Board and Officer Nominations 2026
The NBA Nominating Committee will be preparing a slate of officers and directors to stand for election at the Fall 2026 NBA Professional Development Conference. If you, or someone you know, is interested in serving on the NBA Board of Directors, please complete the form below.
Available Positions
The following positions are available to be filled:
Vice President—To be eligible for this position, a candidate must be a current director in good standing for at least two years. This position is a two-year commitment.
Secretary—To be eligible for this position, a candidate must be a current director in good standing for at least two years. This position is a two-year commitment.
[Except for the current President (Cindi Laurent) and President Elect (Kathleen Cantrell), any candidate who meets the qualifications for an officer position are eligible for nomination even if the term of the position they currently have is not set to expire in the fall of 2026.]
Director—To be eligible for this position, a candidate must be a member in good standing with the Association for at least one year prior to election or appointment. This position is a three-year commitment. (There are three Director position available, so please feel free to nominate more than one person if you know multiple people who are both qualified and willing.)
Expiring Terms and Eligibility
It is customary for the NBA to identify the current board members whose term is expiring in the upcoming year. Included with that information are the positions that the board members are eligible to hold after their term expires.
Please see below for a list of current board members whose term expires in 2026:
Kyle DeJute—Kyle’s term as Vice President ends in the fall of 2026. She is eligible for another term as VP, another officer position, or a director position.
Cindy Olmstead—Cindy’s term as Vice President ends in the fall of 2026. She is eligible for another term as Secretary, another officer position, or a director position.
Don Winiecki—Don’s term as a Director ends in the fall of 2026. He is eligible for another term as a director or an officer position.
Current Board Members Eligible for Officer Positions
As noted above, to be eligible for an officer position someone must be a current director in good standing for at least two years. Below is a list of current directors who meet this eligibility requirement:
- Jan Carroll
- Kyle DeJute
- Jana Hertz
- Betty Marshall
- Cindy Olmstead
- Anna Werner
- Don Winiecki
Nominate
Please use the form below to nominate someone for a position on the NBA Board of Directors. Nominations must be submitted by January 16, 2026. It is acceptable to submit a nomination for yourself.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FORM AND NOMINATE SOMEONE
If you prefer, you may submit a nomination in the form of a letter. Please be sure to include background information and pertinent experience pertaining to the nominee. Letters can be mailed to:
National Braille Association, Inc.
c/o Nominating Committee
21 Goodway Drive #142
Rochester, New York 14623
All letters postmarked before January 16, 2026, will be considered.
Nominations by Petition
Using the process described above, the NBA Nominating Committee reviews the submitted nominations and selects who they want to include on the slate of officers and directors. Although rarely used, there is another process that can be followed that leads to someone being considered for a board position. That process is called ‘Nominations by Petition’.
To nominate someone by petition an individual must obtain the signature of no fewer than twenty-five members in good standing. No more than five of these members shall be from any one state. A petition must be accompanied by the written consent of the nominee to serve if elected. The petition must be filed with the Secretary (Cindy Olmstead) by June 30th of 2026. If someone is nominated by petition, the NBA will send an announcement to its membership. This announcement will include a list of those individuals who were ‘Nominated by the Nominating Committee’ and who were ‘Nominated by Petition’.
NBA members will then have an opportunity to assess the candidates and vote on which nominee they want to serve. The process used for voting would be described in the announcement. Voting would conclude in advance of the Fall 2026 Professional Development Conference so that new board members can be introduced at that event.