Meet Our Board of Directors
Tad MacDonnell
Tad MacDonnell brings decades of executive leadership to his role as Program Coordinator for Eye Care International. After retiring as senior managing director of a national real estate finance company, Tad chose to apply his skills to humanitarian service. He joined Eye Care International as a volunteer in 2010 and became Program Coordinator in 2014.
Today, he helps organize and manage vital missions that provide vision care to underserved communities in El Salvador. His dedication and expertise ensure that every donor dollar is maximized for impact—delivering sight, dignity, and hope to those who need it most.
Karen Valaitis
Karen Valaitis, a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of West Florida, brings over 20 years of healthcare experience to her humanitarian work with Eye Care International. Moved by a conversation with longtime volunteer Esther Burton, she joined her first mission to El Salvador in 2005—and never looked back.
Since then, Karen has been a steady presence on the ground and a guiding voice on the Board of Directors, currently as its Chair. Her commitment reflects a deep belief in equitable healthcare and the power of service to transform lives.
John Novak
Dr. John Novak is more than an optometrist—he's a global advocate for vision care. Based in Cleveland, he trained at The Ohio State University and completed a residency at the VA Medical Center. A student mission trip to the Dominican Republic sparked his lifelong commitment to humanitarian service. Since then, he’s delivered essential eye care to underserved communities—from the Navajo Nation in Arizona to rural El Salvador. Working with church groups, the Lion’s Club, and Epilogos Charities, the organization’s Vice Chair returns often to El Salvador, where his work transforms lives.
"I love visiting El Salvador to provide professional eye care to people without access and resources," he said. For Dr. Novak, every restored vision is a step toward dignity and opportunity.
Susan Dinehart
Susan Dinehart, Programs Director at COAR Peace Mission in Cleveland, brings a deep connection to El Salvador and a passion for service to her work with Eye Care International. Fluent in Spanish, she spent four years living and volunteering in rural Chalatenango, where she first joined Eye Care International as an interpreter. She now the board Secretary.
Her local knowledge and commitment helped bring the mission back to Chalatenango three years later. Now serving on the Board of Directors, Susan sees Eye Care International not just as a provider of vision care, but as a catalyst for social change. For volunteers seeking meaningful impact, her story is a testament to the power of showing up, listening, and building lasting relationships with the communities they serve.
John Bowen
John has been a resolute volunteer with Eye Care International since 2008 and has served as Treasurer since 2010. Drawing on his 28 years as an economic officer in the U.S. Foreign Service—with assignments across Colombia, Brazil, Europe, and Africa—John now helps bring the gift of sight to communities in El Salvador by dispensing prescription eyeglasses.
He values the camaraderie of fellow volunteers and the opportunity to connect with the people of El Salvador. Thanks to the generosity of donors, John and his team can make a lasting impact—one clear view at a time.
Sherry Clausing
Sherry Clausing, a retired surgical nurse, found renewed purpose through humanitarian service. While volunteering with Sharing America's Resources Abroad (SARA), a nonprofit caring for underserved Ukrainians, she discovered Eye Care International—and a new way to make a difference.
Since then, Sherry has brought her surgical expertise to El Salvador, serving as a surgery coordinator and board member. Her dedication helps deliver critical eye care to those who need it most. "It's an honor to help the people of El Salvador," she says.
Thanks to volunteers like Sherry and the support of generous donors, Eye Care International continues to restore sight—and hope—across communities in need.
Sue Daniels
Sue Daniels, RN, NI-BC, is a clinical informaticist, blending her hands-on nursing experience with leadership and tech skills to improve patient care. Her heart for service reaches far beyond her professional role.
In 2010, Sue found herself in a barn in Stow, Ohio, sorting and sanitizing donated eyeglasses with longtime friends and Eye Care International (ECI) volunteers. Listening to their stories of serving in El Salvador sparked something deep in her—she knew she had to be part of it. By the following winter, she was on a plane to El Salvador and she has returned year after year as a vital volunteer assisting the surgical team, dispensing reading glasses, pre-screening patients in rural villages, and assessing vision.
Sue’s journey shows how one step—sorting glasses in a barn—can lead to a life of impact. Her story reminds us that volunteering doesn’t require perfection, just a willingness to serve where it matters most.
Bob Helwig
Dr. Bob, an ophthalmologist at Brodell Medical in Warren, Ohio, joined Eye Care International in 2000 after a colleague, Dr. Lyn Yakubox, invited him on a mission trip to El Salvador. That first trip opened his eyes to the power of humanitarian medicine—and he’s returned year after year ever since.
For Bob, providing eye care to those with no other access to vision restoration has been one of the most rewarding experiences of his career. His story is a call to fellow ophthalmologists: your skills can be life-changing in places where eye care is scarce. By volunteering, you don’t just restore sight—you restore opportunity, independence, and hope.
Brian Daniels
Brian has always felt called to serve, but his journey with Eye Care International in El Salvador since 2013 deepened that calling. A retired Indiana retirement community director and a current pastor for a rural Indiana congregation, Brian brings compassion and leadership to every mission.
As a non-clinical volunteer, he's played vital roles—from dispensing glasses to conducting distance acuity tests and autorefracting patients. In 2024, he joined the Board of Directors, further committing to the mission. For mission-minded volunteers, Brian’s story is proof that you don’t need a medical degree to make a difference—just a heart for service and a willingness to show up.
Dr. Bill Rudy
Dr. William Rudy isn’t just an award-winning optometrist—he’s the kind of doctor you genuinely want to work alongside. Kind, thoughtful, and endlessly dedicated, Dr. Rudy brings warmth and compassion to every patient he meets. He provides comprehensive eye care for patients of all ages, with special expertise in managing glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetes. For years, he’s also been a cornerstone of Eye Care missions, volunteering his time in El Salvador and examining hundreds of patients each week with skill and a smile.
Beyond his clinic, Dr. Rudy is a generous teacher and mentor. He shares his knowledge nationwide as a guest lecturer, serves veterans at the Louis B. Stokes VA Hospital, and helps shape future optometrists as a Clinical Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University. Whether he’s comforting a nervous patient or encouraging a student on their first eye exam, Dr. Rudy leads with heart. His quiet strength and humble spirit make him someone you'd be lucky to serve with—especially in a place as special as El Salvador.
Randall Rodriguez
Randall and his wife Marlene first traveled with Eye Care International on a mission trip to El Salvador in 2023. Deeply impacted by the experience, Randall joined the Board of Directors in 2024 to further support the mission.
A Licensed Optician by trade, Randall brings hands-on expertise to the Optical Department, where he enjoys fitting eyeglasses and connecting with the local community. His involvement in church-based missions over the years sparked a passion for service, which naturally led him to support medical missions abroad.
Randall’s caring nature and commitment to helping others make him a valued part of the team.