After 25 years of dedicated service to eye banking and the mission of sight restoration, Alan Blake is beginning a new chapter.
Alan’s career has been defined by a deep commitment to this work and to the people at the heart of it. He began his career at Advancing Sight Network following his graduation from Birmingham-Southern College and served in roles across the organization—from recovery coordinator and call center manager to technical director and, ultimately, CEO. Along the way, he gained experience at the Illinois Eye Bank before returning to Advancing Sight Network and continuing a career devoted to maximizing the impact of donated gifts and helping restore sight.
Throughout his career, Alan brought both a strong set of guiding values and a vision for what eye banking could become. He believed deeply in the responsibility to steward every donated gift with integrity and compassion, while also looking beyond the traditional role of an eye bank. Alan championed the expansion of research and innovation as important parts of the mission, creating new opportunities for donated gifts to advance scientific discovery, improve treatments, and contribute to the future of sight restoration.
That vision also helped shape the formation of Precision Ocular Network. Over the past two years, Alan played an important role in bringing Advancing Sight Network and Miracles In Sight together to build an organization that would not only meet the needs of today, but to help advance what is possible tomorrow. His leadership, vision, and dedication helped establish the foundation from which PON will continue to grow, evolve, and innovate.
Alan described his retirement this way: “After 25 years, I have made the difficult decision to retire from eye banking. It is after much thought, reflection, and many conversations with my family, that I determined this is the right time to take a step back.
“Even though it is the right time, leaving this work—and the people that have dedicated their lives to making such a significant impact everyday—is not easy.
“I am incredibly grateful for all those I’ve had the privilege of working alongside and the many relationships built along the way. It has been an honor to be part of this work that has such a profound impact on the lives of others and to serve a mission that has meant so much to me personally and professionally.
“I am so proud of what we have built at Precision Ocular Network (PON). Together, we have built an organization with the continued grand mission of restoring sight. We have set the goal of becoming more than an eye bank–focusing on the research and innovation that will result in better treatments and eventual cures for blinding eye diseases. The dedicated and passionate team at PON, led by Ingrid Schunder, will continue to make an impact that resonates beyond one individual—to the families and communities that surround them.”
Ingrid responded to Alan’s announcement by saying, “Thank you, Alan, for your vision and for the difference you have made in so many lives. I have had the privilege of working alongside my Co-CEO, Alan Blake, as we brought together Advancing Sight Network and Miracles In Sight to create Precision Ocular Network.
“Anyone who has been through a merger knows it is not easy work. It requires trust, countless conversations, difficult decisions, and a willingness to stay focused on the bigger picture even when the path forward is not always clear. Over the past year, Alan and I have shared that journey together.
“Throughout the process, I have appreciated Alan’s partnership, his commitment to our mission, and his willingness to think boldly about what the future of eye banking could be. His belief that our field must continue to evolve, expand, and innovate helped shape many of the opportunities we are pursuing today.”
Through it all, Alan has remained deeply committed to people—supporting colleagues, offering hope to donor families, and helping make sight restoration possible. His devotion to this mission, his values, and his belief in its possibilities have made a lasting impact on our organization and the broader eye banking community.
We are tremendously grateful to Alan for his many years of leadership, service, and commitment to the mission of sight restoration. As he steps away from eye banking to devote more time to his family, we celebrate all he has accomplished and contributed to this mission and industry. We wish Alan and his family the very best in the chapter ahead.
