Right Column

Press Releases

Printer Friendly Version

State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind Has New Executive Officer

SACRAMENTO -- The California Department of Consumer Affairs' State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind has named Dr. Jane Brackman as its new Executive Officer.

"The members of the Guide Dog Board look forward to working closely with Jane and welcome her with open arms," said Board President Allan Bremer in announcing the appointment.

Dr. Brackman assumed her new post on March 2, 2006.

Dr. Brackman's interest in guide dogs is a result of a unique combination of experience in a variety of disciplines including education, special education, non-profit sector management, and canine biology.

A former member of the Guide Dog Board (2002-2004), Dr. Brackman is a writer, consultant and leading authority on the cultural history of canine domestication. She also has extensive experience working with the blind community, having served as Executive Director for Guide Dogs of America, a non-profit guide-dog school, from 1991-1994, after six years as the organization's Director of Development.

Dr. Brackman holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas, a master's degree from Arizona State University and a doctorate from Claremont Graduate University.

In 2001-2002, Dr. Brackman founded the Center for Canine Studies, a non-profit organization that helped people who wanted to do something good for dogs find ways to put their donations to work, from setting up vet school scholarships, to supporting spay/neuter clinics, to financing canine genetic studies.

Dr. Brackman lectures and consults with museums and her articles appear regularly in scholarly and popular publications such as the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, the American Kennel Club Gazette and Family Dog magazine. Her soft spot for canines was in evidence last year, when she volunteered for the Humane Society's rescue efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

"In the last 20 years I've witnessed significant change in the guide dog field -- from a time when institutions viewed their purpose as custodial and protective to one where dedicated consumers have an opportunity to advise schools through a united voice," said Dr. Brackman. "I'm pleased to once again have an opportunity to work with the consumers and the schools to find common ground on issues that are important to people who use guide dogs."

The California State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind, which is a part of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, licenses and regulates schools and persons in California that train and supply guide dogs for the blind. For more information, visit the Board's Web site at www.dca.ca.gov/guidedogboard.

# # #