Taking The Lead Podcast_Melissa Weisse_Remote
Leslie: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast, where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Leslie Hoskins, with my co-hosts, Alyssa Otis and Timothy Cudoneau. I know we talk about this every year, guys, but it is that ki- time of year. It is conference season. We are busy. We are everywhere. Uh, Alyssa, what, what's on the radar here?
Alyssa: Oh, so many things. I feel like I'm just packing suitcases left and right here- ... for Leader Dog to be places. But yeah, we've got some national conferences. We have NFB coming up and ACB coming up. Uh-
Leslie: And NFB is National-
Alyssa: I was just gonna say Yeah ... National Federation for the Blind. Um, and that one is going to be in Texas.
Ooh,
Leslie: nice and hot in July.
Alyssa: Yeah. Nice and hot. It's a lot. Yeah, I know. Good luck to all those guide
Melissa: dogs.
Alyssa: Yeah. Yeah. I think our instructors are bringing little personal fans, so hopefully they will be good. And then, uh, ACB, so the American Council of the Blind, is in St. Louis. Which I've never been.
Leslie: Yeah.
Alyssa: I don't think it's quite as [00:01:00] hot as Texas.
Leslie: Yeah, we had, um, a conference there one time. It's really nice. Lots to do. You
Timothy: visit the Arch while you're there.
Alyssa: That's ... Yep, exactly. In all of the, um, conference information they said one of the things you have to do is definitely go and see the Arch.
Leslie: Yeah. These are fantastic consumer conferences, and it's really important that we are there every year and representing Leader Dogs for the Blind, and how our services are available for free.
And it's not just guide dogs. We're still, of course, always actively talking about our wonderful- Mm-hmm ... guide dog program, but also still highlighting that O&M program that everybody can benefit from. And really, Timothy, that's, that's how you came to us, right?
Timothy: Yeah. What a better way to go to one of these conferences and try your cane skills and your guide dog skills and just get out there and do it on your own.
What a ... I've done it before, and it's nothing better than seeing 3,500 people at one big giant hotel- I-
Alyssa: it- ...
Timothy: that are visually impaired.
Alyssa: Absolutely. No, it is a, a lot of fun. There's always something going on. All of the vendors, so all of the guide dog organizations, and all of the technology that is [00:02:00] there, everybody gets together.
It's, it's very much like a camaraderie, a family. We all are there for the same mission, and also, of course, a lot of fun.
Leslie: And it's great to get some advocacy updates of what's going on in the, the fields of blindness and low vision, who's working on what, how to get involved, network. It's just a really great opportunity.
Um, and, and beside those two, which are great conferences, uh, those... or conventions, we also have AER International- Mm ... which is more of that professional group of O&Ms and teachers of the visually impaired and vision rehabilitation therapists, and all of those professionals are getting together, um, this summer as well, end of July, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Um, we also just got back from the MOCA conference.
Alyssa: Yeah, got to go to Oklahoma. The hotel was wild. It was, uh, very Oklahoma themed. So I don't know exactly what that means, but it was a lot of, uh, a lot of hunting and outdoorsy stuff, and all of the incredible contacts that we got to make there, 'cause we haven't gone to Oklahoma at least since [00:03:00] I've been in this role.
Leslie: Yeah, and it was a great ... It ... So it was, like, multiple states. It was Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas. And again, a consumer conference, so people who are blind or low vision coming and trying to, again, connect, find resources, learn. Uh, we presented, which is always a great opportunity to have an hour dedicated to talking specifically about Leader Dog, and so we always enjoy that.
Um, and then of course we were at VisionServe Alliance and NVISION, and that was, uh, last week of May, and that was in Columbus, Ohio. So we had quite a few team members who were there representing us, and also presenting there as well. So wow, right? That
Alyssa: is- A lot
Timothy: of fr- flier miles there
Alyssa: if you want. I'm trying to work my way up to a free trip to Hawaii here.
