EyeCare4Kids Appoints New CEO, Founder Shifts Role

EyeCare4Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing vision services to underserved children, has appointed Maggie Cline, MPH, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Cline assumes the role after serving as Executive Director for the Utah region since 2022. The leadership transition also marks a strategic shift for founder Joseph Carbone, who will take on a new role focused on international development.

New Leadership with Public Health Background

Cline’s promotion follows her leadership in Utah, where she helped deliver more than 50,000 vision services annually across school clinics, community centers, and mobile outreach units. Her professional background in public health is paired with a personal connection to EyeCare4Kids’ mission.

“The mission of EyeCare4Kids is both professional and personal for me because I used to be one of those kids whose family faced challenges and anxiety navigating the complicated U.S. health and education systems,” Cline stated. “That’s why I understand how important it is when one person or one organization offers a hand-up, potentially offering a life-changing impact with one act of kindness.”

Track Record of Growth and Community Outreach

As Executive Director for Utah, Cline played a critical role in increasing patient volume at EyeCare4Kids’ Midvale clinic, launching a new clinic in Ogden, expanding the mobile outreach team, and building partnerships with school districts, homeless shelters, refugee centers, and other community organizations across the state.

Founder Shifts Focus to African Vision Health Initiatives

Joseph Carbone, who founded EyeCare4Kids in 2001, will now lead the organization’s international strategy, with a focus on expanding access to pediatric eye care across Africa. The organization aims to deliver 1 million vision services to African children by 2030.

Carbone’s plans include:

• Developing partnerships with government ministries, NGOs, optometrists, clinics, universities, and lens manufacturers

• Establishing a networked infrastructure to support ongoing service delivery and lens fabrication

• Scaling operations beyond the current clinic in Kenya with a new site planned for South Africa

“Over the past twenty years, I’ve seen how our work in Africa helps children to see better, do better in school, and set up opportunities to improve their quality of life,” Carbone said. “I’m very much looking forward to my next chapter when I can focus on building long-lasting relationships that extend the impact of EyeCare4Kids.”