In 2014, SEE launched the annual Humanitarian of the Year Award to honor the outstanding dedication and achievement of volunteer ophthalmologists, local optometrists, and partner organizations that are committed to making eyecare more accessible worldwide. Below are the 2025 recipients of this award.  Â
Christal Clarke
Christal serves as Manager of Social Impact at Alcon, where she leads initiatives that strengthen community engagement and expand access to global health care. With nearly two decades at Alcon, Christal has championed programs that deliver critical eyecare resources to remote regions around the world, coordinate disaster relief support for areas impacted by crises, provide vision screenings for children in underserved communities, and patients’ access to medications. 
Christal strives to live each day with kindness, compassion, empathy, and gratitude. She actively advocates for causes that improve quality of life for vulnerable populations. Christal’s leadership reflects her passion for creating lasting change and inspiring others to give back.Â
Julio De Leon Ortega, MD
Dr. Julio Ortega is a distinguished Guatemalan ophthalmologist whose career blends advanced clinical expertise with a deep commitment to service. With subspecialty training in glaucoma, anterior segment surgery, and oculoplastics—and a Ph.D. in Vision Sciences from the University of Alabama at Birmingham—he delivers world-class care to patients who would otherwise go without.
For more than two decades, he has also trained the next generation of ophthalmologists and optometrists through his faculty roles at UFM and Galileo University. His leadership, teaching, and tireless outreach across Guatemala make him a driving force for good in humanitarian eyecare. Â
Susan MacDonald, MDÂ Â Â Â Â
Dr. Macdonald is a board-certified ophthalmologist, educator, and global health leader dedicated to advancing eyecare equity worldwide. She is the Co-Founder and Chair of Eye Corps, an NGO she established with Lisa Williamson to address the global crisis of preventable blindness through sustainable, system-strengthening solutions.
Throughout her 30-year career, she has combined clinical excellence with a deep commitment to teaching and global collaboration. Under her leadership, Eye Corps has developed programs in Tanzania partnering with local hospitals to expand surgical training, improve diagnostic capacity, and strengthen community trust in regional eye services.  Â
ACE Global Â
ACE Global is an ophthalmologist-led nonprofit organization transforming lives by addressing preventable blindness. Guided by its mission to develop locally self-sufficient eyecare centers in underserved regions, ACE Global equips and mentors the next generation of eyecare professionals in low-and middle-income countries.
Since 2017, ACE Global has partnered with SEE International to deliver short-term international programs at San Benito Jose Hospital. This collaboration deepened in 2023 through joint educational initiatives that have trained more than 30 eyecare professionals to date. In 2024, the partnership expanded even further with the implementation of the DSS program at San Benito Jose Hospital—bringing sight-restoring surgeries to 1,026 patients to date. Through its unwavering commitment to compassionate, sustainable care, ACE Global exemplifies the very spirit of humanitarian service.Â
Central Coast Free Vision Clinic-Mobile
In a groundbreaking initiative aimed at expanding access to vision care for local underserved populations, SEE partnered with leading community organizations Rotary International, Lions Clubs International, Westminster Free Clinic, and The Salvation Army, in launching a mobile vision clinic. Thanks to many generous donations and the support of the partnering organizations, a van was purchased and converted to accommodate medical equipment, and is now capable of reaching patients directly in their areas since March of 2024. 
The Central Coast Free Vision Clinic Mobile is proudly serving the community at large throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, providing mobile eye exams and vision screenings to those who need them most.Â
Greater Goleta Santa Barbara Lions Club 
The Greater Goleta Santa Barbara Lions Club (GGSBLC) was a merger of two Clubs: Goleta Lions & Santa Barbara Host Club. Both clubs represent almost 100 years of participation under the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), an international organization that focuses on services in Disaster Relief, Environment, Diabetes, Vision, Childhood Cancer, Youth, Humanitarian, Hunger, & Mental Health.
The GGSBLC has been supporting local vision and hearing screenings for elders and young children through outreach and events for many years. They are always looking for new ways to provide service and support to our local community whenever and wherever possible. Â
