Connie BergConnie Lee Berg is enrolled as a member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians and is a resident of the Red Lake Indian Reservation. She currently serves on the Bemidji State University/Bemidji NW Technical Institute as an American Indian Advisor. She has served as the Director, Giniw Waakaa’igan [Golden Eagle House] for an accumulative of 30 years. She has served as a Board Member for Red Lake Homeless Shelter and Little Rock Community Board and is an Instructor for American Red Cross of CPR/AED/First Aid, and Narcan Administration. Connie was in San Diego for a few years with Sycuan Inter-Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Connie also has also worked at Bemidji Merit Care Clinic in Administration. She was part of the Tribal Social Services as Commissioner of the Indian Child Welfare Act Board and served as Secretary for the Commission. She was appointed for several terms by several governors and served on State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind, Former Chair of the Statewide Independent Living Council and served on the State Task Force for Suicide Prevention. Connie has also worked as a certified tenant services specialist, with the Energy Assistance Program, with Law Enforcement and Summer Youth Programs. Connie holds several degrees and has had vast training in VR, Chemical Dependency, MH, and disability specific training too numerous to mention.
Information coming soon!
Frank EllerHello, my name is Frank Eller. I am originally from Belcourt, North Dakota where I grew up on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Reservation. I earned an Associate of Arts degree at Turtle Mountain Community College. I have lived in the Twin Cities since December 2016. I love learning foreign languages and I am currently studying French, Spanish and Mandarin with a few friends. I am currently learning how to cook using techniques for the blind and low vision. I have been serving on the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind for two and a half years, and I am looking forward to serving again for my second term.
Sue FagerSue Fager has more than 40 years of experience working within government, non-profit, and community-based organizations. She has provided advocacy, training, and technical assistance to the disability community, families, and supporting professionals with a focus on transition-aged youth, through her work at PACER, the Independent Living and Developmental Disabilities systems. Sue brings a passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion driven by lived experience. She specializes in translating complex information so that it is useful for the people it is meant to support and enjoys tracing historical events in civil rights legislation. Sue is the new Transition to Adulthood Coordinator at PACER.
Information coming soon!
Ryan HaenzeRyan Haenze is a legal advocate with the MN Disability Law Center (MDLC). Ryan primarily works on the Youth Services team addressing issues related to special education, including Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and 504 plan implementation and disputes, student discipline, placement settings, restraint and seclusion, special education transportation, educational disability discrimination and student bullying based on disability factors, among others. Ryan also works with clients who are transitioning from school to employment. In his role at MDLC, Ryan is involved in numerous community committees and workgroups focusing on special education and disability policy issues and has spoken in panels on the topic of ableism in education. Prior to his work as an advocate, Ryan was a special educator in the Minneapolis and St. Paul Public School Districts from 2016-2022. Ryan brings a unique perspective as an autistic adult who went through the special education system, a former special educator, and now as a legal advocate.
Information coming soon!
Tom HeinlTom Heinl is a 79-year-old blind man who has been blind for over 50 years. He has been a lifelong resident of St. Paul and Maplewood. He was employed for 30 years with Ramsey County as a Property Tax Information Specialist. He belongs to United Blind of MN. He is a widower and has one son. His hobbies include electronics and computers.
Robert HobsonInformation coming soon!
Thea KramerMy life path has always kept me grounded in a deep passion for connecting with others and building bridges to individual health and strong community. Over the years of my career, I have been proud to be a part of agencies and causes that value the human experience and work hard to help others overcome personal challenges and dare to dream of a better life. It is of no surprise to those who know me that I am a classic Aquarian and INFJ personality. Over the last 30 years I have worked with individuals in vocational training, home and life skill training, and other supportive roles towards building stronger independence, increasing confidence and coping with whatever life throws at them. In July of 2023 I began working as a Rehabilitation Manager at Vision Loss Resources in Little Canada. I truly enjoy working with individuals who are adapting to vision loss in their journey to connect and thrive. It is my honor to join the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind. I look forward to the rewarding experience of carrying out the mission of the Council.
Patricia McGeeHello, my name is Pat McGee recently reappointed to the State Rehabilitation Council – Blind (SRCB). I have a degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa which progressively decreases vision over time. My Mother and older brother both had the disease so I have known my entire life that blindness was my fate as there is no cure. I have four daughters, two of whom also have the disease. My mother and brother basically gave up on life to stay home because of decreasing vision. I want to be a role model for my kids so I try to stay active. I love to travel, especially to warm weather beaches during our winters. I hope my membership on the Council may help others with later onset vision loss to realize that life continues to be good.
