About Us – Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation

Who We Are

Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation raises funds for research to preserve and restore sight, and supports and delivers community and professional education.

Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation will be recognized for being at the forefront in funding vision research and supporting professional and community education in Northeast Ohio, leading to impactful results that enhance the quality of life in our community.

Partners

Local Institutions & Researchers:

Board of Directors

The CEBF Board of Directors is a diverse group of professionals with deep connections throughout the community, supporting our extensive and successful fundraising activities to achieve our mission.

Board President

James P. Sacher

Vice President

Ted Ward

Secretary

Antoinette Morrison

Treasurer

Barry Effron, MD

Directors

Sandra Fletcher
Heather M. Fox
Colleen Flynn Goss
Jonathan Lass, MD
Allen Roth, MD
William R. Yeakley, MD
Matt Ziaja

Staff

Debbie May-Johnson, Executive Director

Why serve on the CEBF Board of Directors? Take it from our Board Members:

“Serving on CEBF's Board of Directors, I love being surrounded by a diverse group of individuals with backgrounds ranging from medical professionals, to lawyers, to finance, to multimedia. I am captivated by the science and innovation coming from the Cleveland medical community and I am excited to be a part of Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation and our work of providing the gift of sight through its funding of valuable and impactful vision research.”
Heather Fox, Executive Vice President of Sales, Lifelearn, Inc.

“I have been a proud member of the Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation Board of Directors since 2012. As a cornea-fellowship trained ophthalmologist, I have devoted my entire career over the past 40 years at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals to advance the success of corneal transplantation to restore vision with corneal blindness as a surgeon and researcher. CEBF and its mission to support vision research in Northeast Ohio absolutely complements my work.”
Jonathan Lass, MD, Ophthalmologist, University Hospitals

“I've seen firsthand what goes on behind the scenes: the fundraising, the research, the passion and commitment of the doctors and researchers. Though a lot of people battle significantly greater vision challenges than I do, I've seen the impact and the power of donating to the Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation, where money goes directly to research. We're engaged in the community, and I feel passionately about how this is helping others who benefit from this research.”
Matt Ziaja, Sales Manager: Central & Western US, Compumark

View Our Equity Policy

Email Executive Director Debbie May-Johnson (debbie@cleyebankfoundation.org) if interested in joining the CEBF Board of Directors.

Our History

A pivotal moment arrived in 1976 when a groundbreaking corneal storage medium was developed, enabling corneas to be stored and transplanted within a five-day window, expanding the possibilities for successful transplantation.

In 1983, the organization embarked on an important educational journey, introducing a Hospital Education Program to train healthcare professionals on approaching families regarding eye donation.

The Cleveland Eye Bank’s commitment only grew stronger as it merged with the Akron Eye Bank in 1987, uniting hospitals across the Warren-Alliance-Salem area.

In 2012, the organization underwent another transformation, emerging as the Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation to focus on providing local support to researchers and physicians in their quest to find treatments and cures for blinding eye diseases.

Since 2012, the Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation has granted 1.2 million dollars for local vision research, providing hope for future generations with eye diseases.

Other Resources

Eversight

Eversight restores sight and prevents blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation and research.

Lifebanc

Serving as Northeast Ohio’s nonprofit organ and tissue recovery organization, Lifebanc began more than 30 years ago and serves over four million people and works with 80 hospitals in a 20-county area of Northeast Ohio.

Donate Life Ohio

A coalition of Ohio’s eye, organ and tissue recovery agencies dedicated to educating Ohioans about the need for eye, organ and tissue donation and motivating them to join the OHIO DONOR REGISTRY. Sign up to be a donor today.

Cleveland Sight Center

Cleveland Sight Center has served the needs of Northeast Ohio residents who are blind or have low vision for over a century. They provide developmental, rehabilitation and vocational services to ensure success in today’s society.

Lions Clubs

With over 1.4 million members, Lions Clubs are the largest service organization in the world.

Transplant Games of America

The games are a multi-sport festival event to help promote the need for eye, organ and tissue donation. The purpose is to show the world that transplantation is a treatment that does indeed work.

National Eye Institute

As part of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Eye Institute’s mission is to “conduct and support research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, preservation of sight, and the special health problems and requirements of the blind.”

Bright Focus

BrightFocus funds exceptional scientific research worldwide to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma and provides expert information on these heartbreaking diseases.

Ophthalmology Times

As aging patients increase in number, ophthalmologists and optometrists face regulatory obstacles, reimbursement delays, and limited resources for technology. The tools and knowledge Ophthalmology Times® provides to eye care professionals help improve the delivery of progressive eye health from provider to patient. Offering ophthalmology professionals digital resources they can use to help provide the best patient care, Ophthalmology Times® aims to provide content to positively affect the identification, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of regressive eye health.