Leslie: Wonderful stuff. So if you have an opportunity to go to any of those conventions or conferences, highly recommend. And if you do, please stop by our table and say hi to us, connect, tell us what's going on, ask quest- questions, uh, that is what we're there for.
Alyssa: Absolutely. And again, we are there [00:04:00] to spread the mission of Leader Dog, and nobody that I know holds that mission better than our guest today.
So we're excited to hear from our president and CEO to get an update on what's happening at Leader.
Leslie: Yes. Melissa Weiss is an industry respected nonprofit executive with over 20 years of experience in fundraising and senior management, leading staff and services that support people who are blind or low vision.
Melissa holds the highest accreditation for professional fundraisers, and is one of just over 100 people to be an advanced certified fundraising executive. She is the vice chair of the American Foundation of the Blind, and is celebrating her second year of president and CEO at Leader Dogs for the Blind.
Melissa: Thank you, Leslie.
Timothy: It's always a pleasure having you here on the podcast. Now, how are you doing, and what's been going on at Leader Dog lately?
Melissa: Thank you, Timothy. It's good to be here with the three of you, and I, I want to thank you all for the representation of the Leader Dog mission at all the conferences [00:05:00] you just mentioned.
It's so important to us that Leader be there, and engaging with the community and meeting everyone, so thank you to each of you for that work. Uh, what's going on at Leader? Lots is going on. We've had a lot of exciting pieces this year, and I'd particularly like to cite the inaugural alumni board of trustees.
I think this has been a historic and epic advancement for our mission. This, uh, fiscal year, we introduced an alumni board which has representation from regions all across the United States and Canada, representation from all of our programs, uh, different demographics. It has brought such perspective to our work.
And just recently, we had the alumni board of trustees here on campus for a retreat. They were able to get updates on what's [00:06:00] happening here at Leader. We were able to learn from them to have that critical client perspective. And then we had a dinner with the Leader Dog board of trustees, and of course, really captured that moment to commemorate it for what it is, a historic moment for our organization, and a historic moment in representation for our clients at the center of our mission.
I would cite that as a really, uh, major advancement about what's been happening here at Leader.
Leslie: That was such a fantastic couple days. It wasn't long enough- No ... I think was the takeaway that we all had, but the conversations and the networking and the support, that dinner of bringing both of our boards together- Yes
felt so historic, as you mentioned, but also powerful. The voices that were in that room, and our board getting to hear from our alumni board and really talk about issues that they're having and seeing, um, and being part of the conversation was wonderful. We're so excited to continue that, and we had over, you know, almost 60 plus people who applied for that role, and it [00:07:00] was so fantastic to have that open call for applications so that every client had an opportunity to be on that, on that board.
Melissa: Absolutely, and it'll be exciting to see the work of that board in the years to come. It, it's, it's a central part of our work already
Leslie: And thank you really, Melissa, for spearheading that and making sure that that became a priority and something that we were really willing to invest in, the time, the money, all of it, because we've already seen the impact from this wonderful alumni board with their engagement on social media and our internal Facebook alumni page.
Um, and, and of course, advocacy. They've got mentorship going on. So absolutely a, a real highlight within the last time that we've spoken to you and you've been on the podcast. Um, and I know last time we spoke, we really talked about the strategic plan, Leading the Way. Can you give us some more updates on what's happening in that, that strategic plan?
Melissa: Thank you, Leslie. And first, I have to thank you for your role as the liaison to the alumni board. That's been really meaningful [00:08:00] work, and I appreciate that very much, and I know the alumni board does as well. So Leading the Way, our two-year strategic plan, uh, which was very deliberate to have a two-year plan that's very nimble, as that's what we need to be as an organization.
And this plan focuses on some key areas of the organization, and I'd particularly like to speak about several of them, one of them being our evolution to increasingly serving the whole person in our work. And we've spoken about this on this podcast over time, in that, uh, we are so grateful to partner with Leader Dog clients, uh, over a lifetime, and it is incumbent upon us as an organization, and I wanna speak directly to each and every one of our clients listening, we are here for you, and this is your organization.
