Hi Eddie, Thank you for sharing this big news with all of us. Unusual for me, I am lost for words to adequately express my thoughts on this. Of course, you, more than many, deserve a wonderful retirement, regardless of the exciting opportunity that awaits you. I cannot help reflecting, however, upon the threshold of an important era in our field. You are among the pioneers that paved the way for so many of us, blind and sighted alike, to earn certification to do what we love so well. I am particularly grateful for the NPBCB position in defense of our apprenticeship programs for those of us not holding postsecondary degrees. I realize that this is probably the biggest bone of contention by the traditionalists against our Structured Discovery Training(r). While I strongly believe and always direct people towards the master's program if they can, I am also aware that even among our agency trained certificants, we're still head and shoulders above most O&Mers in terms of being able to teach under occlusion. I'm sure that you have the whole story inasmuch as there are always exceptions and strange anomalies within this paradigm but over all, what a tremendous legacy you have built in the area of best practices backed up by empirical evidence. Thank you does not cover what this has meant for me in my career but gratitude to you and the other giants in our field is never far from my mind and heart. I guess you're not going anywhere, meaning you'll hopefully still be around for point of contact, so I look forward to many more years of friendship and if the stars align right, perhaps even substantive collaboration. Thank you so much, Eddie, for everything you've done for our field and for the advancement of the blind in the United States, generally. Mahalo, Maurice -----Original Message----- From: Edward Bell via NOMC <members@lists.nbpcb.org> Sent: Wednesday, July 2, 2025 4:34 AM To: 'NOMC Mailing List' <members@lists.nbpcb.org> Subject: [NOMC] Retirement Dear Friends, I'm writing to share that, after twenty rewarding years, I will be stepping down as Director of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness in just a few weeks. While it's bittersweet to close this chapter, I'm excited to begin a new phase in my professional journey-one that will still be deeply rooted in advancing services and opportunities for blind individuals. I look forward to continuing collaborations with many of you in this important work. I'm pleased to announce that Kristen Sims will be assuming leadership of PDRIB. Please join me in congratulating her and offering your full support as she steps into this new role. Casey Robertson will continue her outstanding work in training professionals to educate blind children, and Kayla Deason is poised to play a key role in ensuring that Tech students receive top-quality training. After August 15, I can be reached at edwardbell@gemini-rt.com <mailto:edwardbell@gemini-rt.com> or 318-278-0705. Thank you all for the incredible opportunity to work alongside such a dedicated and passionate group of professionals over the past two decades. It has truly been an honor. Warm regards, Eddie Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC, Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness College of Education and Human Sciences Louisiana Tech University 600 Mayfield Ave / 210 Woodard Hall PO Box 3158 Ruston LA 71272 Office: 318.257.4554 Fax: 318.257.2259 <mailto:ebell@latech.edu> ebell@latech.edu <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.pdrib.com/__;!!LIYSdFfckKA!xgaeic0kdx... > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.pdrib.com__;!!LIYSdFfckKA!xgaeic0kdxd... ************* "I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." -- Stephen Jay Gould _______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list -- members@lists.nbpcb.org To unsubscribe send an email to members-leave@lists.nbpcb.org NOTICE: This information and attachments are intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged and/or confidential. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited and may be punishable under state and federal law. If you have received this communication and/or attachments in error, please notify the sender via email immediately and destroy all electronic and paper copies.