APH Board of Trustees
The American Printing House for the Blind is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. Responsibility for its administration rests with Corporate Trustees chosen from the business and professional community of the greater Louisville, Kentucky area.
On June 16, 2010, the APH Board of Trustees hosted a showcase of our educational products on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Here members of the Board, APH staff, and special guests pose in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building.
Current APH Board Members
- W. Barrett Nichols, Chair
- Dr. Charles Barr
- Jane Hardy
- Judge David Holton II
- Dr. Virginia T. Keeney
- Dr. Julie Lee
- W. James Lintner, Jr.
- Herbert (Bart) W. Perkins III
- Dr. Tuck Tinsley III
- Darrell Wells
- Phoebe Wood
We would like to thank our Board of Trustees for giving their time and talent to ensure that APH remains a strong organization.
W. Barrett Nichols, Chair
Appointed to APH Board: July, 2007
Elected Chair: January, 2013
W. Barrett Nichols founded BSG Financial, LLC in 2000 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Focusing on small and medium-sized financial institutions, the company provides technology and support services that help banks manage information and operate more efficiently and profitably.
Previously, Mr. Nichols spent 20 years in corporate lending and retail banking at PNC, rising to Executive Vice President. In that role, he successfully merged its Indiana acquisitions into one bank, where he served as President, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of PNC Indiana. Upon leaving PNC, Mr. Nichols helped found Mesa Food Products, located in Louisville, Kentucky. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer until the sale of Mesa to ConAgra.
Mr. Nichols served as the Chairman of the Community Foundation of Louisville. He serves or served as a Board Member and Officer in several civic and charitable groups, including: J. Graham Brown Foundation, Metro United Way, Dare to Care Food Bank, Kentucky Derby Museum, the Fund for the Arts, and the Greater Louisville Project. Mr. Nichols graduated from Hampden-Sydney College and attended Indiana University's Executive Program Graduate School of Business.
Dr. Charles Barr
Appointed to APH Board: January, 1997
Chair: 2010 - 2012
Dr. Charles Barr has been a faculty member at the University of Louisville since 1983. He is the Arthur and Virginia Keeney Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Retina Service, with expertise in age-related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, Retina Diseases, and Retinal Detachment.
Dr. Barr graduated cum laude from Princeton University with an AB degree and received his MD from Johns Hopkins. He has taught dozens of courses, received numerous research grants, been a guest lecturer at national and international universities and hospitals, and authored and co-authored more than one-hundred publications. He has served in a leadership role with many professional and community organizations. He recently served on the Macula Society's executive committee and on the Board of Governors for the JB Speed Art Museum. He is the current president of The Retina Society.
Jane W. Hardy
Appointed to APH Board: September, 2006
Jane Hardy is CEO and Chairman of Brinly-Hardy Co., a fifth-generation lawn and garden equipment manufacturing company based in Jeffersonville, Indiana. After graduating with a bachelor's degree from The Colorado College in 1984, she began her career at Brinly-Hardy Co. Ms. Hardy was named Vice-President of Sales and Marketing in 1991, and succeeded her father, James E. Hardy III, as President of the company upon his retirement. In 2010 Ms. Hardy graduated from the Harvard Business School's Presidents Program in Leadership after 9 years of study.
Brinly-Hardy Co. is a leader in the design manufacture, and sale of residential and commercial lawn equipment and accessories for lawn tractors and utility vehicles. Customers include Deere & Co. and The Home Depot. Brinly-Hardy is a certified Women Owned Business Enterprise.
Ms. Hardy also serves on the board of directors of the Louisville Science Center, is a past board member of Actors Theatre of Louisville, and is a member of the local and international Young Presidents Organization where she currently serves as Chair of the Women's International Network and as a member of the International Networks Committee.
Judge David Holton II
Appointed to APH Board: January, 2010
Jefferson District Court Judge David L. Holton II was appointed to the bench in 2008. In 2010, he was elected to a four year term on the Jefferson District Court Bench where he presides over both criminal and civil cases. Prior, he was an accomplished private practice attorney with experience in family, civil, and criminal law and served as a prosecutor in the Jefferson County Attorney's office. He is the first Kentucky judge who is blind.
Judge Holton received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehead State University and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He has served on several boards and commissions, including the Seven County Services Board of Directors, the Kentucky Council on Higher Education, Morehead State University Board of Regents, and the Kentucky Community Service Commission. He and his wife Stephanie are the proud parents of two sons, Brooks and Max.
Dr. Virginia T. Keeney
Appointed to APH Board: October, 1981
Dr. Virginia Keeney made history when she accepted the role of first woman to serve on the APH Board of Trustees. She was also the first woman physician appointed to the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure and is past president of the Kentucky Academy of Child Psychiatry. She has been awarded numerous honors for community work.
Dr. Keeney received her MD from the University of Louisville (U of L) and was recognized in 2007 as an Alumni Fellow for her contributions to the field of medicine and her community. She is a child psychiatrist on the faculty of the U of L School of Medicine. She was an associate director of the Bingham Child Guidance Center and director of the Program in Humanities and Medicine.
Dr. Keeney serves on the Board of Directors of The Kentucky Physicians Health Foundation. Previously, she was the Chairman of the Louisville Chapter of the American Red Cross, and President of the Downtown YWCA, now the Center for Women and Families. She is a life member of the Louisville Orchestra Board and the Buckhorn Children's Home.
