JO ANN PILARSKI

Commission Chair

Michigan Commission for the Blind

Jo Ann Pilarski moved from her birthplace in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to northern Michigan when she was a toddler and has lived there most of her life, except two years spent in Boston and six months in Germany.

Jo Ann has been married more than 30 years to Carl Pilarski. They reside on five acres on the Thunder Bay River, about 10 miles west of Alpena. She has four adult children: Michael, of Chicago, Illinois; Andrew, of Olympia, Washington; Kristen, of Alpena; and Jacob, of Nashville, Tennessee. She loves to brag about her two grandchildren, Brittany and Joshua.  Jo Ann is an avid gardener, enjoys traditional and ethnic music, and is always thrilled by good books. She also serves on her church's board of ministries.

In 1986, Jo Ann attended MSU to earn her certifications in both elementary and special education. While there, she volunteered to be a reader for blind students, which turned out to be a most meaningful experience to her. A few years after graduation, Jo Ann began losing significant amounts of vision and was able to draw upon the strength and ability she had seen in the students she had met and worked with while attending MSU.

Jo Ann is currently a second-grade teacher at a rural elementary school, where she has been teaching for 14 years. Prior to teaching second grade, Jo Ann has been a special education, Title I and kindergarten teacher. The Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB) was instrumental in helping Jo Ann to maintain her employment through the effective, caring and sensitive efforts of a dedicated staff.

In 2002, Jo Ann was designated by the governor to chair the commission.   Prior to her appointment to MCB's board, she served on the MCB's Consumer Involvement Council. Jo Ann is eager to try to pass along the immeasurable gifts of independence, confidence and knowledge that it is indeed okay to be blind.