RestoringVision Appoints Jayanth Bhuvaraghan and Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters to its Board of Directors

San Francisco, CA (November 15, 2021):

Jayanth Bhuvaraghan
Jayanth Bhuvaraghan
Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters
Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters

RestoringVision, a leading global nonprofit dedicated to addressing the unmet need for eyeglasses in impoverished communities across the globe, announced the appointments of Jayanth Bhuvaraghan and Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters to its Board of Directors. Bhuvaraghan and Peters will serve along accomplished industry leaders and business influencers to guide RestoringVision into a successful future poised for high growth.

We are thrilled to welcome Jayanth and Ambassador Peters as new directors to the RestoringVision board,” said Kevin Hassey, Chair of the board. “Jayanth has extensive experience in the global optical and philanthropic sectors. Ambassador Peters has extensive experience in international development, and has held leadership roles as former U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh and former CEO of The Carter
Center. As prominent global leaders, they will play an important role in amplifying the work of RestoringVision as the organization scales to reach 10 million people a year.”

Jayanth Bhuvaraghan is a strong campaigner for greater eye health access and awareness, and is a well known global expert in the eye care sector. He is deeply committed to bringing good vision to everyone everywhere, and is credited for creating sustainable vision care access to over 400 million people in the developing countries along with his teams in Essilor. Jayanth recently retired as Essilor Luxottica’s Chief Mission Officer. He is a passionate believer in business as a force for good, and currently works as Sr. Advisor & Coach with various organizations to help them discover their purpose and drive purpose driven transformation.

“RestoringVision has been doing stellar work to bring good vision and transform the lives of millions of people around the world,” said Jayanth Bhuvaraghan. “I am very excited to join the board to support the next phase of growth and work towards eliminating poor vision from the world in a generation.”

Ambassador Mary Ann Peters is an innovative global leader with deep experience guiding large organizations in times of both stability and crisis. She spent more than 30 years as a U.S. diplomat and served as U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh. She also served as the CEO of The Carter Center, where she led a worldwide effort to resolve conflicts, strengthen democracy, and improve global health. Peters is currently Ambassador in Residence and Professor of Practice at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of The Asia Foundation, Project Hope, and the Futures Council of the Human Vaccines Project, among others. Ambassador Peters is also a sought-after speaker and published author.

“I am honored to join the board of one of the most effective organizations I know, RestoringVision,” said Ambassador Peters. “Enabling people to see well enables them to work, to read, to sew, to plant and to harvest, offering a brighter future to them and their families. What is especially exciting for me is RestoringVision’s emphasis on partnership and collaboration to empower people around the world by improving their sight.”

“Our Board of Directors play a critical role in advancing our mission to restore vision for millions of people in need,” said Pelin Munis, Executive Director. “We are thrilled to welcome and partner with Jayanth and Ambassador Peters and to channel their expertise and passion into helping our organization grow to its next levels. The demand for our program has increased substantially over the last two years and engaging the support of leaders, who today comprise our board, will enable us to achieve our ambitious goals.”

The RestoringVision Board of Directors consists of Kevin Hassey, General Manager of Eyeglass World; Erwin Cho, Senior Director of Service Strategy and Innovation at Kaiser Permanente; Jayanth Bhuvaraghan, Sr. Advisor and Coach of EssilorLuxottica; Reade Fahs, CEO of National Vision, Inc.; Chris Harris, Partner of FFL Partners; Myles Lewis, CEO of General Vision Services; Pelin Munis, Executive Director of RestoringVision; and Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters. Other key individuals include Nira Jethani, Treasurer; and Mark Sachs, Founder, Chair Emeritus, and Advisor.

About RestoringVision
RestoringVision is a leading global nonprofit dedicated to addressing the unmet need for eyeglasses in impoverished communities across the globe. Each year, the organization helps millions of people living on less than $2/day gain clear vision in order to increase productivity, continue working and earning an income, learning, and performing everyday tasks. Since 2003, RestoringVision has reached over 19 million people in 136 countries with its programs. For more information, visit restoringvision.org. ###