Board of Directors
The ACBCO Board is extremely active in achieving a variety of goals, are active participants in our programs and make a financial contribution to ACBCO according to their means. Board members sign a Commitment to and Conflict of Interest Policy annually as well. Board members serve for 3 years and are limited to two consecutive terms.
Officers
Karen Karsh, Chair
Charlie Watson, Vice Chair
Tom Chesney, Treasurer
Park Peters, Secretary
Board Members
LeRoy Hill
Lynn Janssen
Peter Link
Blind from birth, Karen Karsh is a singer, songwriter, and pianist working to reignite her career after taking time out to raise her son. Karen has a bachelors degree in music which led her to be an an educator across the country teaching children about what it is like to be blind as well as the positive result creating music can have on the success of people’s lives. During this time she was also a specialty reporter for KUSA TV (Unsung Heroes) that won Ganette Broadcastings Innovation of the year in 1993.
Serving as Chair, Karen is dedicated to the mission of ACBCO and is passionate about sending out the message that blindness does not have to stop people from living full wonderful happy successful lives
Charlie Watson has served as the Board Vice-Chair since 2008. He served in the U.S. Army for 12 years and was medically retired due to his visual impairment. Afterwards, he earned an Associate of Arts degree in Human Services (Community Social Work) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services (Drug and Alcohol Counseling) from Metropolitan State College of Denver. He has participated in extensive training programs at numerous institutions including the Hines V.A. Medical Center Blind Rehabilitation School, the American Red Cross, and the National Skills Builder Institute. He has wide-ranging experience as an Independent Living Trainer, Lecturer, Small Group Facilitator, Family Counselor, Community Organizer, and Senior Citizen Advocate, as well as a foster parent. He also serves on the National Veterans Administration Community Advisory Board, Blinded Veterans Association, Disabled Veterans Association, and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Tom Chesney serves as President, Commercial Bank Division, of AMG National Trust Bank. He was the Founder, President and CEO, FlatIrons Bank, in Boulder and was also responsible for raising the initial capital of $8.45 million that was needed to receive the regulatory approval to open the bank. His career in banking now spans almost 40 years. He currently serves as the President for the Independent Bankers of Colorado, a trade association with approximately 70 members, representing mostly community banks of the approximately 110 separately chartered banks in the State of Colorado. He has a B.S. in Business and an MBA. Tom joined the ACBCO Board in February 2011 and says: “I am honored to share my expertise, time, contacts and financial resources to assist ACBCO reach out to the community and fulfill its mission.”
Park Peters, Board Secretary, was born totally blind. He attended The University Of Colorado majoring in Music, Sound Synthesis and Recording. He began performing professionally in 1974. Today he operates Audio Park, a recording studio located in Arvada that he started in 1978. His experience as a blind business owner brings a specialized expertise to the Board. Park has been serving ACBCO since April 2010 with humor, compassion and professional knowledge. As a board member, he hopes to bring his experience as a business owner to create new resources for blind and visually impaired individuals within the small business community.
LeRoy Hill is retired after almost 30 years with the Business Enterprise Program and is quite passionate about saving this program for present and future blind and visually impaired individuals. He was trained through Vocational Rehabilitation Services because of his blindness resulting from Retinitis Pigmentosa. Since retirement he has been working for Aramark at Coors Field as a food stand worker during the Colorado Rockies home games. LeRoy’s past experience in business and other opportunities has assisted him in his decision making and unifying efforts to work with past and present board members as well as all of our constituents.
Peter Link served in the U.S. Air Force from 1954 to 1958. He attended Eastern Washington State University from 1958 to 1961, earning a B.A. Degree in Sociology. He was awarded a scholarship for a Master's Degree in Psychology at San Francisco State University and completed that degree in 1963. He worked for the State of California Department of Rehabilitation from 1963 to 1984. Peter retired from the State of California due to severe loss of vision caused by a retinal degeneration, then for the next two years studied adaptive technology for the blind. He went to work for the Blinded Veterans Association in 1986 and still works for them as a Veterans Advocate.
