Meet Our Staff: Executives
Monty Montoya
President and CEO
Monty Montoya pursues the world-wide eradication of cornea blindness with a passion. In the world of cornea transplantation and eye banking, he is considered a true social humanitarian who doesn't shy away from risk in the pursuit of excellence and innovation. His ambition is focused, simple, and singular: eliminate corneal blindness at a global level.
Monty is President and CEO of SightLife, the largest and most respected cornea recovery and processing organization in the US and the parent organization of the Northwest Lions Foundation. Under Monty's leadership, SightLife's growth burgeoned from a modest $3 million to over $10 million in five years, with over $4 million reinvested back into sight related programs for low-income populations in the Pacific Northwest. Internationally, SightLife's influence in tissue distribution, technical training, and the development of eye bank systems has grown from five countries to over forty countries.
Monty serves on several national and international boards. In 2005, he received the Puget Sound Business Journal's 40 Under 40 award. In 2009, Monty was the recipient of the Eye Bank Association of America's coveted Heise Award. This award goes to a non-medical individual who has made the greatest contribution to advancing the cause of eye banking. He holds a BS degree from Arizona State University and a MBA from Duke University.
Tim McLaughlin
Chief Financial Officer
After serving in key positions for some well-known names in the corporate world, Tim McLaughlin joined our not-for-profit foundation in April 2007 as Chief Financial Officer/Vice President of Finance and Administration.
Previously, Tim held positions as CFO for Eddie Bauer, Vice President/Controller for AT&T Wireless Services, CFO of NCR Corporation's microelectronics division, and as an industrial engineer for Union Carbide Corporation. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a bachelor of science degree in business administration and earned his MBA in Finance at Northwest Missouri State University.
"This is a stimulating change for me," says Tim. "I enjoyed the corporate world, but the chance to be a part of an altruistic mission definitely attracted me to this opportunity. Not only do I get to come to work each day feeling good about our organizational goals, I also get to see people's lives improve in a very direct way. Helping someone to see or hear again is a pretty tangible customer benefit."
Outside of work, Tim enjoys travel, U.S. history, and jogging and hiking. He is also a sports fan. A Seattleite since 1996, he roots for all the local teams but maintains devout loyalty to his original hometown baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles. As a Wake Forest alum, Tim is also a staunch fan of the Deacons, whatever the sport.
Tim and his wife Priscilla met at Wake Forest and have been married 28 years. They live in Redmond with their son Matthew and Callie, a much-loved golden retriever named after former Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken.
Sandy Jeghers
Chief Marketing Officer
Sandy Jeghers is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Overlake Hospital Medical in Bellevue, Washington. He also founded Health People Inc., a private duty home health company, that he sold in 2002. Sandy was recruited to SightLife in 2003, after serving on its Board of Trustees. He has a long history of marketing in the healthcare field, including as author of The Marketing Mystique, a senior consultant for a major national accounting firm and as a speaker for The American College of Healthcare Executives. Sandy is currently a Diplomat in the ACHE.
He has an MBA from George Washington University and received his certification in Gerontology from the University of Washington. Sandy has a particular interest in the field of organ and tissue transplantation, with specific focus on the global health implications of eliminating corneal blindness. He is an avid competitive golfer, winning the Washington State Golf Channel Amateur Tour Senior Division in 2008.
Robert J. Vatter
Vice President, Planned Giving
Rob is a Northwest native, a US Army Veteran, and has been actively involved in the nonprofit field for over 32 years.
Rob has also served two members of the United States Congress in advisory roles. He has been a featured speaker and consultant both nationally and internationally, including South Africa, Zambia, El Salvador, India, Jamaica, and Mexico.
Rob came to Northwest Lions Foundation in July of 2007 as the Vice President of Development and was appointed Vice President of Planned Giving in January of 2009. He has prepared a unique presentation for Lions Clubs and members on a subject of high interest to many families in regard to wills, bequests, and inter-generational family mentoring, thereby preserving family wealth from one generation to the next and creating a lasting legacy.
Rob is also a member the Seattle Philanthropic Advisors Network, the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy, serves on the Associate Board of Advisors for the Linda Lyons Foundation, and is a Director for the John Moffitt Foundation Board. He is also a member of the Edmonds Lions Club.
