WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 26, 2023)-- The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) — one of the nation's premier organizations for improving the lives of people with vision loss — has announced the election of three new members to its board of Trustees following its December 12th board meeting: Jonathan Chesshire, Kiran Kaja, and Melissa L. Weisse.
"We are excited to welcome such an outstanding group of professionals to our board," said Debbie Dennis, AFB board Chair. "Each one of them brings an outstanding range of expertise that will help secure our second century of success at AFB."
AFB thanks those Board Members who have previously served the organization with distinction and looks forward to the leadership the following new Trustees will bring toward fulfilling AFB's mission for future generations.
About the Trustees
Jonathan Chesshire— Mr. Chesshire is head of research at Clearbrook Global, which assists endowments, foundations, and family offices with their investment objectives. Mr. Cheshire sits on the firm's investment committee and is a portfolio manager for the firm's fund of hedge funds vehicle. He is especially passionate about helping clients construct their portfolio while also addressing diversity and inclusion, climate, and educational advancement through the sourcing of impact and mission-based investments.
Mr. Chesshire began his profession in the early 1990s at Merrill Lynch and spent most of his career with financial start-ups. He has served on several boards focused on education and youth enrichment. He received an MBA from Temple University and currently pursues a Masters in Sustainability at Harvard University. He resides with his family in the Greater Philadelphia area. He previously served on AFB's financial committee.
Kiran Kaja — Mr. Kaja brings over 18 years of experience in the digital inclusion space. A passionate champion for inclusion and accessibility, he currently serves as principal accessibility product manager for Amazon. Prior to Amazon, Mr. Kaja worked in lead accessibility roles for Instagram, Google, and Adobe Systems. While at Google, he played a key role in building out accessibility for Google's main search functionality.
His career in accessibility began almost two decades ago with the software developer Code Factory, who made breakthroughs in mobile accessibility with their platform Mobile Speak. He then went on to work as an accessibility engineer for SAP in India before relocating to London to work in software accessibility with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). He holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Pondicherry University in India. He currently resides in Berkley, California.
Melissa Weisse — Ms. Weisse serves as the vice president and chief philanthropy officer at Leader Dogs for the Blind, where she leads the organization's national philanthropy and fundraising strategy with a $17M annual target. During her 19-year tenure, Ms. Weisse has diversified Leader Dog's revenue streams and collectively raised over $130M. This includes a successful $14.5M capital campaign for the new canine development center.
Prior to coming to Leader Dogs, Ms. Weisse was a private client advisor at Christies, London, the world's leading art business, where she worked extensively with high-net-worth individuals and foundations in 46 countries and ten international showrooms. She was the recipient of Crain's Notable Women in Non-Profits award in 2018 for women who innovate and lead in the social sector.
Ms. Weisse graduated from the University of Notre Dame and has a master's degree from the University of Glasgow. She is a graduate of fundraising and nonprofit management programs at Georgetown University and the Lily School of Philanthropy at Indiana University Purdue University, and the Non-Profit Executive Leadership program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is president of the AFP Greater Detroit Chapter and has served on the Ethics Committee Taskforce and the Finance Committee for AFP Global. She previously served on AFB's Development Committee.
About the American Foundation for the Blind
Founded in 1921, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is a national nonprofit that creates a world of no limits for people who are blind, and low vision. AFB mobilizes leaders, advances understanding, and champions impactful policies and practices using research and data. In addition to publishing the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, the essential professional resource for information about visual impairment in the field, AFB is also the proud steward of the accessible Helen Keller Archive, honoring the legacy of our most famous ambassador. To learn more, visit Afb.org.
