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Thomas Panek to Lead Lighthouse Guild
Author: Joan McKenna
Lighthouse Guild announced March 18 that it had appointed Thomas Panek as its new president and CEO, effective April 1.
Panek replaces Calvin Roberts, MD, who has led the nonprofit since April 2020. In January 2024, Roberts took on the additional role of manager of the US government’s ARPA-H program to transplant whole donor eyes.
Panek served for the past 10 years as president and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a nonprofit that provides guide and service dogs for those with disabilities in the US and Canada. The organization raised over $350 million in donations under Panek’s leadership.
Panek lost his vision in his early 20s to retinitis pigmentosa.
A running enthusiast, he ran the New York City Half Marathon with four guide dogs in 2019, with each dog accompanying him for about five miles.
Panek also collaborated with Google to develop Project Guideline, an AI-driven technology that enables individuals who are blind to run independently. He then used that technology In November 2021 to complete the first-ever solo race for a blind person, a 5K race through New York’s Central Park, without human or canine assistance.
He serves in many advisory and leadership roles, including as chair of Delta Air Lines Advisory Board on Disability. Panek holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in international studies from The American University in Washington, DC.
Panek said in a statement that Lighthouse Guild is widely considered the country’s preeminent pioneer for vision rehabilitation since its formation in 1905.
He said he looked forward “to working with the dedicated team at Lighthouse Guild to expand access to critical services, harness emerging technologies, and create innovative solutions that support independence and opportunity for all.”
