We are excited to introduce our newest Foundation Board members! We are so inspired by their commitment to the Lighthouse mission, and are grateful they are bringing their diverse skillsets to the Lighthouse! If you would like to learn more about board service, please email Engage@LHBlind.org
Meet Roya Fereidouni
“I have broad research and development as well as financial industry experience. I received my master’s degree from Chatham University. I am a first-generation Iranian-American immigrant. In recent years, I have been volunteering with many non-profit organizations in helping to resettle and acclimate Afghan refugees.
I first heard of the Lighthouse’s mission from friends and decided to join the Foundation Board. I believe in the power of community to give every individual the opportunity to reach their full strength and potential.
In my free time, I enjoy baking, practicing yoga, and spending time with my husband, Parsa, and our little rescue terrier-mix, Bilbo.”
Meet Chelsea Mclaughlin
“I’m a transplant to the Seattle area and have enjoyed exploring this beautiful region over the last four years and making it home. I’m a Southern native and a graduate from Auburn University. I’ve been in the aerospace industry for over 15 years and have enjoyed holding various leadership roles and watching and participating in the industry’s market and technology growth.
In exploring ways I could volunteer and build my sense of community, a peer introduced me to the Lighthouse. After a tour, I was completely blown away and humbled by this impressive organization, its mission, and its people. As a sighted person, I want to educate myself about the blind and deafblind community and engage on how to make opportunities and awareness for the blindness community more prevalent – starting with my place of employment and network.
I’m the mother of two children, Chloe (17) and Knox (5) and I want to be for them, the change and example I hope to see in the world – for all people, from all walks of life. I’m excited to be a part of this amazing organization and learning how to best serve the mission it represents.”
Meet Marieke Iwema
“Nice to meet you all – My name is Marieke, pronounced as ‘marEEkuh’ and my pronouns are she/they. In my work-life I am VP of User Experience (UX) and Design at Oracle, located in Seattle. In my personal life, I am an immigrant, mom of 2, parent of 4, animal lover and competitive rower. I became aware of the Lighthouse in my previous role as ‘accessibility champion’ and UX manager for Conversational AI, at Microsoft. Conversational AI enables people to interact with products and services in a conversational manner, including speech.
What inspired me about the Lighthouse is the combination of community services, training, as well as employment for people who are visually impaired. As a parent of a special needs child – one of our children has 22q deletion syndrome – I know how much it means to see people continue to learn, build confidence and independence, despite cognitive and/or physical challenges. With additional support on many fronts, our child attends public school with children of her own age and has dreams like any other kid. She wants to become a bus driver and own an RV.
I look forward to learning from you all, and using my personal and professional network to contribute to The Lighthouse of the Blind, Inc.”
