Our Staff

Dr. Carter is the Lillian C. O'Brien and Dr. C.S. O'Brien Chair in Ophthalmology and has served as the Chairman and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa since 2006. He is also a Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, as well as a Professor of Otolaryngology.

Dr. Greiner is Medical Director and researcher for ILEB. He is also Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Robert and Joell Brightfelt Professor of Cornea Research at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. As a clinician-scientist, his practice specialty is Cornea and External Diseases. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Eye Bank Association of America.

Dr. Rauen received a Bachelor of Science degree in biological research from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and completed his medical degree, ophthalmology residency, and cornea, external disease, and refractive surgery fellowship from the University of Iowa. He serves on the EBAA Accreditation Board and on the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) content committee in the field of cornea surgery and serves on the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Government Relations Committee.

Esther joined Iowa Lions Eye Bank as executive director in January 2019. Esther has a background in non-profit management and program administration, strategic planning, external relations, communication, change management and program evaluation. Previous roles include executive director of Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa, external relations director of the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, deputy director of the Iowa Tobacco Research Center/Quitline Iowa, and public relations director of the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in telecommunications and Master of Communication. She has also received a Master of Business Administration from the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa.

Adam began his work with ILEB in 2003 as a part time recovery technician, transitioning to a full-time laboratory technician role in 2006. In his current role of Director of Operations, Adam oversees ILEB’s clinical operations departments, which includes Donor Eligibility, Processing Services, and Recovery Operations. Additionally, Adam oversees ILEB’s Quality Assurance and Compliance program. Adam is a skilled trainer and active member of numerous Eye Bank Association of America committees and boards, including current service as Certification Board chair, Accreditation Board co-vice chair, and Medical Advisory Board member.

Greg is a graduate of Mount Mercy College with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. He is the director of research and business development where he oversees the research program, supervises distribution, and is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with local and national corneal transplant surgeons. Greg began working for the eye bank in March 2000.

Jessica is an accomplished IT professional with over 25 years of experience, currently serving as a Senior Database Administrator at the Iowa Lions Eye Bank. She excels in database administration, ETL processes, complex data queries, and creating insightful dashboards and reports, significantly improving data-driven decision-making at ILEB. Previously, she had a notable 20-year tenure as a Senior Systems Administrator at the Department of Ophthalmology at Iowa Health Care.

Tiffany joined the eye bank in December 2019 as a processing services specialist where she operated as a circulator as well as a tissue processor. She transferred to Constituent Relations in 2022. Prior to her positions at ILEB, she worked for 15 years in numerous settings across Iowa and North Carolina as a rehabilitation and hospice nurse.

Francie joined Iowa Lions Eye Bank in October 2022. Prior to joining ILEB she was Communications Coordinator for the Department of Psychiatry at Iowa Health Care. Francie has a Bachelor of Journalism degree from University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Science degree from West Virginia University.

Monica graduated from Coe College with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Biology. She serves as the donor eligibility manager at Iowa Lions Eye Bank, where she is responsible for the coordination and support of the daily operations. Additionally, Monica serves as an Administrator On Call (AOC) for ILEB. Monica began her journey at the eye bank in 2008 as a recovery technician, and then transferred to a full-time position in donor eligibility which led to her current position as the donor eligibility manager. She was awarded the Jachin Misko Memorial Scholarship for Technical Advancement in Eye Bank in 2014 and is a Certified Eye Bank Technician (CEBT). Monica is an active member of the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), having previously served on the Technician Education Committee, Exam Committee and the Continuing Education Committee. Monica is currently serving on the Statistical Report Committee and the Technical Procedures Manual Subcommittee.

Gabi graduated from Missouri Western State University in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a health science concentration. She is a clinical/technical specialist and helps with daily distribution tasks and business development. Gabi also works as a patient care technician in the emergency department at St. Luke’s Hospital. She joined the eye bank in March of 2020.

Jamie started at ILEB in the summer of 2019 as a processing services specialist where she served as a circulator and tissue processor. Since July 2023, Jamie has served as a distribution coordinator. Prior to ILEB, she worked in the operating rooms of the Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center and the main operating rooms at Iowa Health Care.

Rakeli joined ILEB in January 2023. Prior to joining ILEB she worked at Iowa Health Care for six years in the Neuroscience Intermediate Unit and in a junior unit managed by Respiratory Specialty and Comprehensive Care Unit called the Video Monitoring Unit.

Ashlyn began working for ILEB in February of 2022 as a donor eligibility specialist. Originally from Indiana, she moved to the Iowa City area in 2015 to attend University of Iowa. Prior to working at ILEB she worked for the DeGowin Blood Center for almost 5 years as a clinical technician, collecting blood for transfusion. Then she moved on to work for University of Iowa Pharmaceuticals as a sterile products production specialist compounding and manufacturing sterile drug products.

