Lois Schoenbrun, CAE (Retired), FAAO.

GOLDEN, Colo—Optometry Giving Sight (OGS), a global fundraising initiative that targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision due to uncorrected refractive error, has announced that executive director Lois Schoenbrun, CAE (Retired), FAAO, will retire from the organization in December 2024. Previously the executive director of the American Academy of Optometry, she came out of retirement in that role to serve as interim executive director for Optometry Giving Sight in April 2022, the announcement said.

“Although the initial interim period was intended to be short, I believed so passionately in the mission and quickly saw what a tremendous difference OGS makes in the lives of people all over the world," Schoenbrun said. "So, the ‘interim’ appointment turned into nearly two and a half years. And I have enjoyed every minute of it.”
 
“When Lois joined OGS, we knew that we were getting a seasoned, successful leader from the optometry community,” says OGS U.S. board chair, Juan Carlos Aragón, OD. “We are very appreciative of all that she and her team have accomplished, particularly in such a short period of time.”
 
The chair of the organization’s Canada board, Susan Cooper, OD, agreed.
 
“Under Lois’s leadership, we’ve strengthened the financial future of OGS, revised our vision and mission statement language to better align with the World Health Organization, and created additional staff positions to bring much-needed expertise in-house,” Cooper said.
 
“During Lois’s time here, OGS earned a 4-star designation from the non-profit assessment firm Charity Navigator," Dr. Aragón added. "It’s the highest rating possible for a non-profit, and a first for the organization, indicating that a donor can have faith in the organizations’ governance practices and financial health, including transparency, efficiency and sustainability. Lois has in so many ways positioned OGS for continued success and growth. We wish her the best in her retirement and look forward to a very bright future for OGS.”
 
A nationwide search is underway for Schoenbrun’s replacement. Information regarding the position can be found here.