Cynthia Bryant, Board of Trustee chair of The Seeing Eye, providing specially bred and trained guide dogs for blind individuals

Cynthia Bryant, J.D (Juris Doctor), LL.M. (Master of Laws), became chair of The Seeing Eye’s Board of Trustees, March 9, 2023.

The Seeing Eye, founded in 1929, provides specially bred and trained dogs to guide people who are blind. Seeing Eye® dog users experience greatly enhanced mobility and independence, allowing them to retain their active lifestyles despite blindness. The Seeing Eye is a 501(c)3 non-profit supported by contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, bequests, and other planned gifts.

Cynthia Bryant, a U.S. government special counsel for more than 20 years, is now a mediator, negotiator, and diversity practitioner. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Bradford College, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas, a Master of Laws from American University, and is a three-time graduate of The Seeing Eye.

Bryant, who resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, is currently working with a Seeing Eye® dog named Summer, a yellow Labrador/golden retriever cross. They graduated from The Seeing Eye in July 2017. She was matched with her first Seeing Eye dog, a black Labrador/golden retriever cross named Royale, in March 2008, and her second was a black Labrador retriever named Sophia.

“The Seeing Eye has been a part of my life for 15 years now. When I first came to The Seeing Eye, I’d never had a dog before… in fact, I was afraid of dogs,” Cynthia Bryant said. “Now I can’t imagine my life without one.”

Cynthia is the first graduate of The Seeing Eye to serve as the Chair of the Board of Trustees. She also is the first person of color to serve as Chair, and is the first woman to serve as Chair since Seeing Eye co-founder, Dorothy Harrison Eustis, held the dual title of Board Chair and President from 1929 to 1940. The first graduate to serve as President & CEO, Dr. James Kutsch Jr., retired in 2019.

Cynthia Bryant is a former member of the Board of Governors for the University of Kansas Law School and serves on the law school’s Diversity Advisory Council. She is a board member for National Industries for the Blind, and also is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, National Association for Multicultural Education, National Speakers Association, Association for Conflict Resolution, and the African-American Federal Executive Association. Cynthia Bryant is a member of the bars of Missouri, the District of Columbia, and the United States Supreme Court.

seeingeye.org

Donna Morrow Wolfe: host, producer, engineer

Karen E. Griffin:  co-host

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