A photo of Maria Kristic, a woman with short brown hair, is sitting on the floor in a cozy living room. She is wearing black pants and a pink shirt. She is smiling and hugging Lacey, a chocolate lab with a slightly graying muzzle. On her other side, Osaka, also a chocolate lab, is laying down and contentedly chewing on a bone.
Maria Kristic’s name is familiar to ACB members across affiliates. In ACB Next Generation, we benefit from her many talents, from her expertise as treasurer to her work with the Budget and Finance and Constitution and Bylaws Committees. She has been an excellent resource for the affiliate, ensuring our finances are in order and working to keep all constitutional processes compliant. She brings her many talents to other areas of ACB as well, including Blind Pride International, Guide Dog Users International, the International Relations Committee, the Voting Taskforce, and the Resolutions Taskforce.
Her background in finance has uniquely positioned Maria to be treasurer of multiple affiliates. Professionally, she works as a Senior Financial Analyst for the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York and holds multiple degrees in business and finance. She writes about her journey as treasurer of multiple affiliates and all she has learned in her article, “Counting the Coins,” which was published in the March 2023 issue of the ACB Braille Forum:
One of Maria’s most beloved passions is guide dogs, whether she is advocating for rights and access for guide dog users, or showing love to the beautiful dogs who dedicate their lives to partnering with a blind person. She says there is nothing so special to her as a happy dog enthusiastically wagging its tail, ready for the next adventure. It was her love of guide dogs that helped Maria get involved with ACB originally. GDUI was the first affiliate she joined back in 2016. She lives with two female chocolate labs, both of whom are from Leader Dogs for the Blind in Michigan. Lacey is fourteen years old and is now retired. Osaka is three years old and is Maria’s most recent guide dog match. Maria is also involved with advocacy efforts spearheaded by Leader Dogs through which she collaborates with others to make the world a more accessible place for handlers and their guide dogs. In particular, they are currently focusing on the widespread problem of Uber and Lyft denials, and the inaccessibility of some service animal airline forms. She was recently featured on this episode of the Leader Dogs podcast, Taking the Lead, in which she discusses guide dog accessibility:
Attendees of the 2023 ACB Conference and Convention in Schaumburg, IL got to witness Maria receive the Ned E. Freeman Excellence in Writing Award for her article, “Glimpses of Croatia.” Historically reverent, vividly detailed, and filled with humble wonder, this tremendous article fondly captures Maria’s open spirit and love for travel: Maria’s financial knowledge and unending passion for guide dogs make her a tremendous resource and advocate in ACB, Leader Dogs, and beyond. She recharges herself by being a facilitator in her spiritual community, where she leads meditation and yoga sessions. Her two chocolate labs motivate her to keep striving ahead with confidence and compassion.