Give Sight Global is dedicated to providing high-quality vision care to underserved communities around the world to prevent and treat blindness both internationally and locally.
The Give Sight story began in 2013, when co-founder Justin Nabity was invited to speak at the annual meeting for the American Academy of Ophthalmologists (AAO). The invitation came from Justin’s friend and client Dr. Jeff Pettey, a faculty member at the University of Utah’s Moran Eye Center. At the AAO conference, Justin first learned about the Moran Outreach Program and their mission to treat preventable and curable blindness in high-need communities around the world. Shortly after, Justin and his business partner Reid Lancaster volunteered on service trips to Navajo Nation, Tanzania, Micronesia, Trinidad and Tobago for the Moran Outreach Program. They both witnessed firsthand the life-changing impact of cataract surgery and vision care.
Inspired by the work of the Moran Outreach Program, Justin and Reid co-founded the 501(c)3 non-profit Give Sight Global in 2017. Today Give Sight Global sponsors cataract surgeries in 12 different countries around the world. However, poor access to eye care is an issue that also affects communities much closer to home. The Give Sight Local division was established to prevent and treat blindness throughout Omaha, Nebraska and the surrounding area.
The Give Sight Global organization is supported by donations and an expanding network of corporate sponsors. Additionally, Physicians Thrive, Justin and Reid’s financial firm, donates employee time to Give Sight Global during scheduled work hours and dedicates revenue to the organization as well.
Aly is passionate about one thing, making a difference in whatever he involves himself in.
Aly is the current President and CEO of Give Sight Global, an international development organization that works to prevent blindness and restore sight around the world.
Aly believes that everyone has the right to sight and invites us all to join him and Give Sight Global in the fight against avoidable blindness.
Born in Uganda and refugeed to Canada in 1973, Aly has made Calgary home for the past 21 years after growing up in Edmonton.
As newcomers to Canada, and while his parents were figuring things out, Aly was raised by his grandmother, who lost her vision to an eye condition that could have been managed had she received proper care. He often wonders what their lives would have been like, had she come to Canada with her sight. This propels Aly and Give Sight Global toward a world where everyone, regardless of their background or financial means, has access to quality eye care services.
Aly has enjoyed a 25-year career in HR and leadership in Calgary in non-profit, technology, oil, and gas. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta.
Aly has served on various community and NFP Boards, and is an original contributor to the Volunteer Code of Canada. In 2013 he won recognition as a Rising Star by Oilweek Magazine. He’s served in volunteer leadership roles in the HR community and, in 2016, was awarded the Fellow Chartered Professional in HR Designation for his exceptional service and impact on the profession. The highest recognition within the profession of Human Resources.
He still stays involved with volunteering, family, and friends and now hopes to be even more involved in the great community that makes up Rotary.
Justin Nabity is the founder and CEO of Physicians Thrive, an advisory group helping physicians avoid business and legal pitfalls and build their financial education. As a wealth management advisor from a family of doctors, he launched his business by traveling to medical schools nationwide to educate physicians about their unique financial, legal, and business needs. Today, Physicians Thrive has served physicians at over 400 medical centers, hospitals, and medical schools, and 1000 residency and fellowship programs.
In 2016, Justin co-founded the non-profit Give Sight Global, which sponsors cataract surgeries, glasses and other forms of eye care all over the world. Following volunteer trips with the University of Utah Moran Outreach Program to the Navajo Nation and Tanzania, Justin and his business partner were inspired to donate a portion of their business profits to fund vision care in underserved communities, and Give Sight Global was born.
With an expanding network of organizations, Give Sight Global has an ambitious ten-year goal: to restore sight to one million people globally.
Justin has lectured at over 100 universities including John Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic and Stanford. He has served on the boards of the Entrepreneurs Organization and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, and is committed to helping business leaders find professional opportunities to advance the public good.
Reid Lancaster co-founded Give Sight Global in 2016 after volunteering with the University of Utah’s Moran Outreach program to provide vision care to underserved communities. As co-director, he manages outreach, branding, and donor relations for the non-profit. Reid also coordinates and oversees all service trips, including recent missions to Tanzania, Micronesia, Trinidad and Tabago. He has been a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) since 2017.
In addition to his work with Give Sight Global, Reid serves as partner and Chief Operations Officer of Omaha-based financial planning firm Physicians Thrive. Since 2013, Reid has led the company’s operations and development. He is also an owner and board-member of the partner company Physicians Focused, which connects physicians and their families to trusted networks of personal services.
Reid is a lifelong entrepreneur, and he approaches every professional opportunity with a focus on driving growth, building strong teams, and cultivating meaningful professional networks. He launched his career opening and operating seven Complete Nutrition franchises nationally, and today he is passionate about supporting young entrepreneurs and business leaders. Reid currently serves as a promotional strategist for the Global Leadership Summit and treasurer for the Executive Forum of Entrepreneurs Organization. He has also been a member and board member at the National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (NAIFA).
As treasurer and board member, Betsy oversees the financial health and management of Give Sight Global. She manages all charitable contributions, reporting, expenses, and donation receipts for the 501(c)(3).
Betsy is also the office administrator for Physicians Thrive, a financial planning firm and sponsoring Certified B-corporation for Give Sight Global. Betsy has been with Physicians Thrive for nine years, where she began as an office assistant specializing in contract reviews. Previously, she worked as an executive assistant at Lindsay Manufacturing and in tech support for a software company.
