San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind Announces Chief Executive Officer Search

SAN FRANCISCO, March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --  LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, California's oldest and most diverse blindness organization serving people who are blind or have low vision, announced today that it is initiating a search to identify its next CEO.

The CEO search was implemented after the LightHouse's longtime CEO, Bryan Bashin, announced to the Board his intention to leave the organization after the successful completion of its $50 million design and construction project at Enchanted Hills Camp in 2023.

"This is an optimistic and hopeful time for the LightHouse.  Emerging after two years of pandemic, we're very well-poised to initiate strong growth in our programs and services to meet the new post-pandemic needs of 40,000 people who are blind or have low vision throughout northern California," Bashin said.  "We have the infrastructure, resources and heart to bring our blind-positive values to people in our region, nation, and beyond."

Founded in 1902, the LightHouse's mission has grown to serve the rehabilitative, educational, and community needs of people who are blind or have low vision in northern California and beyond.  With a world-class retreat in Napa, a new social enterprise in Alameda, and a state-of-the-art headquarters in San Francisco, it now serves everyone from blind infants, youth, adults, and seniors with the richest set of comprehensive offerings anywhere.  With a growing number of national programs and an internationalist orientation, the LightHouse is poised to bring best practices and community formation in blindness to a wider audience. 

To identify Mr. Bashin's successor, the LightHouse is drawing on the steps in its succession plan to guide the process of selecting a new CEO.  It has formed a search committee to oversee the process and has retained executive search firm Vetted Solutions to coordinate the search.

Headquartered in Washington DC, with offices in Chicago and Los Angeles, Vetted Solutions has a demonstrated track record of executive recruiting within the nonprofit space and a client-focused approach to the process.  Led by President and Founder, Jim Zaniello, FASAE, the LightHouse will be served by a focused team of recruiters who have both nonprofit and large organizational experience providing a comprehensive approach to identifying potential candidates.

"LightHouse is committed to take the time needed to find the right person," said LightHouse Board Chair Dr. Sharon Sacks.  "We've been fortunate to have had a tradition of strong leadership, and we'll involve every part of our organization to find the person who can take the LightHouse to the next level."

The public search will commence in May 2022, and the organization's goal is to have a new CEO identified by year's end.  Mr. Bashin will continue as LightHouse CEO until the new CEO begins.  Candidates interested in receiving the position profile when it is available should email SFLightHouseCEOSearch@vettedsolutions.com.

"The Board of Directors of LightHouse recognizes the critical importance of this position to the long-term health of the organization, and we are well prepared for this transition.  We will keep our membership updated on the progress of the search through announcements on both the LightHouse website and via other online communications channels," said Board Chair Dr. Sharon Sacks.

About the LightHouse

Founded in 1902, LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides skills, resources, and community for the advancement of all individuals who are blind or have low vision.  Our innovative programs have been featured in 60 Minutes, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal and beyond.  The blind community comes to LightHouse to learn how to travel independently with a white cane, to rejoin the workforce, use accessible technology, and meet a community of mentors and peers. From unique tactile maps to an unparalleled camp for blind campers, to a world prize for blind ambition, LightHouse offers programs unavailable elsewhere

LightHouse has an audacious mission: to transform the lives of the 40,000-blind people in the greater Bay Area and beyond.  We do this through tech design, disability advocacy, consultation, classes, and community formation in San Francisco, and at our four satellite offices and Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa.  We are a fun, fascinating, widely diverse, warm, and friendly community.  We work in downtown San Francisco in a 40,000 square foot state-of-the-art workspace renowned for its universal design, steps from Civic Center BART.  LightHouse is working for nothing less than to change the future for blind people and the wider community.

The next CEO will join a unique organization in which blind and sighted professionals work together at every level.  Our governing Board of Directors, management, and staff are all composed of roughly equal numbers of blind and sighted people, a parity unprecedented in our field.

Learn About Us:
www.LightHouse-sf.org

Media Contact:
Dr. Sharon Sacks
boardchair@LightHouse-sf.org

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SOURCE LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired - San Francisco