photo of Monty Montoya, SightLife President & CEO

Monty Montoya

President & CEO

Monty Montoya pursues the world-wide elimination of corneal blindness with a passion. For those in the global arena of corneal transplantation and eye banking, he is considered a true social humanitarian for working tirelessly to achieve that major goal for the past 20 years.

As the president and CEO of SightLife, Monty leads the only non-profit global health organization solely focused on eliminating corneal blindness in the U.S. and around the world. With his guidance, SightLife's growth has burgeoned from a modest $1.9 million to more than $15 million in eight years, with nearly $10.5 million reinvested back into sight-related programs for low-income populations domestically and abroad.

Monty is a member of several national and international boards, including the Eye Bank Association of America and the Eye Bank Association of India, and has been honored with prestigious awards for his vision and service. In 2005, he received the Puget Sound Business Journal's 40 Under 40 award. In 2009, Monty was the recipient of the Eye Bank Association of America's coveted Heise Award. This award is given to a non-medical individual who has made the greatest contribution to advancing the cause of eye banking.

Monty started his career in eye banking in 1991 as a part-time technician working his way through college. He joined SightLife in 1997, when he was hired to turn around the organization from a period of financial struggle.

Monty holds a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University and an MBA from Duke University.