Meet the Houston Area Visually Impaired Network
Board of Directors
President: Ron Graham,
Visually Impaired People of South East Texas (VIPSET)
Ron Graham is one of the founding members of HAVIN. He has been the President of HAVIN since we became a nonprofit organization in 2017. He is also the founder and facilitator of the Visually Impaired People of South East Texas (VIPSET) support group that serves the Humble/Kingwood area in the northeast part of Houston. Ron has earned his B.S. in Behavior Psychology (2001) and his M.A. in Clinical Psychology (2004), both from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. He has lived in Kingwood with his wife and son since 2006.
Vice President: Naomi Panarella,
Foundation Fighting Blindness
Naomi Panarella is the Senior Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Finance and Treasury and Chief Risk Officer of Risk Management at Cheniere. Ms. Panarella joined Cheniere in May of 2018. Naomi has worked in many industries including, publishing, advertising, private equity, insurance, sports entertainment and currently oil and gas in Houston and New York City. She attended the University of Houston and graduated with a degree in Communications. Naomi became a member of HAVIN in 2018 serving as a board member representing the Foundation Fighting Blindness Houston Chapter and has served as the HAVIN Treasurer since 2020.
Secretary (Interim): Monique Mason,
VIEOL Visually Impaired Equality Of Life
Monique Mason is the Founder And Organizer Of VIEOL Visually Impaired Equality Of Life And “NEWS YOU CAN USE!” A Community Outreach Organization Resource Information Group
Treasurer: Foster Roland Brown,
Houston Council of the Blind
Mr. Brown is the current treasurer of the Houston Council of the Blind. He has worked in the Blind community since 2005. His most memorable accomplishment came in 2008 where he attended a legislative seminar and lobbied on behalf of American Council of the Blind in Washington D.C.
Members at Large
Grace Chang, OTR, OTD
UTHealth Houston, the Dan Arnold Center for Vision Rehabilitation
Grace Chang, OTD, OTR/L, is an Occupational Therapist at UTHealth Houston’s low vision clinic, the Dan Arnold Center for Vision Rehabilitation. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 2018 and her Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 2022. Grace is passionate about advocating for and supporting individuals who are blind or have low vision, and she is dedicated to serving the Houston community through vision rehabilitation.
Sara Freeman-Smith,
iBUG Today
Sara is an active disability advocate and community volunteer. She joined the HAVIN team in 2020 as the Board representative for iBUG and a member since 2015. Sara was appointed by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2017 to serve as Commissioner on the Houston Commission on Disabilities which provides a broad exposure to a wide variety of disabilities both seen and hidden and how they impact our community. Sara actively participates in numerous committees with several blind support organizations on the national, state, and local level-American Council of the Blind (ACB), ACB of Texas, HCB, and VIA. She is a former board member of Texas Rehabilatation Association (TRA) which provides support for vocational services & training for people with disabilities. Sara has worked in the employment/recruiting profession all her career and work diligently assisting individuals find employment with disabilities. She is passionate about helping others and speaking out for those who can’t speak for themselves. She works full-time and is also an author and motivational speaker.
Victoria Hillard,
Blind Professionals Network
Victoria Hillard is the Vice President of HAVIN. She has been a part of HAVIN since 2018. She is also the Founder/Executive Director of Blind Professionals Network, a NPO that provides training, support and resources to individuals in the blind and visually impaired community. Victoria is a native Californian and currently resides in Houston, TX.
Louis Maher,
National Federation of the Blind Houston Chapter
Louis Maher grew up in Dallas, Texas. He attended Spring Hill College in Mobile Alabama, and the University of Texas at Dallas; where, in 1979, he graduated with a Ph.D. in Physics.
Louis joined the Exxon Production Research (EPR) Company in 1981. Since joining ExxonMobil, he has worked on a variety of seismic data processing projects.
Louis retired from ExxonMobil in 2015.
Louis joined the National Federation of the blind (NFB) in 1994. Currently Louis is serving as the treasurer of the NFBTX Houston Chapter, and Secretary of: The National Federation of the Blind of Texas, the NFB Computer Science division, and the NFB Science and engineering division.
He is interested in improving the accessibility for the blind of: graphical user interfaces, graphically displayed data, and of mathematically based books and journals.
Louis, and his wife Helen, have two children and four grandchildren.
