This is Us
Our World-Building Council
Select a name to read the full bio.
Michael StoneChairmanMichael Stone is an entrepreneur, author, athlete and musician.
Michael Stone has struggled with vision his whole life. It wasn’t until he was 35 years old that he was diagnosed with an atypical form of retinitis pigmentosa, “RP”. Typically, people with RP lose peripheral vision followed by losing central vision. Michael lost his central vision before the condition attacked his peripheral vision.
As a child, people thought Michael was uncoordinated, but his vision was the culprit. Frightened by team sports after being hit in the face by a baseball, he turned to music and eventually martial arts, skiing, and rock climbing.
Michael had a long career in the Hospitality/Real Estate industry. His focus was developing and operating hotels and resorts worldwide. As his vision declined, he began to pursue other avenues that were more conducive to living with blindness.
Originally from Chicago, Michael moved to Boulder in 1997, quickly embracing the Colorado athletic lifestyle. He bought his first bike right after his move west and signed up for his first race, the Bolder Boulder, in 2000. That epic first race had him hooked.
He started swimming after the Bolder Boulder and competed in his first triathlon in 2001. It was in his first Ironman in 2003, where he made a wrong turn because of his vision loss. Six months later, he received his retinitis pigmentosa diagnosis.
Michael never allowed his vision loss to derail his passion for sport. Now an accomplished and avid endurance athlete, Michael has competed in almost 400 races including 17 Ironman triathlons, other on and off-road triathlons, ultra run and mountain bike events as well as many ski races. These days, Nordic ski racing is very close to his heart as he participates and competes with the US Para Nordic Team with each and every opportunity they give him.
Michael’s vision continues to decline; there are no cures for his eye disease. In March 2020, Michael was matched with his guide dog, Geo, which has given him new-found appreciation to explore the world, coping with fear and anxiety. As a wonder team, Michael and Geo continue to race and recently they took up Nordic skiing and biathlon.
Michael is passionate about supporting people with disabilities who are working to adapt and find independence. He enjoys working one-on-one to help individuals learn to navigate the world and achieve personal freedom.
Michael is the author of the book, Eye Envy “Perspectives of Vision Loss.” Eye Envy features vignettes of many people who have lost their eyesight in an effort to help others not feel so isolated and learn from the account of so many others.
When Michael isn’t coaching for Blindfulness™ or running mountain trails, he’s in his art studio painting with oils, using various layering techniques for people with vision loss to feel his artwork. And his love of music is ever-present. An avid guitarist, he plays daily, and is constantly learning new instruments, taking lessons for violin, cello, piano, bass guitar and voice.
Michael is currently also a board member for the Colorado School for Deaf and Blind. In addition, he was also a task force member implementing the HB 23-1296 disability rights bill. Lastly, he also sits on the board of directors for the Center for People with Disabilities and Ignite Adaptive Sports.
D'Artagnan ParteeVice ChairmanD'Artagnan Partee serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Open World Design, bringing over 25 years of proven experience in team management, strategic growth, and financial sustainability. A seasoned entrepreneur, D'Artagnan combines business acumen with a passion for community impact, leveraging a quarter-century of leadership expertise to drive operational efficiency and revenue expansion. Throughout his career, he has specialized in scaling organizations, optimizing team performance, and building sustainable business models. At Open World Design, D'Artagnan oversees key strategic initiatives to ensure the organization achieves long-term financial stability while maximizing its overall mission and reach.
W. Virgol HawkinsInterim SecretaryW. Virgol Hawkins is a nonprofit executive, media technologist & strategist, and community development leader focused on advancing equitable access to education through technology, creative media, and workforce readiness initiatives.
He currently serves as President and CEO of The AON Initiative (TAONI), a Georgia-based 501(c)(3) organization he has led since 2008. Under his leadership, TAONI designs and delivers innovative, technology-driven programs in digital photography, video production, AI-assisted storytelling, and youth workforce development—helping young people and underserved communities build portfolio-ready skills while exploring real career pathways in media, technology, and creative industries.
Virgol brings more than a decade of experience developing education models that intentionally bridge creativity with practical application. His work emphasizes hands-on learning, mentorship, and systems-based program design that prepares participants for both academic success and employment readiness.
In parallel with his nonprofit leadership, Virgol serves as a Systems Administrator at Aylo Health, where he supports enterprise IT infrastructure and operational systems. This professional experience strengthens his ability to integrate modern technology, automation, and digital workflows into community-based programming—bringing an applied, real-world perspective to organizational strategy and program scalability.
Virgol serves on the Board of Directors for Open World Design, where he contributes strategic guidance to advance adaptive technology education and creative skill-building opportunities for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. His role focuses on program development, media integration and systems thinking to help expand inclusive learning environments.
