Jeffrey E. Mittman, President & CEO
Jeffrey (Jeff) Mittman is the president & CEO of Bosma Enterprises, one of the largest disability service organizations in the Midwest and the largest employer and only comprehensive service provider for people who are blind in Indiana.
Jeff has dedicated his life to service. He spent over 20 years in the United States Army retiring as a Master Sergeant. Following his military career, he continued his life of service working for organizations that support our nation’s military and people who are blind or visually impaired. He serves on the boards of the National Industries for the Blind and the National Association for the Employment of People Who are Blind. He is a requested speaker across the United States giving lectures and sharing the lessons he has learned from his life and work experiences.
Jeff serves on many nonprofit boards including the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and he was recently elected as president of the National Association for the Employment of People who are Blind (NAEPB).
In 20+ years of service in the Army, he says that he had one bad day that forever changed the trajectory of his life. On the morning of 7 July 2005, Mittman’s team came under attack. He was severely injured by an Improvised Explosive Device. Near death, his wounds included severe head and facial trauma, as well as numerous other injuries. He awoke a month later in a military hospital with his wife by his side. He quickly realized his family needed a husband and a father, not a memory. At that moment he made a conscious decision to survive – to recover. Together the Mittman family began the arduous process of acclimating to their “new normal.” It involved learning to deal with his blindness and enduring more than 40 operations to rebuild his face and body. Despite everything he’s been through, Jeff counts his blessings and will tell anyone who asks that he is “the luckiest man in the world.”
His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (3rd Award); the Purple Heart Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal; the Army Commendation Medal (8th Award); the Army Achievement Medal (7th Award); the Combat Infantryman’s Badge (2nd Award); the Expert Infantryman’s Badge; the Pathfinder Badge; the Parachutist Badge; the Drill Sergeant Identification Badge; and the Air Assault Badge along with various other awards and decorations.
His nationally recognized awards include: the 2013 Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and Department of Defense (DoD) Disabled Employee of the Year Award; the American Foundation for the Blind’s 2011 Gallagher Award for mentoring and serving as role model for blind/visually impaired individuals; the 2010 Osborne "Oz" Day Award presented by the federal government for increasing public awareness of the federal AbilityOne Program; and the Lighthouse International's 2007 Henry A. Grunwald Award honoring outstanding public service. He is also a 2015 inductee of the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame and has received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS).