WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 17, 2019)—The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), a national nonprofit that creates a world of no limits for people with visual impairments, has announced the election of three new members to its national Board of Trustees: Pedro Alfonso, Sean Callagy, and Louis J. Fox.

"We are delighted to welcome Pedro, Sean, and Louis to our Board," said Kirk Adams, AFB's president and CEO. "This dynamic and accomplished trio will bring a wealth of experience and insight that is certain to help AFB better achieve our critical mission of expanding possibilities for millions of people with vision loss."

About the Trustees

Pedro Alfonso is Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Dynamic Concepts, Inc. (DCI), a project management, technology network infrastructure, and utility construction enterprise. Prior to starting DCI, Pedro worked at the IBM Corporation's Federal System Division and the General Electric Company's Information Systems Business Division.

Pedro is active in various organizations. He serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of the D.C. Public Access Corporation; he is a Board Member and Chair of the Membership Committee for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital; he is on the Board of the National Small Business Association (NSBA), and he is a trustee of the newly-formed Statehood Research DC, a Non-Profit economic research organization formed by the Federal City Council; to name just a few.

Pedro has been a guest speaker for several organizations including Langston University in Oklahoma and the Entrepreneurial Center at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. He was awarded a National Achievement Award by the Small Business Administration, recognized as a Washington Achiever by the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Department of Interior, and received Alumnus of the Year by the Howard University School of Business.

Pedro is a graduate of Howard University's School of Business. He and his wife Kim, Chief Operating Officer of Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, are the proud parents of a blind daughter pursuing her college education.

Sean Callagy is a blind attorney, public speaker, and entrepreneur. He is owner and president of Callagy Law, which has offices in four states and employs more than 20 attorneys and over 100 professionals.

Sean is one of only two attorneys in the country to have two Top 100 National Jury Verdicts between 2014 and 2016. He also leads the firm’s medical revenue recovery team that recovered over $50 million in 2017 and more than $300 million dollars for healthcare providers in unpaid and underpaid claims from insurance carriers.

Sean has spent his career studying and developing programs that seek to inspire, inform, and instruct people and their businesses in the science of success.

Sean is a graduate of Columbia University and received his J.D. from Seton Hall Law School with cum laude honors. He is also a graduate the Institution for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC).

Louis Fox has over 25 years of experience in precious metals trading, merchanting and merchant banking activities. He is the former founder and director of Seabridge Gold, a NYSE company, and serves on the Boards of Directors of several charitable organizations, including the Eye & Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh and the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association.

Prior to Seabridge Gold, Louis was Senior Vice President of Gerald Metals, Inc., serving as head of the company's global precious metals group. He also served as vice president of J. Aron & Co., one of the world's premier precious metals trading firms. Following the company’s acquisition by Goldman Sachs in 1981, Louis was a vice president of Goldman Sachs through 1984.

Louis is blind as the result of central retinal vein occlusion in both eyes. When he learned about the innovative work on vision restoration done in Pittsburgh, Louis pledged $3 million to support the Center for Vision Restoration of the UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh. The center now bears his name: the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the top news source for the non-profit world, declared Louis J. Fox one of “America’s top donors."

Louis received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and holds a J.D. from Boston University Law School.

###
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 or visually impaired. AFB mobilizes leaders, advances understanding, and champions impactful policies and practices using research and data. AFB is proud to steward the Helen Keller Archive, maintain and expand the digital collection, and honor the more than 40 years that Helen Keller worked tirelessly with AFB. Visit: www.afb.org