Originally from Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Betsy attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she earned a B.S. in psychology with a minor in music and piano performance. Outside of work, Betsy stays busy homeschooling her two children, serving in her church, and volunteering with American Heritage Girls, where she’s founded multiple new troops and currently serves as Troop Coordinator. She is proud to be a part of the Give Sight Global team and has experienced the mission’s positive impacts in her own day-to-day life.
Steven Stratman is an attorney with a practice focused on health care employment law, medical practice entities, business law, and real estate law. Mr. Stratman is a Director of Wiss, Janney, Elstner, a national Engineering and Architectural firm headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, and also serves as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, where he is an Instructor in Business Law, Business Ethics and other subjects. Prior to his current private practice, he served as the Deputy General Counsel of First Data Corporation, a global payment processing, and financial services company as well as a partner at Kutak Rock, a national law firm headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.
He previously co-founded and served as Chief Financial Officer and Legal Counsel for a retail franchise that operated in five States. He and his wife were founding members of the Center for Real Estate at Marquette University. Mr. Stratman’s charitable activities have included service on the Governing Board, Executive Committee and Development Committee of Creighton Prep, and a Capital Campaign Steering Committee for Catholic Charities – Omaha. He is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas (MN) and the University of Notre Dame Law School. Mr. Stratman and his wife reside in Omaha, Nebraska.
Anup is a qualified development professional with an MBA in Health Care Management. In
his 15 years long career he has held many leadership positions, including being a CEO of an Eye Hospital, Country Manager of an International Development Organisation, and has also served as the Vice President of Vision 2020 India: Right to Sight. Anup’s area of expertise lies in public health and community eye health within Government, NGO and INGO settings.
With comprehensive experience in public health and eye health care management, he led many initiatives which were proven impactful and sustainable for communities across India, Bangladesh and Nepal, positively influencing millions of people.
Other than being a foodie, Anup loves coffee, music, and adventure. In his own words, being a father to two amazing daughters is the best thing that has happened to him.
Harish is a qualified public health specialist with masters in Health Administration from the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. He has worked with several international development organizations at leadership positions and has over a decade’s experience in eye health and maternal & child health sectors across South Asia. He has won several awards including the best paper presentation award from Vision 2020 India and the Global award for story writing on the maternal and child health category in human interest organized by CARE International. He has participated in many reputed national level
conferences and has several published articles to his credit. Additionally, he has also completed Young Leaders Program conducted by India Vision Institute.
Harish is an avid sports lover. During his post-graduation days, he won the best sportsperson of the year title at TISS. He has completed several half and 10 Km marathons and aspires to complete full marathon. Currently, he is based out of Hyderabad, where he lives with his wife and an adorable daughter Laakriti.
Ali comes with more than 21 years of experience and he has vast experience in
Procurement, Finance, and Administration field. He has experience working in reputed hospitals and international development organizations such as L.V Prasad Eye Institute, Indo American Cancer Institute, among others. He is a qualified professional with an MBA in Finance and PG Diploma in Material Management Ali is a Tea lover and he like to watch news in Television. He is blessed with a son and two
daughters.
Reverend Dr. Tammy Gregory Carter is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has served congregations in Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. She has worked with numerous community and non-profit organizations and is the Founder and Director Emeritus of the Hands of Christ, a non-profit organization that serves children and families in need. To date, the Hands of Christ has served over 80,000 children and their families. Rev. Carter holds degrees from Lyon College, Presbyterian College, and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She has three adult children whom she adores, most of the time. She now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, Bob, and their corgis, Daisy and Delilah.
Hedley Lawson brings decades of experience as an advisory and board member to the Giving Sight Global board of directors. He has served as a global senior corporate executive and board and management advisor as the Global Managing Partner for Aligned Growth Partners, LLC. In his role, Hedley and his firm serve publicly listed, not for profit, and privately held high technology, medical device, banking and finance, food and wine, construction and development, and other lines of business from offices in the Northern California Wine Country; San Diego, California; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas; Singapore; Malaysia; China; New Zealand; The Netherlands; and Germany.
Hedley has served on boards of directors and company advisory boards, including the advisory board for Pahlmeyer and Wayfarer Wineries, and an advisory board member for the Wells Fargo Bank Northern California Advisory Board. He has also served on numerous not-for-profit boards of directors and as a Gubernatorial Appointee, State of California, Department of Rehabilitation Employer Outcomes Committee. As well, he was a Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Appointee to the Blue Ribbon Committee for Civil Service Reform; a founding member and President, Board of Directors, North Bay Employers’ Coalition on Healthcare; a board member for the Family Service Agency of Sonoma County; a board member for the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County; and as a board member and Chair of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committees for the Luther Burbank Center for the Performing Arts.
A frequent public speaker, Hedley has delivered over 125 keynote speeches and seminars to trade conventions, annual business and leadership meetings, and university business schools. For over 25 years, Hedley served as a Contributing Editor and author for Jobson Medical Information, LLC, a New York-headquartered, global business Publishing Corporation. Additionally, he also served as Contributing Editor for Optical Synergy, an optical laboratory trade group, and as a Contributing Editor for The Alliance, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based medical device and services organization.
Hedley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Sonoma State University, and a Master’s degree with a double major in human resources management and organizational development from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. As well, he completed post graduate studies in Financial Management and Executive Leadership at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He holds membership in the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the Private Directors Association (PDA), the International Executive Resource Group (IERG), and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).