The Older Individuals who are Blind Technical Assistance Center is a part of the National Research & Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) at Mississippi State University, focused on agencies serving older individuals who are blind (OIB). This project is funded by two grants (#H177Z200001) and (#H177Z150003) from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) under the U.S. Department of Education. The OIB-TAC team provides a variety of training and technical assistance activities to state OIB programs to improve administration, operation, and performance of OIB programs by addressing the areas of community outreach; best practices in provision and delivery of services; program performance, including data reporting and analysis; and financial and management practices, including administrative compliance.
Address:
P.O. Box 6189
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Campus Mailstop: 9741
OIB-TAC Staff
Sylvia Stinson-Perez – OIB-TAC Project Director
Sylvia Stinson-Perez is the Director of the IL OIB-TAC and the Vision Specialist graduate certificate program. Contact Sylvia with questions related to:
- Technical assistance and training
- Collaborative partnerships
- Conference or training presentations
- The Vision Specialist program.
Contact:
Email: sperez@colled.msstate.edu
Phone: (662) 325-2001
Education:
M.S.W., Florida State University
M.A., Florida State University
M.B.A., Saint Leo University
B.A., Florida State University
Kendra Farrow - Research & Training Associate
Contact:
Email: kfarrow@colled.msstate.edu
Phone: (662) 325-2001
Education:
B.A., Eastern Mennonite University
M.A., Western Michigan University
Lisa Gooden-Hunley - Program Coordinator
As Program Coordinator, Lisa monitors the implementation and tracking of OIB-TAC project activities. She serves as editor for program courses, manages meeting logistics, and collects program evaluation data.
Contact:
Email: lhunley@colled.msstate.edu
Phone: (662) 325-2001
Education:
Master of Arts, English, Mississippi State University
Master of Arts, Higher Education Administration, The University of Mississippi
Bachelor of Arts, English, The University of Mississippi
Renee Brannon - Business Manager
Renee is the NRTC Business Manager. She is responsible for all business operations, invoices, federal reporting, and operations. Contact Renee with questions related to:
- Operations
- Contracts
- Invoices
Contact:
Email: rbrannon@colled.msstate.edu
Phone: (662) 325-2001
Education:
B.A., Mississippi State University
Emily Damm - Communications Coordinator
Emily Damm is our Communications Coordinator. She applies her research and communication training to strategically craft stories and shape narratives for the multiple stakeholders that the NRTC serves. Contact Emily with questions related to:
Contact:
Email: edamm@colled.msstate.edu
Phone: (662) 325-2001
Education:
M.A., Texas A&M University 2019
B.A., Mississippi State University 2017
Simon Marcy - Web Designer
Simon is our web designer for the NRTC. He maintains all websites for the department, manages course information, and answers student questions. Contact Simon with questions related to:
Contact:
Email: smarcy@colled.msstate.edu
Phone: (662) 325-2001
Education:
M.A., American History, Mississippi State University 2014
B.A., History, Mississippi State University 2012
Find additional information in the OIB-TAC brochure. Available in Word and PDF format in the Online Resources section.
To subscribe to the chapter-2 listserv that distributes information on OIB-TAC programs and activities, please email info@oib-tac.org.
