Interim Communications Director Lynn Welch.
The Council welcomes two new team members to the communications department. Our recent additions to the staff have valuable experiences and share the Council’s commitment to the importance of telling your stories.
Lynn Welch is filling the role of interim communications director, bringing years of journalism, health care communication and creative experience to her new position. She served as a content specialist when she first joined the Council in 2020.
A Minnesota native, Welch studied International Relations and Communication at the University of Minnesota. Journalism opportunities brought her to Wisconsin, across the country and back again where she worked writing for organizations including Lands’ End, The Capital Times and Access Community Health Centers.
At the Council, she is managing communications, public relations, and marketing.
“I am grateful to spread the word about the Council’s good work with a broader audience,” Welch says. “I’m also excited to share stories about people who are blind and visually impaired supporting its values and mission to promote the dignity and empowerment of the people we serve.”
Content Writer Teri Barr.
Teri Barr joins the Council in a part-time position as content writer. She’s an award-winning TV and radio journalist and currently hosts podcasts focused on business and music.
Barr grew up in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for Radio-TV-Film, Journalism and Political Science. You may remember Barr from her work as a TV news anchor in Wausau, Green Bay and Madison. She moved around the country during her TV career too, but Barr is happy to be back home, and working with the Council.
“I believe in using what you’ve been given to make a difference,” Barr says. “Working at the Council is honoring my effort to share inspiring stories, leaving the world a better place because of it. I’m already finding the staff, partners and clients feel the same. It’s a special place to be.”
We wish Hannah Wente the best in her new endeavors as she leaves the communication director position with the Council. Wente accepted a communications strategist position with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to support the continuing COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, along with response and planning for messaging as the pandemic subsides.
“I truly enjoyed every minute of working for the Council,” Wente says. “The staff, clients and partners were a joy to work with. Projects involved creativity and new learning, including launching a new website, teaching people how to create accessible social media posts, and planning events like the Macular Degeneration Symposium and Advocacy Days. Ultimately, it was incredible to connect people in the state with resources and information to improve their quality of life.”
