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OUR MISSION

GoodVision USA became a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity in March 2019.
The GoodVision complete solution includes local production of eyeglass frames, training of local opticians, free vision testing, immediate assembly & fitting, and long-term service for the glasses. Our objective is to provide people living in poverty access to inexpensive and visually appealing glasses while simultaneously creating employment. 

It is our vision to establish financially independent basic eye care programs in the world’s poorest countries.
We are committed to honesty, responsibility, and transparency with our donations. We will keep you informed about our ongoing projects and how your donation is being put to work. We greatly appreciate every dollar we receive, as donations are the building blocks of our work.

MEET OUR TEAM

Our team consists of professionals from diverse sectors, backgrounds, and nationalities most of whom serve volunteer roles with GoodVision.  Our team consists of professionals from diverse sectors, backgrounds, and nationalities.

JENNIFER HYDE

Executive Director | Jennifer became aware of the lack of eyeglasses access globally after a trip to the eyeglass store with her kids got her thinking. Many questions and hours of research led Jen to GoodVision. In the 1980s, Jen worked in the Congo as a Peace Corps volunteer and became aware of the lack of access to basic health benefits (like eyeglasses) which can significantly hold individuals back in their potential. Jen first worked in the environmental field and moved on to the field of international public health and vision correction.

BLAIR WONG

Member, Board of Directors| Blair has supported GoodVision from the beginning with his energy and enthusiasm.  He is a Master Optician in Ophthalmic Optics and teaches at the New England College of Optometry, and is the department Chair and founder of the Eye Health Technology and Opticianry department at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology.   Additionally, he is the executive director of the Opticians Association of Massachusetts, director to the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners.  At the age of 26, Blair was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable disease leading to blindness. Since the disease is progressive, he began to redirect his focus toward a career as an educator in ophthalmic optics and eye health technology.

KATHERINE SMITH

Secretary, Board of Directors |  From the start, Katherine was impressed by GoodVision’s sustainable way of improving lives through eye glasses.  In 2019, she traveled to Africa and was able to experience first-hand the nonprofits’s impact in Burkina Faso, where she learned how to bend the wire frames and create GoodVision glasses.  With a BA degree in Computer Science and English Literature, and past experience in the hospital information systems field, she is also certified in Yoga.  Her desire to help those who live in developing countries and improve lives by improving sight is why she is part of GoodVision.

KARSTEN DANIEL

Appointed Director, Board of Directors | Karsten Daniel is also a Board Member of EinDollarBrille e.V. Germany. Highly myopic probably since childhood, he got his first pair of glasses in his late adolescence. Seeing the world in full has become a defining moment for him. Learning later that nearly 950 million people have uncorrected refractive errors, Karsten knew that this was a cause he wanted to be involved in. He has a master’s degree in economics and organizational science and worked in public institutions and non-profit organizations all his life.

LAURA FULLER

Communications Manager | Laura is thrilled to offer her communications expertise to raise awareness of the efforts GoodVision in the United States and abroad.  She is the Head of Communications for the United Nations Environment Programme’s North America Office located in Washington, D.C.  Previous to this position, she was based in Paris, France as the Communications Officer for a global UN Environment energy efficiency initiative.  Prior to joining the UN, she was responsible for marketing communications in Canada for a major lighting company in her home town of Toronto, Ontario.  Laura is committed to helping others and has done extensive volunteer work in West Africa, India and Cambodia.

ANNA-LENA BAUMANN

Advisor, Business Development | Doing work that matters and having a positive impact on people’s lives is what drives Anna-Lena.  In 2018, she traveled for GoodVision to Burkina Faso, West Africa to see and feel the project on the ground. What moved Anna-Lena greatly was not only the direct impact of GoodVision but also how the sustainable business approach changed the lives of the employees in the production facility and GV shops who had never worked before.  Anna-Lena holds a Master of Science in Business Administration and has worked in different Fortune 500 companies.

JACK PEACOCK

Treasurer, Board of Directors | Jack Peacock brings valuable experience to GoodVision.  He is CEO of Peacock Communications Inc., a technology company he started 20 years ago, and under the COMMplements brand name creates communication solutions for people who are blind, deaf or have certain cognitive disorders.  Jack had many years as a tax law and systems specialist in various management positions before transitioning to assistive technology. His volunteer work with nonprofits spans 30 years in various positions. Jack is an advocate for all differently-abled persons and has been involved with the Worcester Commission on Disability since 2014.

 

MICHAEL SCHUBERT

Administrative Manager | Michael Schubert comes to GoodVision from the German founding organization EinDollarBrille e.V. with over 5 years of professional experience. Michael studied cultural anthropology in Munich and is a trained banker. In his full-time job at EinDollarBrille e.V. in Germany, Michael has spent the last 1 1/2 years working directly in Burkina Faso, helping to build up the structures in the sales and marketing department of the project. As a core part of the team in the United States, Michael mainly focuses on digital marketing and organizational development.

