NEWTON, Mass. (Jan. 21, 2025) – The Carroll Center for the Blind, a pioneering nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with vision loss, today announced the appointment of four new members to its Board of Directors: Evan Haberman, Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch; Paul Cheek, Executive Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management; Joe Prestejohn, Previous Long-Time Owner, Cabot’s Ice Cream and Restaurant; Scott Faust, Previous Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP.

“We are thrilled to welcome these exceptional individuals to the Board of Directors,” said Greg Donnelly, President and CEO of The Carroll Center for the Blind. “Their unique perspectives and expertise will greatly enhance our efforts to deliver innovative rehabilitation and education services, furthering our mission to support individuals of all ages and all stages of vision loss.”

Evan Haberman is a 38-year veteran of Merrill Lynch, where he works with businesses and individuals providing comprehensive financial planning to a client base all across the United States. He holds an MBA from Babson University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Haberman has been active in community events for many years. He has been a Mason for over two decades, has done volunteer work for cystic fibrosis and diabetes organizations, as well as for the Boston Foundation for Sight, Special Olympics, and the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters. His spare time activities also include travel to Italy, Greece, Alaska and Aruba.

“I am passionate about contributing to The Carroll Center for the Blind as a Board member,” Haberman shares. He understands the value and importance of eye care better than many. For all of his life he has lived with keratoconus, a disease of the cornea. He has limited vision in his left eye and is legally blind in his right eye. “The Carroll Center does excellent work,” he said, adding, “They help people who have sight issues, who may be completely or legally blind. It’s important work and I am honored to be able to serve on this board.”

Paul Cheek is a serial tech entrepreneur, educator, software engineer, and bestselling author of Disciplined Entrepreneurship: Startup Tactics. He is currently the Executive Director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and a Senior Lecturer in the MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to his role at MIT, he co-founded three ventures which earned him recognition by Forbes 30 Under 30, the definitive list of young people changing the world.

“I am thrilled to join the Board of Directors at The Carroll Center for the Blind and contribute to their incredible mission,” says Cheek. “I am deeply inspired by their dedication to empowering individuals with vision loss, and I look forward to helping scale their impact through innovative programs and outreach.”

Joe Prestejohn is the former owner of his family’s business, Cabot’s Ice Cream and Restaurant, in Newton. He is a long-time active member of the Newton community and he and Cabot’s have supported more than a dozen local organizations for many years. Joe has a long history with the Carroll Center prior to serving on the Carroll Center’s Ambassador Council for the past six years, and he is a tireless board member, volunteer, and advocate for other local charities, including the John M. Barry Boys and Girls Club of Newton, Newton Athletes Unlimited, and Jewish Family and Children’s Services in Waltham. Joe also serves as the advisory board chairman at Newton North’s Career and Technical Culinary Program and is a past president at the Massachusetts Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

“I am excited to join the board of directors at The Carroll Center for the Blind as a longtime board ambassador. Having witnessed the incredible work this organization does every day, I am continually inspired by the dedicated staff and their commitment to supporting individuals with vision loss. The impact they have on the lives of those they serve is truly remarkable.”

Scott Faust is returning to the Carroll Center Board, after previously serving on the Board from 2014-2023. Scott is a labor lawyer who recently retired as a partner with Proskauer Rose LLP, an international law firm. He first became involved with the Carroll Center in 1982, when he was a law student at Boston College Law School. Scott worked part-time at the Carroll Center during law school, and subsequently, his wife, Joanne, worked as the Carroll Center’s Fundraising Director from 1984-1989.

Scott received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and his law degree from Boston College Law School. He and Joanne live in North Easton, Massachusetts, where they raised their three sons, and they also maintain a home in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they enjoy spending time with their three grandsons.

When asked why he was interested in serving on the Carroll Center Board, Scott replied, “From my first encounter with the Carroll Center more than 40 years ago, I recognized immediately the tremendous impact the Carroll Center has on its blind and visually impaired clients, and I am pleased to have an opportunity to contribute to the Center’s mission and ongoing success.”