CVVICS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- President
- Foyil / President
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
David Yerks-Young has served on several non-profit boards in the Coachella Valley area, which we serve, and is active in the visually impaired blind community.
David studied Business Administration and Marketing at Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, Connecticut, and has a vast background in business management as well has owned his own business for over 20 years. To find out more about David, visit his webpage blindeyeonthedesert.
Currently, he serves as our Webmaster and Public Relations and is a Coach for SoCal Adaptive Sports.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
As a leading board-certified cataract surgeon and retina specialist, Dr. Keith G. Tokuhara is uniquely qualified to understand the challenges faced by the visually impaired community in the Coachella Valley. Dr. Tokuhara began his solo practice in Rancho Mirage in 2016 after providing quality ophthalmology care for 10 years at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, the second busiest trauma center in California. In 2019 Dr. Tokuhara was awarded Top Doctors by Palm Springs Life.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Dr. Smith has served as a Veterinarian in the Coachella Valley for 30 years. He started and built a successful animal and equine practice in 1990 in Yucca Valley that he owned for 27 years. He is now using his skills to help animals at the Village Park Animal Hospital in La Quinta. Dr. Smith is a licensed pilot and enjoys a variety of activities with his family and close friends. He has graciously agreed to be an advisor for CVVICS and will undoubtedly provide valuable input and help out in whatever way he can.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Having been involved with over 50 charities in the past two decades in the Coachella Valley, former Rancho Mirage Mayor Iris Smotrich is acutely aware of both the challenges and opportunities presented to various valley communities. She has built a successful career in the real estate industry and has served the citizens of Rancho Mirage as both a city council member and two-time mayor. Along with lending her enthusiastic support to CVVICS, Iris sits on the board of Desert Arc, the Coachella Valley's only organization that provides for the valley's community of people with special needs. In addition, Iris serves as a board member for the Joslyn Center in Palm Desert, and has in the past worked tirelessly to help enrich the lives of many people throughout the valley.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Executive Director of Desert Abilities Center
Judy A. May is the Executive Director of Desert Abilities Center, an organization dedicated to creating greater opportunities that maximizes the quality of life for people with disabilities by providing greater access to resources within the community that increase independence, promote mobility and improved health and support human rights through adaptive sports and recreational rehabilitation. Ms. May has served people with disabilities for 30 years, 24 of those years right here in the Coachella Valley.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Lester is a client as well as a team member.
In 2014, Lester was diagnosed with PCA (Posterior Cortical Atrophy) in which the brain can no longer interpret and process the information received from the person's healthy eyes.
Lester does not allow this impairment to slow him down in any way. Lester worked for 20 years in the science and laboratory industry, and another 16 years in realty and trust as well.
In addition, Lester has freelanced for many years as a voiceover specialist for commercial dialogue, and he continues to coach people in that field.
His goal is to "give back and continue to support the low vision community. People like me give people something to do, and it's about having fun and enjoying themselves."
Lisa worked in the healthcare industry as a nurse for over 30 years before a back ailment derailed her career.
Undaunted, Lisa searched for a worthy cause that she could volunteer her services. Lisa found it in working with the impaired vision community.
Thus far Lisa has dedicated many hours to volunteering to help clients in various activities, as well as assisting CVVICS President Barbara Foyil in the formation and organization of this endeavor.
Lisa was married for 15 years. Between her and her husband, they have four children and eight grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Music History Coordinator
Each week Melinda announces the theme of the music grouping. Often surprising us with how many songs there are with a common theme.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Advisor to
Graciously accepting a role as an advisor to CVVICS, Monica brings a wealth of experience both as an attorney and as a real estate broker. With her own practice in Palm Desert, Monica specializes in estate planning, probate, elder abuse and the hospitality industry and its related commercial real estate, labor, corporate, entity formation, and land use issues. Monica has also been a member of the National Association of Realtors for over 30 years.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Vice President, Human Resources
Robert has instructed and adapted courses for the visually impaired/blind for over 11 years and has lifelong experience living with a visual impairment. Robert has myopia and optic nerve atrophy due to a subdural hematoma from birth.
Robert graduated from Cal State San Bernardino with a Bachelor's degree in psychology and discovered his passion for working with a visually impaired community shortly after.
He began by facilitating support groups and branched out to instruct a variety of courses encompassing physical and mental health, cognitive strengthening, living with vision loss, music, and assistive technologies.
Robert now serves as the volunteer coordinator and class instructor for CVVICS while continuing to be an advocate for the visually impaired community.
Sharon grew up in Washington state and graduated from Western Washington University to become a teacher.
After working in the private sector for several years, Sharon reached her goal, of teaching in Washington public schools for 18 years. Along the way, Sharon received her master's degree in specific language learning disabilities.
Sharon was diagnosed with macular degeneration at the age of 38, and the disease progressed steadily over the next 30 years.
Sharon now uses her disability to educate others with low vision issues. Being the educator that she is, she wants people to understand what life with low vision is like the adjustments in life they need to make and to continue working with people in the visually impaired community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board