MORRIS COUNTY — Karen E. Leies, the chief of external affairs at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, has been appointed as The Seeing Eye’s new chief executive officer, the world’s oldest guide dog school.
“Karen stood out among a field of impressive candidates,” said Cynthia Bryant, the board chair at The Seeing Eye. “Her professional experience, volunteerism, and deep appreciation of the bond between humans and dogs are at the core of everything we do at The Seeing Eye.”
Leies has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit organizations. As chief of external affairs at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the state’s largest anti-hunger organization, she oversaw board relations, revenue, marketing, communications, and volunteer functions.
Before joining the Community FoodBank, Leies was the senior development director at the New York City Ballet. She also held executive roles at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
“The Seeing Eye has set the gold standard in breeding and training guide dogs and established an undeniable reputation for excellence,” said Leies. “I am honored to join a dedicated community of graduates, staff, volunteers, and donors committed to building on this rich history in the years ahead.”
Leies, a graduate of Ithaca College and a 2018 LEAD-NJ Fellow, also volunteers with Women Fighting Hunger and the New Jersey Ballet. She resides in South Orange with her family, including two golden retrievers, Lexi and Finnegan.
Leies will assume her role as CEO of The Seeing Eye on November 1, succeeding Margaret E.L. “Peggi” Howard, who announced her upcoming retirement earlier this year.
Howard, a member of the board of trustees since 2009, has served as president and CEO since December 2021. She will remain with the organization as an adviser until the end of the year.
Howard served as vice president of administration and university relations at Drew University until her retirement in 2014, and before that, as New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean’s deputy chief of staff and cabinet secretary from 1984 to 1990.
“It’s time to return to retirement and to being a full-time grandma… and a part-time volunteer at The Seeing Eye,” said Howard, a resident of Whitehouse Station.
Established in 1929, The Seeing Eye provides specially bred and trained dogs to guide people who are blind, enhancing their mobility and independence. The Seeing Eye is a nonprofit organization supported by contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, endowments, and other planned gifts.
The Seeing Eye is a trademarked name that can only describe the dogs bred and trained at the school’s facilities in Morristown, New Jersey. For more information about The Seeing Eye, click here to visit its website, call (973) 539-4425, or email info@seeingeye.org.