He also serves on the Board of Directors for G.I.R.L.S. (Genuine Intelligent Respectful Ladies Soaring), a youth development organization dedicated to fostering academic achievement, leadership, and socioemotional growth among middle and high school students. In this capacity, Virgol supports curriculum alignment, technology-forward programming, and partnership development that strengthen long-term outcomes for young women.
Across all roles, Virgol is known for aligning mission with execution—combining creative innovation, technical systems, and community engagement to build sustainable, impact-driven programs. His leadership centers on accessibility, workforce relevance, and empowering individuals to translate potential into measurable opportunity.
Bob LasandrelloInterim TreasurerBob Lasandrello is a Board Member at the Open World Design Organization, bringing decades of diverse professional experience and leadership to the team. A lifelong resident of the Chicagoland area, Bob enjoyed a long career as a futures trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Following his career on the trading floor, he transitioned into the music industry, performing as a guitarist in the Freddie Dixon Blues Band.
Currently residing in Hinsdale, Illinois, with his wife, Noreen, Bob enjoys spending time with their three children and five grandchildren. He is thrilled to serve on the board of Open World Design and looks forward to contributing to the organization's future growth and initiatives.
Tsehaye Geralyn HébertCitizen playwright, cultural architect, disability activist. Tsehaye Geralyn Hébert’s work is deeply rooted in the human experience and nuanced through her African American Southern and Creole heritages. (Alliance Kendeda National Graduate Playwright Award; Sundance Theatre Lab, Frank McCourt Memoir Contest finalists; Voices Rising Fellow/Vermont Studio Center; Native Voices and Visions/Louisiane State University; Midwest Black Playwrights Project; Cultural DC/SourceFest; 3ARTS, Bodies of Work; Something Marvelous Festival; Guild Literary Complex/; RhinoFest).
The Northwestern University (BS) and School of the Art Institute (MFAW) graduate imagines a world of full inclusion and accessibility and a theatre beyond ADA compliance. Civic engagement: Community Lead, Illinois Institute of Technology: accessible and inclusive theatre; Disability Lead Fellow/ambassador; Cultural Access Collaborative; honorary board Piven Theatre Workshop; Open World Design Board; volunteer audio describer.
JoVia ArmstrongJoVia Armstrong is a percussionist, composer, and educator whose work blends rhythm, technology, and experimental composition. Born in Detroit, Armstrong has performed with artists including El DeBarge, Nicole Mitchell, Isaiah Sharkey, and Malian musicians Ballaké Sissoko and Babani Koné.
Her performance style bridges acoustic and electronic percussion, drawing influence from a diverse range of global traditions.
She leads the electroacoustic ensemble Eunoia Society, which explores sound as a healing tool through immersive audio and contemplative composition. Their albums The Antidote Suite (2022) and Inception (2023) received widespread acclaim in The New York Times, DownBeat, JazzTimes, and The Wire. JoVia is also a member of the Detroit-based group Musique Noire and formerly served as percussionist and tour manager for JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound.
An active educator and mentor for over two decades, she taught digital media and audio production and served youth in Chicago through YOUmedia and the Digital Youth Network. Armstrong earned her Ph.D. in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology from UC Irvine. She now serves as Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Virginia, where she teaches composition and electronic music while researching the intersection of Black music, sonic healing, and urban space.
Thomas WhiteThomas White began the study of music at the age of 10 during the 1980's in the city of Chicago, IL. He was raised on the southside in an area of the city known as Woodlawn, which is home of the historic Grand Ballroom on 63rd Cottage Grove. Thomas studied Classical Guitar performance and electronic sound synthesis at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1992 and taught music in the Chicago Public School system. Over the next 4 years he produced and presented the Chicago Park District summer concert series neighborhood park venues in partnership with The Jazz Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208.
After departing the Chicago Park District in the late '90's, Thomas worked with the promotional group, Swank Society, under the name "Tunji", as music director/guitarist for legendary neo soul artists such as Omar, Julie Dexter, Columbia recording artist RES and resident DJ's Sean Alvarez and The Twilite Tone for venues such as The Hot House & The Green Dolphin in both Chicago and Detroit.
In the early 2000's he teamed up with All Natural Inc to write a lead single (Jazz In Outerspace) for the independent dance music release MUSIC FOR A SATURDAY EVENING by THE BSTC produced by Andy C. Over subsequent years, he would part ways with the BSTC to embark upon a tour to Denmark and Germany with The National Trust and The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble in 2006 -- playing the Wurlitzer for the Nat'l Trust. It was at this time that "Tunji" worked closely with Aquilla Sadalla to write, record and perform original music in the band known simply as Sadallah.
In 2008, he would travel to Amsterdam with the Black Monks of Mississippi to deliver performances at the Van Abbe Museum as part of the artistic vision of Theaster Gates, the founder and leader of the project.
