Our inaugural panel of Holman Prize judges was first selected by the LightHouse and met in June 2017 to choose three winners from a pool of more than 200 ambitious and adventurous blind candidates. In 2020 the committee convened for the fourth time to decide on the next three blind prizewinners. Encompassing a wide range of expertise, our international committee members – all of whom are themselves blind – embody the spirit of James Holman, our finalists and the LightHouse for the Blind’s overarching mission. Learn more about the 2020 Committee below and then meet previous Holman Prize Committees.

Bill Raeder
Retired President, National Braille Press

Bryan Bashin
CEO, LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Don Brown
CEO, Access Work Systems

Jason Fayre
National Lead, Accessibility and Assistive Technology, CNIB.

Jason Roberts
Honorary Committee Member & Author, "A Sense of the World" about James Holman

Jim Kutsch
Retired President, The Seeing Eye

Joseph Chan
Board Member, LightHouse for the Blind & Retired CFO, Association of Bay Area Governments

Kathryn Webster
Business Analyst, Deloitte Consulting

Kerryann Ifill
Former President of the Senate, Barbados. & Rotarian

Michelle Hackman
Journalist, Wall Street Journal

Mike May
Chief Evangelist, Access Explorer

Natalina Martiniello
Ph. D Candidate, Wittich Vision

Dr. Sharon Sacks
Board Chair, LightHouse for the Blind, and Retired Superintendent, California School for the Blind

Will Schell, J.D.
Attorney Advisor, Disability Rights Office Designated Federal Officer, Disability Advisory Committee Federal Communications Commission