Leslie E. Stocker, President
Godfrey H. Williams, Vice President of Financial Affairs, Assistant Corporate Treasurer
Richard H. Patterson Jr., Vice President and General Counsel, Assistant Corporate Secretary
Sally H. Jameson, Vice President of Programs and Services
David Burkhardt, Vice President of Development
Nancy N. Niebrugge, Assistant Vice President of Programs and Services
Victoria M. Liske, Assistant Vice President of Programs and Services
Leslie E. Stocker
President
A California native, Mr. Stocker holds a master's in communications from California State University, Fullerton, and a certificate in executive business management from University of California, Los Angeles. He began his career at Braille Institute in 1979 as Director of Development and was promoted to Assistant Executive Director in 1984, becoming President in 1995. He is the fifth person to lead the more than 80-year-old Braille Institute. He also is active in community service, including membership in the Rotary Club of Los Angeles and Town Hall of California.
Sally H. Jameson
Vice President of Programs and Services
Mrs. Jameson received her MBA from Pepperdine University, has done graduate work at the University of Southern California and also holds a bachelor's degree from Drake University in Iowa. She has more than 25 years of fund-raising and public relations experience in the nonprofit sector. She is an educator and administrator who taught public relations through UCLA Extension for 15 years. Prior to joining the Institute, she taught management classes in the school of business at Woodbury University while serving there as Vice President of Marketing and Director of Development. She joined Braille Institute as the Director of Communications in 1990 and served in that capacity for eight years. In 1998 she was appointed Vice President of Development and Communications until assuming her role as Vice President of Programs and Services in 2001.
Reza Rahman
Assistant Corporate Treasurer and Vice President of Finance
Not many people travel halfway around the world to join Braille Institute's staff, but Reza Rahman has done just that.
Born in Bangladesh, he received his early education there before coming to the United States in 1981. Here, he earned his BA and MBA from the
University of Central Oklahoma, formerly Central State University of Oklahoma.
In 1985 Reza came to Los Angeles in search of work. He loved the weather and soon found work as an accountant for a life insurance company.
While working, Reza studied for his certification as a CPA and received his license. He lived near Braille Institute and became aware of the
facility. Then he saw an ad by the Institute for an Assistant director of Financial Services. He applied and was hired immediately. His excellent work in this area for a number of years has resulted in his being named Assistant Corporate Treasurer and Vice President of Finance.
David L. Burkhardt
Vice President of Development
Mr. Burkhardt received his bachelor's degree in humanities at California State University, Chico, and his master's degree in mass communications at San Jose State University. Before joining Braille Institute in February 2002, he served as President/CEO of the Northridge Hospital Foundation. He also spent three years as National Vice President of Development for the Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation and five years as Development Director for the Arizona Zoological Society. Mr. Burkhardt is also the current president of the Northridge/Chatsworth Rotary Club.
Kathleen M. Ash
Vice President of Operations
A California native, Kathy Ash comes to us with an impressive background in business, education, finance and operations. She was born and raised in Inglewood and attended elementary and high school in Playa Del Rey, where she currently resides. She received a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, then went on to a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.
She stayed at USC as a member of the budget advisory committee and went on to other financial and advisory positions there,
culminating in her appointment as Executive Director of Administrative Services for USC's School of Engineering. Following this,
she became involved in teaching for the Los Angeles Unified School District, which led to her being chosen as Director of Finance and
Operations at the prestigious Marlborough School in Los Angeles. She came to Braille Institute in 2007, realizing her career objective as
an executive in a nonprofit organization, "whose mission [she] is passionate about."
Anthony Joji Taketa
Vice President, Assistant Corporate Secretary and General Counsel
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Anthony Joji Taketa attended Loyola high school, followed by Loyola Marymount and then UCLA Law School.
After law school Joji got a job with a firm in Fresno, Baker Manock & Jensen, one of Central California's largest law firms, where he specialized in litigation, both business-related and medical malpractice.
After four years Joji moved back to Los Angeles to join the prestigious firm of Poindexter & Doutré, which has been the general legal counsel for Braille Institute for many years. He remained with this firm for more than 18 years, widening his experience with litigation relating to probate, construction, real estate and other areas. Here he acquired experience in dealing with various nonprofit organizations, including Braille Institute, which gave him a firm background for the job he now occupies with us, having come aboard in 2007.
Nancy N. Niebrugge*
Assistant Vice President of Programs and Services
Nancy is the Assistant Vice President of Programs and Services for Braille Institute of America. She oversees the Institute’s Library Services, Universal Media Services (braille publishing and recorded materials) and Volunteer Services. She also is the program director for BIA’s annual braille reading and writing contest for school-age children in the U.S. and Canada, The Braille Challenge.
Nancy serves on several committees involved with improving the literacy rate of blind schoolchildren. She leads the Institute’s Braille Challenge National Advisory Committee and is BIA’s trustee to the federal educational materials program administered by the American Printing House for the Blind. She is a member of the Textbook and Instructional Materials Solutions Forum, which is a national collaborative effort to ensure that visually impaired students have equal access to educational materials. Nancy also is an active member of the California Transcribers and Educators of the Visually Handicapped (CTEVH).
Nancy is a graduate of Cal State Los Angeles. She’s been with Braille Institute for 10 years, having served as director of both the braille publishing and Communication departments. She has had more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communications and public relations.
*(KNEE-brew-ghee)
Victoria M. Liske
Assistant Vice President and Auxiliary Liaison
Mrs. Liske received both her master's degree in educational psychology and her bachelor's degree in child development from California State University, Northridge, with additional undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley. With more than 15 years of previous experience working with children and families, she joined Braille Institute in 1985 as the Director of Preschool Services. In 1989 she was given additional responsibilities as the Director of Child Development and Youth Services and assumed her current position nine years later. Mrs. Liske is on the board of the Infant Development Association and is a member of the Pasadena Junior Philharmonic Association.
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