So for us to understand the evolving needs, what you wanna see here at Leader, is very meaningful to us. So [00:09:00] to that end, in this strategic plan, we developed some interesting pilot programs. We did an extensive, uh, survey of our client base, and from that, we found there was a desire for more programs in activities of daily living, in assistive technology, and even self-defense.
So in the first year of the strategic plan, we did some very successful pilots, uh, trialing each of these initiatives. Had really good feedback from the, uh, cohort of clients that took part in this. And we have deep history in this. 20 years ago, Leader Dog created a groundbreaking orientation and mobility program, and this is now a nationally recognized program.
We serve over 200 people. Each of you know, and many of you have experienced it. So we're drawing on that depth of experience we have from launching that program and looking at these new initiatives. Uh, they're very relevant for clients, so that's [00:10:00] trialing that in this strategic plan. I mentioned self-defense.
We did have feedback from clients that wanted to see that as an optional offering whilst they're here for services, so trialed that as well. And all of this work is being done with the lived experience and the client voice at the center. So that's an important aspect of this strategic plan. Also, a key piece is from the canine perspective, really looking at the holistic wellbeing of Leader Dogs from birth all the way through to graduation and life with clients, and having a consistent philosophy, uh, across all of the parts of our organization that touch and care for and love all Leader Dogs.
Uh, obviously a, a key part of our work, and that portion of the plan brings together, uh, so many aspects of the mission from canine care to GDMIs to [00:11:00] admissions. So lots of work being done there. I will also go back to the client portion and say we're looking at streamlining our admissions, really making, uh, that more accessible, removing barriers so that we can have an even more seamless admissions process.
And I hope that speaks to each one of you, uh, when you approach the organization. We want that to be very meaningful and want to be as, um, I would say, relevant as possible to what you need and expect from Leader when you call into the organization. So moving ahead on those fronts, a key piece that I know all of you have been, uh, speaking about is our very exciting capital campaign work to renovate our Residence building and our Walnut Street training building.
And I know many people listening are reflecting on their own experience staying in the Residence or training in Walnut Street, and these buildings are now over twenty-seven [00:12:00] years old. While very serviceable, we want to evolve to meet what modern accessibility looks like, what this environment can be to create an even better and more optimal client experience.
So to that end, we've been having a lot of focus groups talking to all the constituents that use those spaces, gathering themes, and, uh, throughout this year, we'll be developing renderings of what these buildings could look like and then beginning construction and fundraising in twenty-twenty-seven, twenty-twenty-eight.
So lots to come in this strategic plan.
Timothy: Well, Melissa, you know, I was able to come up this past February to do one of those pilot classes, and it was a great experience- Thank you ... and I thank you that Leader Dog is doing this. So where do you see this going in the future, these pilot programs?
Melissa: Where I see that going, Timothy, is we'll do, uh, one more trial in this upcoming fiscal year, the second year of the [00:13:00] plan, and then we'll look as to how to push this out to our client base.
What would this look like as a standing Leader Dog program? So our team of experts is collating all that feedback to come back with, uh, really some plans as to how we could create this as a Leader Dog program. So exciting there. We had a lot of feedback, Timothy, and I appreciate you giving us that feedback on how meaningful this is.
Leslie: It was also really great to work with outside professionals, so bringing in some different, uh, certified vision rehabilitation therapists so it wasn't just our one, who is fantastic, but really bringing the outside perspective and their experience, years of experience to the table, and having these conversations.
And even at the end of the week, while it was fantastic and super successful, there were already so many things of like, "Oh, but we can make this better if we tweak that," or, "Let's reimagine this schedule," or, "Let's not combine those two things," however it is. So I think it's really exciting to think about the next year of another pilot program to really s- you know, [00:14:00] solidify what's going to work and what we wanna take forward.
