Staff
Charis Austin – Client Advocate
Charis responsibilities include facilitating agency support groups, managing the Aids and Appliances Store, transcribing information into Braille, and coordinating the Reaching Inclusion Through Successful Employment Program (RISE). She participates in the Kent County Health Department Disaster Mental Health and Human Services Committee which has an emphasis on emergency preparedness. In addition, she advocates for people who have vision problems on a number of community organization boards.
Christian Aguilar-Quiroz (OT
Christian enjoy running, hiking and any sporting activity. He enjoys connecting with his clients and building network in the community.
Elizabeth Costigan, MPH – Clinic Specialist
Elizabeth graduated from Ferris State University with a bachelors in pre-medicine and subsequently attended Michigan State University where she received her Master of Public Health. She began working at ABVI after seeing how overjoyed her grandmother was to be able to read again with her limited vision after a low vision exam. She has a passion for helping others and in her time here, has learned various optical repairs and now runs all of our clinics and handles special device orders. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and doing anything outdoors.
Laura Dulay – Development Director
Laura is a fundraising and development professional with 16 years’ experience building and implementing strategic fundraising initiatives to sustain programming at nonprofit organizations. Laura is no stranger to Mary Free Bed as she currently leads the fundraising efforts for the Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports (WAS) program. Under Laura’s direction, she has helped the WAS program raise more than 3.9 million dollars over the past 5 years.
Laura is joined the ABVI team in 2022 and enjoys creating and maintaining meaningful relationships with internal and external partners, strengthening grant writing efforts, maximizing community and corporate partnerships and delivering high-quality results that align with the mission, vison and values of ABVI.
Lori Smolinski – Certified Low Vision Optometrist
Lori joined ABVI in 2000 and truly enjoy helping the visually impaired maximize their remaining vision through different low vision devices, techniques and technologies. She live in Holland with her husband Tom, daughter Abby and Plott Hound Lola. She enjoy traveling, attending concerts, crafting and reading.
Jennifer Helsel MSA – Program Specialist
I’ve had the wonderful experience to begin working with ABVI as the office manager. The experience provided me the opportunity to understand the organization and how the lives of people with visual impairments are impacted- especially in the area of employment. With a background in nonprofit career services and education in organizational development and behavior, I now work with a great team building programs for many different areas of life. I look forward to supporting & developing programs and the people who will benefit from them.
Jessica Holtvluwer – licensed clinical social worker
My name is Jessica Holtvluwer, and I am a licensed clinical social worker in Grand Rapids, MI. I’ve grown up and lived in the Grand Rapids area my whole life. I graduated from Grand Valley State University with my Bachelors in Social Work in 2010 and my masters in Social Work from GVSU in 2014. I enjoy working with clients in all walks of life and meeting people where they are at in order to assist with overcoming any obstacles related to vision loss, including but not limited to…anxiety, depression, PTSD, connection to local resources, etc. In my free time I enjoy traveling, photography, boating and kayaking, and spending time with family and friends.
Josh Thomas – Orientation and Mobility Specialist
My name is Josh Thomas, Orientation and Mobility Specialist for AVBI. I like to think of myself as a Jack of all trades, always moving on to the next hobby or activity that piques my interest. I am an athlete and competitor at heart and enjoy a variety of sports ranging from recreational activities like fishing and swimming; to team sports like baseball and soccer. In my free time, I love to work on cars, go to car shows, and attend autocross events hosted by different organizations in the surrounding area. I have a rescue dog named Scout, who is my hiking partner when I get the chance and is always up for a game of fetch or down to lay around and watch the newest TV series. Recently, I have been traveling abroad, and I am always looking for the next destination to add to my bucket list.
Nadalee Wheeler – Patient Service Representative
I have been with ABVI since February of 2023. When I am not working I spend my time in the outdoors ranging from time in the barn with my horses to sitting on the porch with my dogs reading a book.
Tim Tuthill – President/CEO/Executive Director
Tim joined our team in November 2022 after many years as a community nonprofit leader. He is passionate about finding ways to serve the low vision and blind community through rehabilitation, service, accessibility and inclusion. You can usually find Tim with a cup of coffee in one hand and a stack of ideas in the other. Tim is the father of three teenage sons and enjoys running, cooking, and reading.
Rachel Bringedahl – Vision Rehab
Rachel is ABVI’s senior clinician and has been with the agency since 2017. She graduated from Western Michigan University with a Masters in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy and subsequently attended the university again to obtain her Masters in Orientation and Mobility. With her training, she works diligently to help clients build the skills necessary to live safe, productive and independent lives after vision loss. When she isn’t working, she loves being a mom to her son Jonah and getting to spend time with her family and dogs.
Osman Koroma – CVRT-Employment Coordinator
Osman joined the ABVI team in march of 2023. Osman was born in Liberia and lived with a vision impairment from an early age. He did not know about accessibility or navigating with a white cane until moving to the United States when he was in high school. He learned braille as well as how to navigate using a white cane. When it comes to assistive technology, he taught himself how to use JAWS and other screen readers. Osman graduated from Western Michigan University with his masters in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy and Assistive Technology. He is using his life training as well as his professional training daily as he collaborates with his clients. Osman is enthusiastic about inclusion and accessibility for individuals with low vision and blindness. His hope is to empower individuals to discover their potential through rehabilitation and find ways to get connected and involved within their community. He is an enthusiastic therapist and educator who can see a future where the blind and low vision community are included as well as vital part. Osman enjoys hiking with his family as well as riding his tandem bike around town. He enjoys working out to get in shape and playing on a Goal Ball Team.