Thomas continues to create original music as an independent songwriter, beat maker, multi-instrumentalist, mixer and sound engineer. He also performs periodically with jazz musicians of note throughout the city of Chicago, and regularly in houses of worship -- choosing to inspire an entirely new audience with the alto saxophone and flute, in addition to the guitar & keyboard.
Rick SmithRick Smith is a senior technology leader and engineer with over two decades of experience designing and delivering large-scale software platforms, infrastructure, and user-facing systems. His background spans enterprise software, cloud platforms, automation, and applied AI, with a consistent emphasis on reliability, scalability, and real-world usability. He has held senior technical and leadership roles at well-known organizations including ServiceNow, Rockstar, and Sony, where he has worked on complex, high-impact systems used at global scale. Rick’s technical expertise includes software architecture, systems integration, platform engineering, and applied AI, with a strong focus on reducing complexity for end users. Throughout his career, he has advocated for building technology that is resilient, accessible, and designed around how people actually interact with systems, rather than forcing users to adapt to technology constraints.
As a board member, Rick brings a pragmatic, engineering-driven perspective to Open World Design’s mission. He focuses on aligning technical strategy with measurable outcomes, ensuring solutions are inclusive by design, economically sustainable, and capable of reaching people with diverse abilities at scale. His goal is to help guide the organization in leveraging modern technology to remove barriers and expand meaningful access to work, creativity, and daily life.
Anil Joseph, DPT
Anil Joseph, DPT is a physical therapist, educator, and systems-level thinker working at the intersection of sensory intelligence, human performance, and healthcare design. A senior clinician and instructor with the Dermal-Fascial Restoration (DFR) Institute, where he contributes to clinical innovation, practitioner training, curriculum development, and early-stage research initiatives focused on fascia, scars, and nervous-system–driven pain and movement disorders.
Anil’s work emphasizes redesigning care models from lived human perception: integrating manual therapy, education, language, and environment to improve outcomes and restore agency. He brings experience in program development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and translating complex biological insights into practical, scalable systems for clinicians and organizations.
Joe Jones
Joe Jones is a multidisciplinary entrepreneur, strategist, and operations leader with an extensive track record of building, managing, and scaling successful businesses across hospitality, marketing, commercial real estate, food service, events, and urban agriculture. Over his career, he has founded, owned, and operated five successful enterprises, including The Living Room Lounge and Event Venue, The Grand Ballroom, The Legacy Event Space, May St. Café Restaurant, and Bowen Harvest Urban Farm, demonstrating a unique ability to transform concepts into profitable, sustainable business models.
As a business developer and operator, Joe excels at building organizational infrastructure from the ground up. His leadership includes creating comprehensive business plans, designing operational workflows, writing policies and procedures, developing training frameworks, and implementing systems that improve efficiency and scalability. He has led hiring and workforce development initiatives, managed vendor relations and procurement, implemented budget controls, and ensured compliance in highly regulated environments.
Joe has extensive event operations experience and has managed high-capacity hospitality venues serving diverse audiences ranging from private clients to corporations and public agencies. His event leadership includes overseeing logistics, coordinating contractors and planners, executing floor plans and décor, and ensuring premium customer and guest experiences through seamless execution, audiovisual integration, and curated programming. As a proven brand builder and marketing strategist, Joe is also the founder and owner of Elixir Images, a full-service marketing and communications agency he has led for more than twenty years. The firm specializes in video production, digital photography, graphic design, and web development, serving small businesses, nonprofit organizations, hospitality groups, and real estate firms nationwide. Joe has directed creative strategy and production for major brands including Bank of America, McDonald’s, General Motors, Flowers Communications Group, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, Baker College, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Jewel-Osco, and numerous hotel brands. His work includes digital and print campaigns, broadcast content, and high-impact branding initiatives that strengthen market presence and drive engagement. Through Elixir Images, Joe also provides business consulting services, helping emerging and established companies reposition their brands, enhance operations, increase revenue, and prepare for growth or investment. Extending his entrepreneurial impact further, Joe is the owner of Elixir Enterprises, a commercial real estate company focused on capital raising, property acquisition, commercial development, and hotel investment strategy. Through a strategic partnership with various hotel management companies, Joe participates in hospitality development, brand strategy, and national portfolio growth in the lodging industry.
Before building his portfolio of businesses, Joe spent part of his career as an educator. He has taught at every academic level—from elementary school through college—and served as a professor of marketing and visual communications at the International Academy of Design & Technology and Columbia College Chicago. Across every venture, Joe’s leadership is shaped by creativity, disciplined operational execution, and a commitment to community impact. His diverse expertise—spanning business development, marketing, real estate, hospitality, education, and strategic consulting—positions him as a dynamic leader capable of building brands, elevating teams, and driving meaningful economic and organizational growth.