Jen Smith, Foundation Board President

Jen Smith has 20 years of experience leading and managing traditional, digital, and emerging technology projects for nonprofit, government, and for-profit organizations. She’s passionate about accessibility and has been working on making digital spaces more inclusive since 2007. Before becoming the Director of Accessibility for Strategic Initiatives in Visa’s Design organization, she served as a Principal Program Manager of Accessibility at Microsoft and a Senior Accessibility Subject Matter Expert at JP Morgan Chase. She’s also served as a subject matter expert and strategist while a contractor at the Centers for Disease Control. She started her career as an on-air newscaster with an NPR affiliate station in Oklahoma City after graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in broadcast journalism. Since that time, she has definitely taken roads less traveled and moved around the country, living in three of the four continental U.S. time zones.

Photo of Jen Smith, a light-skinned woman with glasses, standing outside in front of a waterfall
  • 7 people stand holding certificates. One person is holding a white cane and another has a dog guide.

    Lighthouse is Awarded 2024 Inspiration Foundation Assistive Technology Grant

    May 16th, 2024

    The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is pleased to announce that we are a recipient of a 2024 Inspiration Foundation Assistive Technology Grant! The Inspiration Foundation (a family foundation created by Cleanlogic founder and CEO, [...]

  • Close up image of two hands grasping two older, more wrinkled hands.

    Illuminating Lives Together: How Empowering People Supports the Lighthouse

    March 14th, 2024

    At the heart of Spokane, Washington, lies a beacon of hope for the visually impaired - the Lighthouse. One of the reasons our institution stands tall is because of support from organizations like Empowering People. Empowering People: A Catalyst for Change Empowering [...]

  • Ballroom with round tables; in the foreground is a table of attendees. From left to right: Sara Desautel, Bank of America; Gab Decastro; Everett Elam, Computer and Assistive Technology Instructor; Jonathan Dymond Senior Donor Relations Manager; Greg Szabo, Director of Government & Public Relations; Raychel Callary, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist and Volunteer; George Abbott, President and CEO of The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.

    Supporting People Who are Blind in the Greater Spokane Community – Opportunities Breakfast

    March 6th, 2024

    Last week, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. hosted our annual Opportunities Breakfast, a transformative morning dedicated to celebrating the lives of individuals who are blind and DeafBlind in the Greater Spokane Community. The [...]