Todd graduated from the University of Iowa in 1996 and began working full-time as a processing services specialist with ILEB in November of 2019. Todd previously worked for ILEB from 2007-2016 as a laboratory technician, and as the eye bank's first distribution manager. During his time away from ILEB, Todd worked as a research support coordinator for the Visual Field Reading Center with Iowa Health Care, where he managed activities associated with multi-center clinical trials in Ophthalmology.

Kip joined the Iowa Lions Eye Bank in December 2020 as the compliance coordinator. Prior to joining ILEB, he was a quality analyst for the University of Iowa Health Care Patient Access Center. He has ASQ accreditation as a Certified Quality Technician.  Kip also has previous quality experience in the manufacturing sector.

Jessica graduated from the University of Iowa with her PhD in biomedical engineering in 2010. She has been conducting research with the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Iowa since 2005. Her research interests have included endothelial cell changes in the choroid of patients with age related macular degeneration, bioinformatics of proteomic shifts in retinal diseases, and potential use of genetic engineering for curing inherited retinal diseases. She joined the Iowa Lions Eye Bank in 2016 where she now uses bioinformatics to study the impact of diabetes on corneal endothelial cells.

Hajar moved to the United States in 2019 and joined Iowa Lions Eye Bank as an accountant in January of 2020. She is currently responsible for the overall accounting duties for ILEB. Hajar has a Bachelor of Accountancy degree and a diploma in Accounting Information Systems from her local university. Hajar has worked for several non-profit and governmental agencies in Malaysia, including a role as an accountant for Sarawak State Social Welfare Department and a finance manager with the Malaysian Association for the Blind.

Tim graduated from the University of Iowa with Bachelor degrees in economics and biomedical engineering. Tim has been working in research at the university since 2001. He has worked in Anatomy and Cell Biology, Pharmacology, Radiology, and most recently in the Department of Pediatrics. Tim joined ILEB in 2019.

Mindy joined the Iowa Lions Eye Bank in April 2024 as the Administrative Services Coordinator.  Prior to joining the ILEB she was the Quality Control Coordinator and HMDA Administrator at GreenState Credit Union, where she worked for 13 years.  Mindy has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa.

Hanna graduated from Grodno State University in Grodno, Belarus with a Bachelors Degree in biology in 2000 and has been working in basic science research since then. She moved to Iowa in February 2013 and started to work on a Carver College of Medicine research team as a research associate in the Department of Internal Medicine before transferring to ILEB in June of 2020. Most of her research experience lies in the area of neurodegeneration and diabetes.

Emma joined ILEB as a part-time cornea recovery technician in September 2022, transitioning to a full-time processing services specialist in October 2023. She received her Associate of Arts degree from Kirkwood Community College in 2022.

Dr. Sales is an assistant medical director and researcher for ILEB. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Iowa Health Care. He treats patients experiencing corneal disease and ulcers, dry eye, eye infections, and red eye, and performs LASIK and laser vision correction surgery. Dr. Sales also has expertise in eye banking.

Kailynn is the Recovery Services Lead at Iowa Lions Eye Bank (ILEB). In this role, she oversees ILEB’s statewide team of recovery technicians, ensuring excellence in donor eye tissue procurement, training, recruitment, and scheduling. She also manages inventory control and other critical recovery operations. Kailynn began her journey with ILEB in 2016 as a cornea recovery technician. In August 2021, she transitioned to a full-time position, stepping into her current leadership role. Her dedication and expertise were honored in December 2021 when she received the Jachin Misko Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship recognizes rising stars in a technical eye banking role, honoring those who demonstrate leadership, strive for innovation, and are passionate about eye banking. Prior to joining ILEB, Kailynn worked at Mercy Hospital for 3 years in the cardiac, surgery, and ICU units. Additionally, she volunteered for several years with the non-profit organization Farm Safety 4 Just Kids, reflecting her passion to help others.

Chelsea graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with her bachelor’s degree in psychological research and minority studies, with a minor in pre-med. She joined the eye bank in 2017 as a tissue processing specialist. Chelsea operates as a tissue processor as well as a tissue circulator for the eye bank.

Kay graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Science in biology and a chemistry minor, along with a Bachelor of Science degree in clinical laboratory sciences from the Carver College of Medicine. She is also a certified laboratory medical technologist (ASCP.) She joined the eye bank in 2017 and is currently a donor eligibility specialist where she screens donor charts along with completing various lab duties. Prior to her work at ILEB, Kay was a laboratory technologist for ten years and then an ophthalmology technician for ten years at the Iowa City Veteran’s Hospital.

Jen graduated from Grand View University with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. She began her eye banking journey in July of 2017 as a recovery technician, and then transferred to a full-time position in donor eligibility in May of 2019. Jen is responsible for screening donor charts and completing various lab duties.  Prior to working at Iowa Lions Eye Bank, Jen worked in an emergency department.