leonard, Director
Virginia Beach, VA
978-886-3308
Dianna grew up in North Reading, Massachusetts prior to moving to Virginia Beach, Virginia in 2020. She has a Bachelor’s of Arts in English and Communications from Framingham State University, and is currently the editor of BayLines Express, BSCB’s monthly newsletter, and serves on the Board of Directors. She currently works at Blind Institute of Technology as their Marketing & Outreach Contact and social media content writer. Dianna loves animals, and in her spare time she likes to read sci-fi and fantasy novels, as well as write creative pieces. She also enjoys swimming and playing video games.
Non-Voting Members
Steve Dresser, Webmaster
Reading
781-254-9829
After moving from Connecticut to Massachusetts in September of 2002, Steve joined BSCB and began helping with recording the annual conferences, brailling BSCB’s newsletter, and posting content to BSCB’s website.
In September of 2006, Steve and his wife Marcia took over the production of “Council Connection”, a show broadcast monthly by the Talking Information Center and on ACB Radio Mainstream several times throughout the week. The show is also available on Amazon Alexa, as a podcast, and on BSCB’s Philmore box. In 2023, Steve received ACB’s Vernon Henley Media Award in recognition of over fifteen years of producing, editing, and distributing “Council Connection”.
When he isn’t busy with BSCB projects, Steve enjoys reading, listening to music, working on computers, and amateur radio.