Prevent Blindness welcomes 6 new Board of Directors members

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Prevent Blindness has named 6 new members to its Board of Directors, as voted in on November 18 at an annual board meeting in Chicago, Illinois.¹ New Board of Directors members include Karen Allison, MD, MBA, FACS, of Flaum Eye Institute at the University of Rochester; C. Edward Buffington, president and CEO of GPN Technologies; Sue Downes, cofounder and CEO of MyEyeDr.; Stephanie Marioneaux, MD, private practice owner and assistant professor of ophthalmology at Eastern Virginia Medical School; Kim Schuy Greenberg, Delasco CEO; and Dean A. VanNasdale, Jr, OD, PhD, MS, FAAO, associate professor at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, according to a news release.

In addition, Joan Wahlman, JD Healthcare Consultants president and member of the Prevent Blindness Texas Board of Directors, was elected as the chief volunteer officer liaison and voting member of the national board. Amy Pulles, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness Ohio, was also named the new Prevent Blindness Affiliated Board Liaison.¹

“The Prevent Blindness Board of Directors is an esteemed group of leaders dedicated to advancing our mission to prevent blindness and preserve sight,” said Jeff Todd, Prevent Blindness president and CEO. “We enthusiastically welcome our new members as they guide us in our work and provide insight and expertise on the best ways to advocate for patients and break down the barriers to eye care that far too many people encounter.”

In addition to her new Board of Directors role, Allison will also be serving as the chair of the Prevent Blindness Scientific Committee. She has over 20 years of experience teaching residents and is currently the Chief of Glaucoma, Glaucoma Fellowship Director, and leads the Population Medicine Glaucoma Division at Flaum. Allison is also the founding member of the African Hereditary Research Consortium, African Glaucoma Research Group, and is chair of the glaucoma division of population Medicine research group.¹

Buffington has worked in the optical industry for 45 years, beginning his career in the contact lens space. He is the founder of OfficeMate Software and his private consulting firm, The Buffington Company. In 2024, he was honored as Prevent Blindness’s Person of Vision.¹

Downes launched MyEyeDr. in 2001 with 1 optometry practice, and has since expanded over 850 practices across the country. She is also the co-chair of Highpoint University’s Elizabeth Miller Strickland Women’s Leadership Council and Health Care Expert in Residence for High Point’s Access to Innovators program. Downes also received the 2028 Prevent Blindness Person of Vision Award.¹

Marioneaux is a fellowship-trained cornea and external disease specialist who has served on the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Board of Trustees and was the chair of the governing board for Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. She is also the recipient of the Boyd Humanitarian Award and the 2023 AAO Hall of Fame Award. Marioneaux previously served on the Prevent Blindness Board of Directors from 2017 to 2023, where she ended her term as board secretary.¹

Greenberg has worked in the optical industry for the past 20 years as companies including EssilorLuxottica, Essilor Group, and Alcon Laboratories. She has also served in a nonprofit capacity to improve domestic and global access for uncorrected refractive error for developing communities.¹

VanNasdale conducts patient-based research and oversees population-based research using local and national data sources to conduct surveillance of vision loss, eye disease, and associated comorbid conditions. He also develops public health materials to educate federal agencies, state and local health departments, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations on vision impairment and the need for access to vision care services. VanNasdale also received the 2023 Prevent Blindness Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health, and The American Public Health Association Distinguished Service Award and Outstanding Scientific Paper/Project Award.¹

A full Board of Directors member list can be found on Prevent Blindness’s website.

Reference:

1. Prevent Blindness names six new members to National Board of Directors. News release. Prevent Blindness. November 19, 2024. Accessed November 25, 2024. https://preventblindness.org/2024-annual-meeting-board-members/