Ms. Virginia Jacko, known as "The Blind Visionary", is one of only a handful of blind chief executive officers in the country, has been President and CEO of the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired since 2005. In 2001, she enrolled herself for vocational rehabilitation training at the Miami Lighthouse, due to severe vision loss, after a highly successful career as a senior financial executive at Purdue University. During Virginia’s tenure as CEO, contributions to the Lighthouse have more than doubled, programming has been significantly diversified, and client contact hours have dramatically increased. Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, established in 1931, is the oldest and largest private agency in Florida to serve people of all ages who are blind or the visually impaired. For 80 years, a local institution has served as a beacon for people with little or no eyesight, encouraging them to cope with life in a sighted world. In 2007, Virginia was named Business Woman of the Year in the Nonprofit Leader category by the South Florida Business Journal. Virginia received her baccalaureate degree from Loyola University (Chicago) and her Master of Science degree from Purdue University.