Leadership

One full-time executive director, who reports to a board of directors, administers the foundation.

Executive Director

John P. Dziennik

John Dziennik came to the Blanche Fischer Foundation from a 30-year background in the printing business. After serving as president of the foundation for four years, he assumed the post of executive director in March 1999 to ensure the foundation would continue its unique mission and to expand the awareness of the needs of the disabled community in the philanthropic world. The entire BFF board and Dziennik want the foundation to outlive them and to serve as testimony to the vision of Ms. Fischer and Bill Shepherd.

The foundation has been in existence since 1981. In early 2004, the foundation filed an amicus brief in Lane V. Tennessee in the U.S. Supreme Court. Dziennik has also been involved with American Association of People with Disablities on national issues, including providing information to Oregon legislators regarding judicial nominations, health care issues and related funding.

Dziennik has held governor's appointments to the Oregon State Rehabilitation Council, which he chaired, and to the State Independent Living Council, where he served as vice chair from 2002 to 2006. He was was elected Region X representative to the board of the National Council in Independent Living in 2004, a position he held for a year.

At the national level, he served on the board of Disability Funders Network (DFN) from 1999 to 2005 and was treasurer for three of those years. DFN is committed to disability advocacy and rights, especially in the area of employment and board membership on charitable foundations of persons with a disability. DFN also seeks to make grantmakers aware that inclusion of persons with a disablity in their search for inclusive grantmaking is an obligation, not an afterthought.

In June 2007, Dziennik was elected to a three-year term on the board of American Association of People with Disabilities.