Dr. Pelin Munis serves as the Chief Executive Officer at RestoringVision, having led the organization since 2015. Under her leadership, RestoringVision experienced global expansion from 70 countries to 154 countries and from 2 million people reached to 34 million people with a network of more than 3,000 NGO, INGO, government, social enterprise, and private sector partners. Under a new strategic plan, Dr. Pelin Munis is now leading the organization through its next phase of transformative growth in its commitment to solve the global vision crisis impacting one billion people.
Dr. Pelin Munis also serves on the World Health Organization’s Global SPECS Network Foundation Committee and co-Chair of the Awareness and Demand Generation Workstream, the United Nations Friends of Vision Secretariat, The Coalition for Clear Vision Steering Committee, and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Refractive Error Strategy Group.
Prior to joining RestoringVision, Pelin was the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of a distribution company that imported resort wear. The company held exclusivity of established brands and launched them in the U.S., expanding to seven markets in under five years. Working closely with the factories and the markets in which she operated fueled her passion for international development and the advancement of people globally.
Prior to that Dr. Pelin Munis was a consultant to non-profit organizations and government funded programs. She led program development and evaluation projects for the Department of Justice and Florida Departments of Health and Human Services. She was awarded government grants and has published papers in professional journals.
Pelin is an avid speaker and writer, having presented at global conferences and featured on podcasts including The Money Indicator and the Optical Journal Podcast.
She holds a Ph.D. degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Miami with distinction, an M.S. degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. degree in Psychology from The George Washington University. In 2022, Dr. Pelin Munis was honored as Vision Monday’s Most Influential Women in Optical for her achievements at RestoringVision.