But again, as you mentioned, having the client as part of those conversations is so critical. And Timothy, you were such a huge piece of that, um, so thank you. I also wanna go back and talk about, um... Well, there's so many things I wanna talk about. 'Cause that was a lot- Mm-hmm ... that we have been doing and working on.
And really, it seems like, you know, it's been such a long process, so to see some of these kind of coming and wrapping up and then starting to be implemented feels a little crazy. Mm-hmm. It does. Um, 'cause it's been, you know, behind the scenes for so long. But one of the strategies that we've been using for these focus groups and we also used for the application redesign was kind of this, this focus group and everybody just jotting down every idea possible.
Can you tell us a little bit about how that worked and where that came from?
Melissa: Thank you, Leslie. What we did, and we- it's, it's really a strategy we used in, uh, developing our new canine center, uh, uh, over a decade ago, is to bring people in a [00:15:00] room and ask generative questions. And really, everybody gets a sticky note.
We also did this in access- in an accessible format- Mm-hmm ... for people who were remote, and say, "Just write down all of your ideas, and multiple, multiple ideas. We're just not looking for one. D- everything, all of your thinking. And, uh, we'll take those ideas and then group them into themes." And you see themes emerge about what would be an ideal residential environment.
What should the dining room look like? What should a client room ideally look like? So we got a lot of consistent themes, and from those themes, we're able to then give that to the architect to then develop those renderings.
Leslie: It was so interesting, the topics that came out from these, 'cause it was kind of like no, no ideas are off limits, right?
Yes. Throw everything out there, even if it feels a little wild and crazy. And then through that, different conversations kind of spurred, and we got to all these very creative spaces. Uh, I cannot wait to see and understand [00:16:00] how somebody takes all of that and collects all that information into something.
Melissa: Absolutely, Leslie. I'm so looking forward to that. And I know for many of you who've listened and had multiple visits and stayed with us here, I always like to say, when you come back, "Welcome home. Welcome home to Leader." And that's why this project is so important. This is home, and when you stay here, the, uh, c- Your room, your space, your sanctuary, the, the time you spend with your peers and your colleagues.
We, we want this to be home. And so to that end, we welcome all feedback. We are still in that generative phase, so keep the feedback coming to us.
Alyssa: Now's the time. Now's the time to send in your feedback. So I, you know, I was lucky enough to be here to see our old kennel and now our new Canine Development Center.
Um, and I was here through that construction. So we know it's doable- ... because we've done it before. Uh, but I would assume that we are still, at Leader, we're gonna be servicing [00:17:00] clients as this whole, not just the construction, but even the fundraising and the planning is happening. So can you tell me a little more about that?
Melissa: Thank you, Alyssa. That's such a good question, because how will we deliver service when we're at the height of construction is something we're really looking at right now. And of course, we'll have some different options. We are very fortunate to have many community partnerships right in our vicinity, whether it's that, uh, collaboration with the local university that would let us use their dormitory residences, or with local hotels, or doing a few more home deliveries during that timeframe.
We will certainly be continuing our, uh, wonderful client service provision to each and every one of our clients during that time.
Alyssa: Of course.
Timothy: So Melissa, what clients are gonna be excited about this, uh, new venture we're getting ready to do for Leader Dog? What can they do to help raise money for Leader Dog right now?
Melissa: That is such- What can we do? ... a great question. And what we'll do is, uh, as we get these themes together, we will have a case [00:18:00] statement and talking points and materials for everyone to have so they can speak about this project to their, uh, groups and affinity groups in their home, uh, neighborhoods, in their regions, to their friends, to their network.
We really want all of you to communicate it. It really is a, a, a project that all of us are involved in, and it's going to be really exciting to speak about.
Alyssa: Well, and one of the cool things, and correct me if I'm wrong, but we're putting these pilot programs together, and we're seeing kind of what the future of programming looks like.
I would assume some of that's gonna be taken into account when we do this capital campaign and redesign the residence.