MOSOKA P. FALLAH

Project Advisor, ODG USA/RPI Liberia | Mosoka P. Fallah is the founder and CEO of Refuge Place International and an advisor to the RPI- GoodVision project.  Dr. Fallah has a MPH from Harvard University and a PhD in Immunology from University of Kentucky. Dr. Fallah supervised critical aspects of Liberia’s Ebola response. Mosoka heard about GoodVision and immediately saw the possibilities of a partnership.  “As a poor child growing up in RPI’s communities, I needed lenses for school. My poor parents could not afford them and I survived by sitting in the front of the class, listening and writing, or copying from my desk mate”.  It was not until 12th grade that Mosoka was able to travel the approximately 1000 kms to Ivory Coast to acquire a pair of glasses.

JIM SAYE SUAH JR.

Project Director, GoodVision/RPI Liberia | Jim Saye Suah Jr’s role is the project manager for the Liberia project.  He is a graduate of Cuttington University of Liberia with a B.S. in Plant and Soil Sciences. After graduation, his career interests have focused on epidemiology with interest in investigating the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and related data analysis. In 2018, Jim transitioned to Refuge Place International (RPI) as an Administrative Assistant. At RPl Jim trains Community Health workers on data management and prepares RPI’s annual project reports,  newsletters, and grant proposals. Most recently, he was appointed as the Country Director for the GoodVision-Liberia project.

JAMIE SLOATE

Social Media Intern | Jamie is a student at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She found GoodVision through her school and loves the organization’s mission and dedication to providing glasses for others. Jamie supports GoodVision especially in the areas of social media and online marketing in general.

BARBARA ARNING, M.D.

Public Relations Manager | Barbara became severely short sighted at the age of 10.  The poor eyesight affected all parts of her life and she was glad to get glasses once her problem was diagnosed.  Based on this experience, her passion is to help as many people as possible in the world to achieve good vision.  Providing sustainable optician support and affordable eye glasses is a perfect fit to achieve that goal.  As a physician, retired director of regulatory affairs in the pharmaceutical industry (Oncology, Vaccines) and former executive in marketing and advertising, she is happy to contribute to the work of GoodVision helping people to see.

MIRJA HOFFMAN

Human Resources Manager | Mirja is driven by helping others and working with people from all over the world! What excites her the most about GoodVision is not only the fact that people in need are provided access to glasses and clear vision but also the economic impact that GoodVision has by manufacturing glasses locally and creating jobs for many individuals. With a Master’s degree in business and experience in Human Resources, Mirja focuses on recruitment and other HR related topics at ODG USA. 

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Marc Zedler

Marc Zedler |© Isabella Bilger

Marc Zedler

Projekt Manager Malawi

Stephane Cisse

Stéphane Cissé |© Isabella Bilger

Stéphane Cissé

Project Manager Burkina Faso

Alejandra Portillo

Alejandra Portillo |© Isabella Bilger

Alejandra Portillo

Project Manager Peru

Ralf Toenjes ©

Ralf Toenjes

Project Manager Brazil

My main goal is to use my knowledge to give back to society the support I have had over the years. In 2013 there was an opportunity that would change not only my life but that of thousands of people. After being recognized as a student leader by Unilever in 2013, I went to Mexico to participate in the Enactus World Cup, a competition that recognizes the best university projects with social impact.

There I met a group of German students who said that 150 million people around the world need glasses without the means to buy them. The students introduced the concept of OneDollarGlasses—the program they wanted to use to change that. That seemed like an interesting challenge to me ...

Soon after, I founded the VerBem company to offer an alternative with positive social effects on the Brazilian eyewear market that is aimed, not at profits, but at the visual health of the population. We have turned the simple task of buying glasses into an act of kindness for others. We are a young brand that tries to make a difference in a saturated market.

 

Max Steiner © Isabella Bilger

Max Steiner

Coordinator South and Central America, Project Manager Bolivia

After committed entrepreneurial years in Switzerland and Germany, in 2000 I founded a social youth foundation in Bolivia, the country of origin of my wife Martha, today my second home. Hostelling International Bolivia (HI-Bolivia) runs the national youth hostel, offers Spanish courses and organizes adventure trips in the Andes. All of this for almost 1,000 volunteers who have been involved in the foundation's many social projects over the past 15 years and who continue to contribute. Initially, it was primarily childcare centers in the country, but HIB soon expanded its help in the health sector, such as dental care, fluorination and mobile consultations in remote mountain areas up to 4000m high on the Sunny Island outside on Lake Titicaca.

While on an exchange program with the Institute for Geography at the University of Erlangen, I came across Martin Aufmuth’s OneDollarGlasses program at the end of 2012. Right then, I wanted to close this exact gap in Bolivia, too, and give the well over 150,000 locals with insufficient eyesight the option of affordable glasses and new life chances. Fascinated by the manufacturing process, I asked the OneDollarGlasses team to train local producers, who produced around 15,000 frames this year and can thus generate an income that was simply not there before.