Dr. Julie Lee
Appointed to APH Board: May, 2001
Dr. Julie Lee is a well-known and distinguished ophthalmologist, chosen by her peers as one of Louisville's top doctors in 2005, 2008, and 2011. She received her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, and was appointed a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Louisville Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, where she currently serves on the clinical faculty, in addition to her private practice of general ophthalmology in Louisville.
Dr. Lee is an active member of many professional societies, including: the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Medical Association, Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (currently president-elect), Kentucky Medical Association, and the Louisville Academy of Ophthalmology (former president). She has published articles in professional journals, such as the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology.
Among her many civic activities, Dr. Lee has served on the Board of Directors and the Medical Advisory Board of Visually Impaired Preschool Services, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of Prevent Blindness Kentucky.
W. James Lintner, Jr.
Appointed to APH Board: July, 1998
Chair: 2004–2010
Jim Lintner is president of River Hill Capital, LLC, which he organized in 1996 to develop, establish, or expand strategic and managerial relationships with a select group of privately held or smaller publicly held companies. Mr. Lintner provides financial and operational advisory services and acquires ownership in many of the companies that engage his services. Previously, Mr. Lintner provided management consulting services to medical, healthcare, and related service businesses. In 1977 he co-founded CompDent Corporation, a private dental HMO company providing managed care dental and vision benefits, which was acquired in 1995 by a publicly traded dental care company.
Mr. Lintner received his BA from Bellarmine University and did his graduate work at the University of Louisville after serving as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. In 1997, he was named Bellarmine's Alumnus of the Year. Mr. Lintner also received the Kentucky and Southern Indiana's Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1994. He was the founding Chairman of the National Association of Dental Plans. He is a director of Eastgate Hotel Associates, LLC; Alexa Enterprises, Inc.; Horizon II, LLC; Your Community Bank; Rentwiki, Inc.; Beam, LLC; and Stonewood Financial, LLC.
Herbert (Bart) W. Perkins III
Appointed to APH Board: May, 2006
Bart Perkins is the Managing Partner of Leverage Partners, which helps organizations address their IT challenges. Typical engagements include: formulating a global IT strategy, reducing IT costs, evaluating outsourcing decisions, developing business cases, and ranking proposed projects in priority sequence. Mr. Perkins has over 25 years of experience leading IT efforts in a variety of industries including hospitality, retail, consumer products, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, health care, and financial services.
Mr. Perkins was the CIO of YUM! Brands and earlier the CIO of Dole Food Company. He began his career at Nolan Norton & Co. and became a Partner in KPMG Peat Marwick when Nolan Norton was acquired. Mr. Perkins currently sits on the boards of i360 Technologies and the University of Louisville Computer Engineering Department. He speaks at a variety of industry events and is a Computerworld columnist. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia.
Dr. Tuck Tinsley III
Appointed to APH Board: May, 1996
Tuck Tinsley has served as President of the American Printing House for the Blind since 1989. He began his career as a mathematics teacher at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1968. During his twenty-one year tenure at FSDB, he was principal of the School for the Blind from 1981 until 1989 and also served terms as assistant principal and interim president.
Professional recognition Dr. Tinsley has received includes the 1997 Distinguished Alumni Award in Business and Industry, presented by the Florida State University College of Education; the 2004 William H. English Leadership Award, presented by the Council of Schools for the Blind; the 2008 Robert Bray Distinguished Service Award, presented by the American Council of the Blind; the 2009 Excellence in Leadership Award, presented by VisionServe Alliance; and the 2010 Migel Medal, presented by the American Foundation for the Blind.
Dr. Tinsley is a North American delegate to both the World Blind Union and the International Council of Education of the Visually Impaired. He received his undergraduate and Master's degrees from Florida State University and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Florida.
Darrell Richard Wells
Appointed to APH Board: May, 2001
Darrell Wells has a long and distinguished business career in finance and investment advising. He is currently the Chairman and CEO of Commonwealth Bancshares, Inc. (the bank holding company of Commonwealth Bank and Trust and First Security Trust Bank). He is also Chairman and Director of Citizens Financial Corp as well as the Chairman, CEO, and Director of Citizens Security Life Insurance Company.
Mr. Wells is a Director of Churchill Downs, Inc. and serves as a Member of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee. Mr. Wells serves as a Director of Commonwealth Bank and Trust Company and First Security Trust Bank. Mr. Wells is also the President of the Wells Foundation charitable foundation.
After graduating from St. Xavier High School, he received his AB from Harvard University, followed by service in the Air National Guard, from which he was called to active duty in Japan.
Phoebe A. Wood
Appointed to APH Board: January, 2010
Phoebe Wood is Principal of CompaniesWood, a consulting firm specializing in early-stage (angel) investments. She currently serves on the board of directors of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Invesco, Ltd. and Leggett & Platt, and was on the board of directors of OshKosh B'Gosh prior to its sale to Carter. She retired as Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Brown-Forman Corporation in 2008. During her seven year tenure, she helped the company finance and integrate four major acquisitions, and was active in the management of Lenox, Inc. and Hartmann Luggage until their divestitures. Previously, Ms. Wood served as Vice President and CFO of Motorola's telecom subsidiary after enjoying a career of 23 years with the Atlantic Richfield Company (now BP).
Ms. Wood holds an MBA from UCLA and graduated cum laude from Smith College. She is a Trustee of the University of Louisville and the Gheens Foundation. Previously, she served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Smith College, Louisville Collegiate School, and the Leadership Louisville Center.