Jeff MihelichI have been past President of the American Council Of The Blind of Minnesota, I currently am an active participant in that organization. I also am a member of blind pride, international, and American Council Of The Blind national affiliate. I have attended vision loss resources in the past for adjustment to blindness, training, and have used that skill set for my employment over the years. I currently manage residential rental property in South Minneapolis.
My husband and I currently live in Crystal, he works for Fairview Southdale Hospital, he is an emergency room CT technician.
Last year we installed a waterfall in the backyard, we are both looking forward to spending a lot of time outdoors this summer, and enjoying the sounds and sites of the waterfall and the birds it will attract.
Corbb O'ConnorCorbb became a member three years ago. He has chaired for the SRCB for the last two years. He is entering serving his second term. He is also the President of the National Federation of the Blind.
Information coming soon!
Justin SalisburyJustin Mark Hideaki Salisbury, MEd, NOMC, NCRTB, currently serves as a research fellow in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research agenda is guided by the pressing needs expressed and demonstrated by the organized blind, especially when those needs relate to potential policy problems and solutions. One of his major research areas is disability employment, and he is working in the Innovative Partnership for the Advancement of Rehabilitation Research & Training (IPARRT) lab, investigating factors associated with job retention for disabled workers. He is interested in the parts of disability inclusion that reach beyond mere compliance with legal accessibility mandates, as well as how other oppressive systems intersect with the education and rehabilitation of the blind. Street-level bureaucracy theory has been developed by researching rehabilitation counselors, but it is seldom discussed in vocational rehabilitation spaces; Justin studies disability service providers as street-level bureaucrats. To study how policies are affecting blind people, Justin takes the novel approach of asking blind people themselves how the policies affect them.
Justin is a Structured Discovery® practitioner and has also worked as a design laboratory assistant, economic research fellow, legislative aide, cane travel instructor, rehabilitation teacher for the blind, and coordinator of educational programs. He holds a B. A. in mathematics and economics, an M. A. in counseling and guidance with dual specializations in orientation and mobility and rehabilitation teaching, and an M. Ed. in educational leadership and policy studies.
Judy SandersJudy Sanders grew up in Boston and Denver graduated from the University of Colorado where she studied to be a teacher of public speaking and social studies. Judy experienced a rude awakening when the Denver Public Schools would not hire anyone with less than 20/40 vision in the better eye. Judy is not totally blind and could not be considered for employment. It was because of this problem that she discovered the National Federation of the Blind. Through her connection with the NFB she obtained a position as a substitute teacher. Some other careers involved serving as the director of the Minnesota office of Congressman Jerry Sikorski and working with blind children and adults through BLIND, Inc. and State Services for the Blind. Judy is retired and continues to volunteer with NFB. She serves on the Statewide Independent Living Council and the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind.
Ryan StrunkRyan has been an advocate for fellow blind people for his entire adult life through more than twenty years of membership in the National Federation of the Blind. He served as President in 2017 where he has led a variety of legislative and social initiatives. Ryan's advocacy work extends to his professional career as well. He has worked as a political fundraiser, a Braille and technology instructor for the Ho'Opono Center for the Blind in Hawaii and BLIND Inc. in Minnesota, and an accessibility consultant for Target. He currently works as an accessibility manager at UnitedHealthcare.
In his free time, Ryan enjoys music composition and production, and he performs improvisational comedy.
Patrick VelliaOutreach & Civic Engagement Specialist
Patrick grew up on Long Island as the only DeafBlind member of a hearing family. Mainstreamed all his life, he graduated from a mainstream high school in 2006 and earned his BA in American Sign Language with a minor in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina in 2015.
Patrick is a web developer with a heavy focus in finding ways to make the web experience more accessible to persons with disabilities. In his free time Patrick has completed several half Ironman triathlons, competed in open water swimming, walked 50 miles for the National MS Society, and performed with 200 other dancers during a Zumba halftime show at a Charlotte Hornets game. For his day job, he works as a catering cook at both Target Center and Target Field.
“I’m excited to work with the Commission because as part of the Civic Engagement team, we strive to network with the community in order to maintain communication access and increase knowledge about how to lobby and participate in the legislative process for the Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing"
