Our Values and Leadership

Executive Officer

Alan Blake, CEBT, CTBS

Alan Blake serves as Executive Officer at Advancing Sight Network, a role he has held for more than six of his twenty-plus years with the organization. Alan oversees technical and administrative operations to maximize the organization’s impact on sight restoration, while ensuring the highest stewardship of donated gifts to restore sight.

Alan has held a variety of roles at ASN, including recovery coordinator, call center manager, and technical director. After gaining experience at the Illinois Eye Bank, Alan returned to Advancing Sight Network, where he started his career after graduating from Birmingham-Southern College. Alan is passionate about enhancing lives—whether supporting the ASN team, offering hope to donor families, or helping restore sight to those in need.

Chief Scientific Officer and Scientific Innovation Executive Lead

Gregory Grossman, PhD, CEBT, CCRP, BCMAS

Dr. Grossman is the Chief Scientific Officer and Scientific Innovation Executive Lead at Advancing Sight Network, where he provides administrative leadership and scientific oversight for all research programs and innovative initiatives aimed at accelerating research to advance new therapies for vision loss worldwide. He heads the Precision Ocular Biobank at ASN, one of the few certified ocular biobanks in the world.

Before ASN, Dr. Grossman conducted research at the Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute and led clinical operations at the Cleveland Eye Bank. Passionate about restoring sight through the healing power of eye donation, Dr. Grossman holds multiple certifications and serves in leadership roles across key national and international organizations, including ARVO, EBAA, and ISBER, where he is the 2025-2026 President of the Board of Directors.

Administration Executive Lead

Teresa Ham

Teresa Ham serves as the Executive Lead for Administration, a position she has held for most of her twenty-plus years at Advancing Sight Network. Teresa leads in the areas of accounting, human resources, and communications, working to strengthen the organization's culture, effectiveness, and mission impact. She is passionate about supporting a mission that changes lives every day.

Teresa’s leadership roles with the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), Donate Life Alabama, and Donate Life America symbolize her deep commitment to community and collaboration and reflect her favorite quote by Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

Operational Executive Lead

Kyle Mavin, CEBT, CTBS

Kyle Mavin is the Operational Executive Lead at Advancing Sight Network, where he guides operations both on the clinical side and in the biobank, and helps shape the organization’s strategic direction. With over twenty-five years in eye banking, Kyle brings to his work comprehensive technical expertise and leadership experience from previous roles at Advancing Sight Network, as clinical director at Eversight, and through his years of service on the EBAA Accreditation Board. Passionate about the gift of sight, Kyle’s commitment to this mission has become personal, as he is now also a donor family member who has seen firsthand the impact of cornea donation.

Client Relations Executive Lead

Darren Nettuno

Darren Nettuno joined the Advancing Sight Network staff in 2024 as the Client Relations Executive Lead, working to develop strategies that strengthen partnerships, emphasizing client satisfaction, retention, and elevating the client experience. Before coming to Advancing Sight Network, Darren was a corporate accounts director at Medline Industries, both founding and leading the Transplant Division.

In 2014, Darren was instrumental in Medline Industries becoming a preferred provider with the Eye Bank Association of America membership and has been working with eye banks since then. With longtime industry experience and a passion for honoring the gift of sight, Darren leads with purpose and heart.

Compliance Senior Strategic Lead

Elizabeth Ellett, CEBT, CQA, MT

Elizabeth Ellett serves as the Compliance Senior Strategic Lead at Advancing Sight Network, one of several roles she has had since joining the ASN staff in 2017. In her current role, Elizabeth works with staff in multiple departments to ensure the highest quality tissue possible for cornea recipients. Before working at Advancing Sight Network, Elizabeth managed a transfusion and apheresis department at a medical center and served as a lead inspector for the AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) and CAP (College of American Pathologists), certifying clinical laboratories. Passionate about improving lives through donation, Elizabeth actively contributes to several EBAA committees.

Clinical Services Senior Strategic Lead

Paul Graves, CEBT, CTBS

Paul Graves joined the Advancing Sight Network staff in 1997 as a recent college graduate. Starting his career as a transplant coordinator, Paul has held multiple positions at Advancing Sight Network and currently serves as the Senior Strategic Lead for Clinical Services. Paul oversees clinical operations and develops new methods and technologies to enhance processes and outcomes for the patients we serve. Paul has held multiple leadership roles within the EBAA, and is passionate about advancing clinical practices to improve lives, with a current focus on reducing bioburden on recovered tissues.

Operational Senior Strategic Lead

Ellen Kerns, CEBT

As the Operational Senior Strategic Lead at Advancing Sight Network, Ellen Kerns mentors staff across multiple departments, including distribution, call centers, and the regional offices, while supporting strategic planning initiatives. Ellen brings more than 30 years’ experience in eye banking to her current role, along with previous work in neuroscience research and education. As a leader in eye banking, she has served on an EBAA Medical Advisory Board subcommittee and was a member-at-large of the EBAA Board of Directors, 2023-2025. Ellen is passionate about serving as a bridge between donors and recipients.

Cellular and Platform Senior Strategic Lead

Deborah Mai, PhD

Deborah Mai joined the Advancing Sight Network staff in 2024 to lead the Cellular Research and Therapeutics Division. In her role, Deborah develops ocular cell models for drug development and testing and establishes transplantable cellular therapies for eye diseases. In short, Deborah defines her work as “advancing ocular cell research and therapeutics for tomorrow’s sight-saving cures.”

Dr. Mai earned her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and brings over a decade of experience in biotech, developing cell-based models and platforms. With prior leadership roles at DiscoveryBioMed, Eurofins, and Southern Research, she brings extensive experience in human cell-based research and pharmaceutical development to her work at ASN. Passionate about advancing sight-saving research and offering hope to those affected by blinding eye diseases, Deborah is inspired by the opportunity to honor donor gifts through innovative science.