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David Karcher, ASCRS executive director, to retire in 2018
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David Karcher, executive director and CEO of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31, 2018. He will act as a consultant for the society through 2021, ASCRS announced in a press release.
The society has formed a search committee, chaired by Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, and will begin interviews for Karcher’s replacement in late summer or early fall. The executive search firm Leonard Pfeiffer & Company has been brought in to assist with the search, according to the release.
Karcher served as the executive director and CEO of ASCRS since August 1981. During his service, the society’s annual budget increased from $360,000 to more than $23 million, and the number of registrants for the society’s annual meeting increased from 600 in 1982 to more than 7,000 today.
Karcher co-founded the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators in 1985 and served as the publisher of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and other publications during his tenure.
“I have been blessed over these many years to work with a dedicated and loyal staff who have been taking direction from a very dynamic and engaged group of volunteer leaders,” Karcher said in the release. “I look forward to watching — from a different vantage point — ASCRS, the ASCRS Foundation and ASOA continue to grow and prosper.”