Angie Pickering,
The Lighthouse of Houston
Talana Townsend,
Visually Impaired Advocates (VIA)
Talana Townsend is a board member and the VIA representative to HAVIN. talana serves as the president of the Visually Impaired Advocates-Houston Organization (VIA). She also serves as VIA‘s Hospitality Chairperson and Communication person. Talana participates with several visually impaired organizations, as well as other local organizations in the greater Houston area. She strives for success and excellence while serving with love and dedication!
Karen Eitel,
Visually Impaired People of South East Texas (VIPSET) AR*
Karen is currently the alternate representative on the HAVIN board for VIPSET, and was previously the representative, for the Houston Council of The Blind, the local Affiliate of the American Council of the Blind of Texas (ACBT). She is also the past President of The Braille Revival League of Texas, also an ACBT Affiliate. Karen currently lives in Kingwood and was a founding member of the VIPSET support group.
Cynthia Fobbs,
Blind Professionals Network AR*
Cynthia is the alternate representative on the HAVIN board for the Blind Professionals Network. She has earned both her Bachelors degree in Psychology and Masters degree in Counseling from the University of Houston. Cynthia’s goal is to get her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or Family and Marriage Therapy. She is an active member of the blind community in Houston, a member of the Visually Impaired Advocates, the Houston chapter of the NFB and is the membership chair for the Blind Professionals Network. She also currently works as a Program Specialist IV for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. She previously worked as an Independent Living Worker for Legacy DARS. Cynthia is married and the proud mother of 2 children.
Dwight Zerangue,
Houston Council of the Blind AR*
My name is Dwight Zerangue, and I reside in Houston, Texas. I have been living with Sympathetic Ophthalmia since 2014 and have been actively involved in the blind and visually impaired community since 2017. Throughout the years, I have participated in and supported several organizations dedicated to serving and advocating for individuals with visual impairments.
I am a proud graduate of the University of Houston–Clear Lake, where I earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Prior to my retirement, I served as a law enforcement officer for 22 years, a career that allowed me to serve my community with dedication and integrity.
I continue to remain engaged in community service and advocacy efforts, using my professional and personal experiences to make a positive impact on others.
Advisors
Dr. Swati Modi, O.D.
Center for Sight Enhancement,
University of Houston College of Optometry
Swati Modi, OD, FAAO is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Houston. She teaches clinically in the University Eye Institute’s Center for Sight Enhancement and is the Director of the Service. Dr. Modi is the Course-director of the Low Vision Rehabilitation didactic course and laboratory for optometry 3rd year students and is the Director of the Low Vision Rehabilitation Residency program. She has presented on low vision rehabilitation, both nationally and internationally, and is the recipient of the Texas Optometric Association Educator of the Year Award (2022), the Corning Low Vision Award and the Feinbloom Low Vision Award. Since 2013, Dr. Modi has been an Advisor to the Houston Area Visually Impaired Network (HAVIN) non-profit organization.
Dr. Jennifer Tasca, O.D., FAAO
Center for Sight Enhancement,
University of Houston College of Optometry
Dr. Tasca graduated from NOVA Southeastern University College of Optometry in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She then completed a residency in Low Vision Rehabilitation at the Feinbloom Center at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, followed by an additional year of residency in Ocular Disease at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami. Upon completion of the residency, she served on staff at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, specializing in Low Vision Rehabilitation. In addition, she was an Adjunct Professor at NOVA College of Optometry. She then moved to Anchorage, Alaska to serve the Native Alaskan population for three years. In 1999, she joined a private practice in Colorado, providing primary care and low vision rehabilitative services. In 2011, after relocating to the Houston area, she returned to her love of teaching at the University of Houston College of Optometry.
Mendy Graham
Mendy Graham has been involved with HAVIN since its initial inception. She began helping out with the inaugural Insight Expo and has been active with HAVIN ever since then. She regularly helps out at HAVIN events, both behind the scenes and in-person. Whatever role Mendy plays, from staffing the HAVIN table to overseeing hospitality and door prizes, she is always there to help people and offer support with a smile. She has earned both her B.A. and M.A in Home Economics Education from Sam Houston State University. Mendy retired from Channelview ISD after a 32-year teaching career and now lives in Kingwood with her husband and son.
*AR indicates Alternate Representative
(Updated 06/18/2026)