Melissa: Absolutely right, Alyssa. It's all coming together. It's such a great time for us. And I will have to say, and you all mentioned the conferences that are so important for us to be at, I'm really grateful for the collaboration we have within the International Guide Dog Federation to share best practices, to visit other guide dog organizations, and invite other [00:19:00] guide dog organizations to visit us, so we can all share our best methodologies and thinking, so that we can all create the best experience for our clients.
Alyssa: Absolutely.
Leslie: I think it's been so wonderful that you've been able to go and tour some of these other guide dog organizations. And we have, yes, absolutely welcomed people here because we're all in the same business, and we all benefit from each other and what we're learning. Um, and just what a collaborative time it is between all of us as guide dog, guide dog organizations.
Can you tell us about your travels so far? How have they been? What have been some key takeaways?
Melissa: That's been really interesting. Uh, we do have, as you've said, a very collaborative, um, relationship with our fellow organizations within the International Guide Dog, uh, Federation, and also within Assistance Dogs International.
Mm-hmm. Very, um, collaborative group. So we recently, uh, had a wonderful visit to The Seeing Eye in Morristown, New Jersey, who are great partners and, um, thought leaders in the field. And we were able to [00:20:00] go and visit the beautiful campus, meet the team. Uh, truly, it was such a special session as we brought members of our facility team, members of our canine care team, guide dog, uh, services team members.
And we'll do the same and invite The Seeing Eye here. Last year, we had Guide Dogs for the Blind here for a collaborative visit, and I think that's something that elevates all of us when we're in this very, um, specific field.
Leslie: Mm-hmm.
Melissa: I think it helps all of us support each other and support the client. So those have been really, um, remarkable visits.
Leslie: I think it's always such an interesting topic because not many industries are so collaborative and really work together in this capacity. But we're all here for the same reasons. We wanna serve clients, and, and so it's just been really exciting. And I'm so jealous- ... because I would love to go to any of those organizations.
Is there anything else that we're really looking forward to, you know, as we're kind of wrapping up even just this fiscal year and then getting ready to go into that [00:21:00] 2027, which seems like it's tomorrow at this point? Yeah.
Melissa: I think yes, absolutely, um, Leslie. In the work of the alumni board, I'm looking forward to, uh, regional chapters being set up so we can have that really boots on the ground meeting where we have people in certain states with alumni clubs doing work within their community and creating that Leader Dog community when people go home.
I'm really looking forward to that. I'm really looking forward to all the conferences you mentioned. You mentioned I sit on the board of the American Foundation for the Blind. I really like the partnerships that we are increasingly developing with all of those organizations. I was recently at the Helen Keller Achievement Awards and had a Leader Dog client, Kim Polk, with me.
And to be advocating with all of these organizations, I'm very excited about the continued development there. And then lastly, something I would say that I'm very happy about and very proud of is our team here at Leader. [00:22:00] Uh, we, we have experts here who are very passionate and knowledgeable about the work.
As we said, it's a very small field in regard to people who are guide dog mobility instructors like you, Alyssa, or certified orientation and mobility specialists like you, Leslie, and people that have devoted time to this specialization. I'm excited about the expertise and the new generation of leaders that are gonna be taking this organization into the future.
It, it's a very bright future for Leader, everything we're doing with the programs, the capital campaign Uh, the collaborations and leaders like the both of you, very exciting. And when we can have client partners like Timothy and the alumni board, this is, this is exciting future stuff.
Alyssa: Ugh, I hear about all of this stuff because, you know, I, I work here.
But just hearing it from you, it really invigorates me. I'm, I'm all of the sudden re-excited about things- Yes ... that I've been excited about. So I could not agree with you more, Melissa. The, the industry itself is incredible, but, but the team [00:23:00] here, the clients that we work with, the volunteers, that is what makes Leader Dog home.
Melissa: Absolutely.
Leslie: It was so interesting. I was working with a client recently and had an opportunity to get those O&M skills back out and teach, and one of the things that she pointed out that I w- kept saying is, "Well, research shows," or, "Our connection with this university or this organization." And she was like, "I didn't realize how much research and education and all of that goes into it."
