Young Systems Leader: Chelsea Andrews

Chelsea Andrews has spent her career building community-centered programs from the Middle East to the U.S., and now on a
global scale in eye health. Over the past decade in the nonprofit sector, she has designed initiatives at the crossroads of policy,
advocacy, and systems change aimed at expanding access to education and healthcare for underserved communities. While her
work spans sectors and continents, she has a personal passion for supporting women’s safety, leadership, and opportunity,
believing that when women thrive, the wellness of families and communities often follows.


Chelsea began her career in higher education and international policy, working across the Middle East on multi-faith and
geopolitical programming. There, she supported dialogue initiatives and policy-informed engagement efforts that strengthened
cross-cultural collaboration. In the U.S., she contributed to national afterschool programs for children in lower-income
communities and advocated for women’s health and safety. This included federal-level involvement in efforts to prevent violence
against women, supporting investigations and policy initiatives designed to protect survivors and expand access to essential
services. These experiences shaped her belief that equitable systems require both thoughtful design and attention to the people
they serve.

In a purposeful career shift, Chelsea brought her background in policy and advocacy to the fight against avoidable blindness.
She now serves as Programs and Partnerships Manager at KeraLink International, where she leads global initiatives to prevent and
treat corneal blindness in low resource settings. Her work includes building partnerships, scaling programs, and highlighting the
voices of frontline providers and patients.

Chelsea has strengthened corneal health systems in East Asia through collaborative training and capacity-building initiatives.
She supports educational workshops for doctors learning to detect infectious keratitis and other corneal conditions early,
creating a pipeline for timely treatment. Understanding that equitable care extends beyond clinical skills, she has also
implemented Prevention of Sexual Harassment and soft skills training for female health workers. Her approach reflects a core
belief that programs must care for the whole person, not just the role they perform, ensuring women feel safe, empowered, and
supported.


Chelsea is an active member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Gender Equity Working Group,
collaborating with peers worldwide to promote inclusive policies and leadership pathways for women in eye health. Through this
work, she contributes to shaping a sector that sees gender equity not as a side issue, but as central to achieving universal eye
care.


Across every chapter of her career, Chelsea has centered dignity, representation, and long-term impact. Whether advocating at
the federal level, strengthening frontline health systems, or building international partnerships, she remains committed to
advancing opportunities for women and expanding access to care for communities historically left behind.