How satisfying it is for me today to remember that the goal of the LENTES AL INSTANTE (the name of OneDollarGlasses in South America) campaign in 2017 is to do about 20,000 eye tests in places where the people have never seen an ophthalmologist.

I was very honored to be appointed OneDollarGlasses coordinator from South and Central America. In my role, on the one hand I work to strengthen the launched partner structures in Mexico and Brazil, and on the other hand to extend this valuable social project to other Andean countries such as Peru, Colombia and later Ecuador. In 2020, we want to work together on this continent to bring around 50,000 OneDollarGlasses to happy, needy people who will finally see better.

 

 

Prashant Pachisia |© Antje Christ

Prashant Pachisia

Project Manager India

Jo Neunert |© Jo Neunert

Jo Neunert

Country Coordinator Ethiopia

After years of experience in the town twinning of Vaterstetten with Alem Katema in Ethiopia, I was already fascinated by the idea of OneDollarGlasses in 2013. This is how the pilot test started in our partner clinic in Alem Katema, where glasses are manufactured and sold on a very small scale today. I continue to pursue attempts to broaden OneDollarGlasses in Ethiopia. The political framework gives hope, but it requires a lot of patience.

Karsten Daniel |© SNaumann Fotografie

Karsten Daniel

Member of the extended board

I am a member of the extended board and responsible for the areas of human resources, law and IT. I am also the contact person for the sister organizations ODG Switzerland and ODG USA.

What impresses me about the organization and my work is that we can help many people sustainably with our work. We not only offer basic optical care and high-quality glasses in many countries around the world, we also build permanent structures on site. We train people in our one-year training as GoodVision Technicians who can perform eye tests, recognize eye diseases and manufacture, adapt (and later repair if necessary) glasses.

This enables us to create jobs directly on site in production, sales and administrative offices. We offer a product and a service that people live on and that people can afford. In this way, we strengthen the community in the countries and regions in which we operate over the long term.

 

Blair Wong

Blair Wong is a Master Optician in Ophthalmic Optics and teaches at the New England College of Optometry (NECO), and is the department Chair and founder of the Eye Health Technology and Opticianry department at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT). He is a past president and current executive director of the Opticians Association of Massachusetts (OAM), director to the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners (ABO/NCLE).

At the age of 26, Blair was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable disease that leads to blindness. Since the disease is progressive, he began to redirect his focus toward a career as an educator in ophthalmic optics and eye health technology. Blair, through his membership with the Bay State Council for the Blind (BSCB), and as a client of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB), and the Carroll Center for the Blind, serves as an advocate for the visually impaired community.

Through the collaborative efforts and dedication of faculty and students at NECO and BFIT, eye exams and customized prescription glasses have been provided to vision needy school children and elderly citizens in Boston and surrounding areas. This interdisciplinary experience has empowered these children to regain their academic potential, social confidence and self esteem, and level of productivity through a simple pair of glasses.

 

Jennifer Hyde

Jennifer Hyde is the Executive Director of OneDollarGlasses USA. Jen became aware of the immensity of the unrefracted error problem in the developing world after a trip to the eyeglass store with her kids. Many questions later and hours of research at her kitchen table led her to OneDollarGlasses.

In the 1980’s, Jen worked in the Congo as a Peace Corps volunteer and became aware of the how the lack of access to basic health benefits (like eyeglasses) can significantly hold individuals back in their potential. Jen has worked in the environmental field and moved on to the field of international public health and vision correction. She has a Bachelor of Science from Bates College, a Masters of City Planning from MIT and an Opticianry degree from Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. Jen is a Licensed Optician and serves on the Board of Directors of Vision of Hope, VOSH-ONE, and is a Committee Chair for VOSH International. Currently, she lives in Newton Massachusetts with her husband, David (ODG USA IT intern), children, Sam and Lucy, and a basement full of Lions Club recycled eyeglasses in her basement. "It’s a dream come true to be helping launch ODG USA!”

Kathy Smith

Jennifer Hyde is the Executive Director of OneDollarGlasses USA. Jen became aware of the immensity of the unrefracted error problem in the developing world after a trip to the eyeglass store with her kids. Many questions later and hours of research at her kitchen table led her to OneDollarGlasses.

In the 1980’s, Jen worked in the Congo as a Peace Corps volunteer and became aware of the how the lack of access to basic health benefits (like eyeglasses) can significantly hold individuals back in their potential. Jen has worked in the environmental field and moved on to the field of international public health and vision correction. She has a Bachelor of Science from Bates College, a Masters of City Planning from MIT and an Opticianry degree from Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. Jen is a Licensed Optician and serves on the Board of Directors of Vision of Hope, VOSH-ONE, and is a Committee Chair for VOSH International. Currently, she lives in Newton Massachusetts with her husband, David (ODG USA IT intern), children, Sam and Lucy, and a basement full of Lions Club recycled eyeglasses in her basement. "It’s a dream come true to be helping launch ODG USA!”