Leadership

Allie Futty, Program Manager

Allie Futty is a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI), Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist for People with Visual Impairment (CATIS) and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS).  Allie received a BA in English Literature and Caribbean Studies from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA and a M.S.Ed. in Visual Disabilities from Northern Illinois University.  Allie also spent a year in Trinidad and Tobago as a Fulbright Scholar conducting research at the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies and working at the School for the Blind.  Allie's past role at the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired was as the Statewide Assistive Technology Consultant where she served students of all ages including both children and adults in empowering their technology goals.  Allie has taught graduate level courses in Assistive Technology for both Portland State University and Northern Illinois University.  Allie also teaches two modules in the Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment Certificate program at UMass Boston.  Currently, Allie serves as a member of the CATIS Subject Matter Expert Committee for ACVREP and a Board Member at Large for NE/AER.  Allie has presented on topics in the field of visual impairment both regionally and nationally.

Bob McCulley, Founding Director

Mr. McCulley has a total of 40 years of experience in vision services with 28 of those years based at the University of Massachusetts Boston. As founding Director of the Northeast Resource Center for Vision Education, Mr. McCulley established the initial regional model serving as the foundation of the current multi-state national and international resource center. Through his demonstrated leadership in support of community partnerships and distance education, the University has received multiple federal, state and private foundation grants and contracts that continue to expand and increase the capacity of the Vision Studies program through expanding community partnerships. He continues to serve on the management team of the Northeast Resource Center for Vision Education and is active in the regional sectors of the professional organization, the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AERBVI). In recognition of his leadership, the Board of Directors of the Northeast AER established the Robert McCulley Rising Star Leadership award in his name. Mr. McCulley completed his graduate work in Special Education and Orientation and Mobility at Boston College in 1980. In addition to his continued support of NERCVE, Mr. McCulley works part-time as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist supporting individuals who are blind or visually impaired for the Carroll Center across his home community of Cape Cod Massachusetts.