Executive Director Cohort

Program Outline

Month 1 – Introduction to the Cohort & Operations and Governance

• Establish cohort norms, expectations, and peer introductions
• Understanding the board-staff relationship and executive accountability
• Translating financial position and organizational health to board audiences
• Governance frameworks for eye bank leadership

Month 2 – Tissue Supply Crisis: Donor Volume, Surgeon Selectivity & Stewardship

• Balancing stewardship of the gift with varied surgeon acceptance standards
• Managing cancellations, accountability, and discard rate reduction
• Setting realistic tissue expectations with surgical partners
• Building logistics resilience across supply chain disruptions

Month 3 – The Regulatory Reality and Reimbursement

• Leading confidently through regulatory ambiguity and change
• Communicating regulatory shifts internally without creating burnout
• Understanding the reimbursement landscape and its operational impact
• Advocating for your eye bank within external policy frameworks

Month 4 – Workforce: Staffing, Retention, and Culture

• Designing retention strategies within low-margin, nonprofit constraints
• Sustaining staff wellbeing in a 24/7 recovery environment
• Cross-training vs burnout
• Preserving institutional knowledge

Month 5 – Industry Disruption

• Competing on value in a consolidating, price-sensitive market
• Navigating emerging therapies and their impact on transplant volume
• Adopting new technology without organizational disruption
• Positioning your eye bank for a future with fewer traditional transplants

Month 6 – Hot Topics and Wrap Up

• Topics to be determined based on cohort member suggestions and/or topics that need further discussion throughout the cohort experience