Prevent Blindness Promotes Five Staff Across Executive, Marketing and Communications, Government Affairs, and Public Health Departments.
CHICAGO, April 9, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Prevent Blindness, the nation's leading eye health and safety organization, has announced the promotion of five of its staff members to broaden the reach and impact of its sight-saving mission. Kira Baldonado, MPH, will serve in the newly created role of Executive Vice President. Sarah R. Hecker is now the Vice President of Marketing, with Ken West serving as Vice President of Digital Content. Sara D. Brown, MPA, has been promoted to Senior Director of Government Affairs, and Nita P. Sinha, MPH, is now Senior Director of Public Health.
"As we embark on implementing our new five-year strategic plan, I am thrilled to recognize the long-term contributions of these members of our team by elevating their leadership roles as we continue our sight-saving mission and build on our reputation as a trusted partner for eye health," said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness.
The five leaders bring more than 90 years of combined service to Prevent Blindness, with talent and expertise in a range of specializations:
Kira Baldonado, MPH, Executive Vice President- Kira Baldonado joined Prevent Blindness in 2003 as Director of Marketing and Community Services at Prevent Blindness Ohio. She then joined the national office staff as Director of the National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness in 2011 before becoming Vice President of Public Health and Policy in 2018. Kira has played a pivotal role in advancing vision and eye health initiatives through advocacy, public health programs, and patient empowerment. As Executive Vice President, she will continue to drive the organization's mission forward, expanding program and policy engagements, guiding development of strategic partnerships, and promoting organizational growth.
Sarah R. Hecker, Vice President of Marketing- Sarah Hecker joined Prevent Blindness in 2004 from PainePR (now Citizen Relations) as Director of Media Relations, later moving to Senior Director of Marketing, where she developed and led the execution of marketing, branding, and communication initiatives, including social media and oversight of the graphic design department. As Vice President, her role will expand to increase brand awareness through development and implementation of national initiatives, including a new national branding campaign, build relationships with stakeholders, partners and media, and work cross-departmentally to achieve goals set forth in the new Prevent Blindness strategic plan.
Ken West, Vice President of Digital Content- Ken West leads the organization's digital communications strategy and manages its overall web presence. His responsibilities include overseeing the development and maintenance of the main website, PreventBlindness.org, as well as the specialized Living Well With Low Vision resource. In this role, he collaborates closely with the program, marketing, and development teams to align digital content efforts with broader organizational objectives. He also works in partnership with Prevent Blindness state affiliates to support their initiatives and promote unified messaging across all digital platforms. Ken is dedicated to enhancing online engagement, improving user experience, and expanding the reach of Prevent Blindness's critical vision and eye health resources. Through his leadership, he aims to advance the organization's mission to prevent blindness and preserve sight by leveraging innovative digital strategies.
Sara D. Brown, MPA, Senior Director of Government Affairs- Sara Brown joined Prevent Blindness in 2017 after spending several years as a legislative and staff aide in the U.S. Senate and as Associate Director with the Medical Group Management Association. As Director of Government Affairs at Prevent Blindness, Sara grew the organization's presence on Capitol Hill and in the Administration in pursuit of Prevent Blindness public policy goals to strengthen Congressional appropriations in federal vision and eye health programs and improve access and coverage policies for eye health patients. As Senior Director of Government Affairs, Sara will continue to lead the Prevent Blindness advocacy efforts pursuant to the organization's annual policy agenda and strategic plan, including passage of the bipartisan Early Detection of Vision Impairments for Children Act (EDVI Act), protecting federal investments in vision and eye health programs, strengthening the Congressional Vision Caucus, and overseeing the grassroots communications strategy.
Nita P. Sinha, MPH, Senior Director of Public Health- Nita Sinha joined Prevent Blindness as Director of Public Health at Prevent Blindness in 2009. In her new role, Nita plans to enhance and elevate her work around professional and public education in vision and eye health through various educational and awareness initiatives and programs within the organization, engaging multiple partners and stakeholders. She leads the annual Focus on Eye Health Summit, a forum of leaders in public health, eye care, and government sectors, now in its 14th consecutive year. She also staffs the organization's Scientific Committee, Diabetes + the Eyes Advisory Committee, and The Glaucoma Community Expert Advisory Committee. Before joining Prevent Blindness, Nita worked at the American Academy of Pediatrics as Manager of Evaluation and Outcomes and Helen Keller International as Program Manager.
Added Todd, "We find ourselves in challenging times for eye health and healthcare more broadly, but also amid an unprecedented era of revolutionary innovation in eye care. I look forward to continuing to work alongside Kira, Sarah, Ken, Sara, and Nita in their newly elevated roles, and the rest of the incredible team at Prevent Blindness, as we remain laser-focused on ensuring access to eye care for everyone."
For a full listing of Prevent Blindness staff members, please visit PreventBlindness.org/staff. For more information about Prevent Blindness or general eye health information, visit PreventBlindness.org.
About Prevent Blindness
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, visit us at PreventBlindness.org, and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.
Media Contact
Sarah Hecker, Prevent Blindness, 312.363.6035, [email protected], PreventBlindness.org
SOURCE Prevent Blindness
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