First blind person to lead board of St. Louis blindness organization

From dBusiness News:

ST. LOUIS -- Alice Conway, recently elected as Chair of the Board of Directors, becomes the first individual who is blind to lead the 97-year-old St. Louis Society for the Blind & Visually Impaired.

Ms. Conway, Assistant General Counsel, Commercial and Employment Law, for Monsanto Company, has been a member of the Society’s Board since 2001 and served in several roles prior to assuming leadership of the Board of Directors.

In making the nomination of Ms. Conway as Chair, Gerald Brooks, Society Nominating Committee Chair, said, “Alice has shown great passion, devotion and
leadership for all the Society has done over the years. Her enthusiasm and commitment, accompanied with her personal experience made her a logical choice to become the Society Chair. Alice may be blind, but she has great vision for this organization.”

Ms. Conway received her undergraduate education at Washington University and earned a Ph.D. in comparative literature as well as her law degree from the same institution. She is a member of the Elliot Society and the Dean’s Roundtable at Washington University. Her legal practice has included antitrust, records management, corporate ethics. Also, Ms. Conway has been a presenter at many professional conferences and is author of many articles and essays.

In addition, Ms. Conway serves on the Board of Opera in the Ozarks, sings in her church choir, belongs to the Etude Music Club and occasionally takes voice lessons at the Juilliard School in New York City.

On being elected to serve as the Board Chair, Ms. Conway said, “I am blessed to be working with an outstanding Board and with an organization that makes a big difference in the lives of people who are sight-impaired or blind. When I was growing up, my mother taught me to read Braille, she Brailled my schoolbooks so that I could attend Ladue public schools, and she worked hard to make me independent and able to participate fully in the sighted world. Now it’s my turn to give back, by working hard to build upon the Society’s long track record of valuable service in the metropolitan area.”

Founded in 1911, The St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit agency providing education, training and vision rehabilitation services to more than 1,500 individuals annually who are blind or visually impaired to enhance their physical, psychological and social rehabilitation and independence.