APH Invites Former EOT and Walmart Senior Director to Board of Trustees

We’re pleased to announce Marjorie Kaiser, Ed.D. and Russell Shaffer have been invited to join the Board of Trustees for a three-year term that began Monday, January 11, 2021. The addition of Dr. Kaiser and Shaffer reflects our expanding vision of serving individuals beyond K-12 and their focus on growth both in the United States as well as internationally. These additions also increase the total number of board members from 10 to 12.

The APH Board of Trustees is made up of men and women with extensive knowledge of blindness, visual impairment, education, and business. Each member serves a three-year staggered term without compensation. They work together, with the APH leadership team, to create the organization’s strategic plan and mission-driven goals.

Prior to joining the APH Board of Trustees, Dr. Kaiser served as superintendent of the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired for 34 years, with additional responsibility for the South Dakota School for the Deaf. Well-known throughout APH, Dr. Kaiser served as an Ex Officio Trustee for APH. In this role, she was responsible for administering the Federal Quota dollars received by the state, ensuring students who are blind and visually impaired received the adapted educational products they needed. She earned a Bachelor’s in Teaching from St. Cloud State University, a Master’s in Educational Administration from Northern State University, and a Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of South Dakota. She retired in 2020 and resides in South Dakota with her husband, Steve.

Russell Shaffer is Senior Director – Global Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (CDEI) at Walmart and is responsible for enterprise strategy; brand identity; external relations; benchmarking; and associate engagement related to the company’s global CDEI initiatives. Shaffer also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) from 2017-2019 after joining the AFB Board in October 2015. His perspectives on disability advocacy and inclusion have been influenced by his experiences with retinitis pigmentosa. He was diagnosed at 10-years-old and was legally blind by his late 20s. Russell is an honors graduate of Malone University in Canton, Ohio, and holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Administration and Communication Arts. He resides in Rogers, Arkansas with his wife, Jessica and their children, Sophia and Brady.

Join us in welcoming these great new additions to the APH Board of Directors.