And I'm like, "You know, thank you for pointing that out," because it is such a critabl- critical part of what we do. We have to stay on the forefront of what research is telling us about canine health and welfare and engagement, but also client and adult-centered learning, and our facilities, and access, and technology, and advocacy.
And we just have some really cool partnerships that help us maintain that. Um, so it was really exciting to hear that she was also happy about
Melissa: it. I love to hear that because as you're referencing those things, that partnership with thought leaders in the field, and I, I was really excited to present this morning on, [00:24:00] uh, the harness study we're doing with- Yeah
Ohio State University. And I saw a brief video about this that we presented to the Leader Dog Board of Trustees, and to see the work and the thinking and the science that's going into that. We partnered with the University of Michigan to do some wonderful work on regionalization- Mm-hmm ... where there's potential.
I think these sorts of collaborations are exactly where we need to be as an organization, imagining a new future and an evolution for this incredible, historic organization.
Leslie: Absolutely. We're partnering with Notre Dame- Mm-hmm ... hopefully on some advocacy pieces. Yes. Oakland University continues with the- Always
puppy raising. Um, and- Michigan State. Yeah. Yeah,
Alyssa: MSU.
Leslie: It's amazing. Yes. And these are just some of more of the local connections, but really thinking globally and the interactions that we have. And then we know our Lions Club are always out in different ways connecting us with different organizations or resources, and it's just really, it's so much bigger than I think what people realize, and even sometimes us [00:25:00] as team members don't realize all the other feelers and- Mm-hmm
and connections that are happening out there.
Melissa: Yes. It's very exciting. There's a
Alyssa: lot of moving parts.
Melissa: There are.
Leslie: So many.
Melissa: And the scope and reach of Leader is so significant when you look at where our clients live and reside, where our supporters are, 1,400 volunteers, all of these young people that we mentioned in universities that are going forward with our, our Leader Dog mission.
I, I think, uh, it's really a great time to be here at Leader.
Leslie: Absolutely. And Timothy, you're such a huge piece of all of that, too, and those connections. You're constantly on the road and sharing your experience and the mission. What is it, you know, are you familiar with a lot of these things, or are you kind of always like, "Oh my gosh, there is one more thing that we're doing?"
Timothy: Well, there's always... You just never know what Leader Dog's gonna come up with next sometimes. I mean, you gotta get, stay, get this thing plugged in all the time. So I'm glad that Leader Dog's not ever satisfied. They're always striving to be the, the best that we can be. And [00:26:00] with Melissa's help, we're gonna get there.
Melissa: Thank
Timothy: you, Timothy. So I'm, I'm, I'm very grateful for you, Melissa.
Melissa: Thank you. I am very grateful for you, and it is exciting to have all these partnerships, our partnership with Lions Clubs International. Uh, we're just so grateful to be able to collaborate with so many humanitarians that care deeply about this place.
Alyssa: Oh my gosh. I'm just sitting here, like, melting into my chair listening to Melissa. Because I, I truly could not agree more. And, and we wanna thank you for being here. We know Leader has so many things going on. We know you are extremely busy. I'm glad we got to catch you out of a meeting just before you go into another one, I'm sure.
But, um, we really appreciate you- Thank you ... telling us everything about Leader.
Melissa: Thank you, Alyssa. Thank you, Leslie. Thank you, Timothy.
Alyssa: Thank you. And thank all of you guys for listening to the Taking the Lead podcast. I'm Alyssa Otis with host Timothy Cugno and Leslie Hoskins. We hope you enjoyed hearing from Melissa regarding the current happenings on campus and, of course, the exciting plans for the future.
So please join us next time as we continue to dive [00:27:00] into the world of blindness.
Leslie: And if you'd like to learn more about applying to Leader Dog, you can head to leaderdog.org or call us at 888-777-5332. Don't forget, you can reach us at takingthelead@leaderdog.org with any questions or ideas. If you liked today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever podcasts stream.