Iconic Seeing Eye organization welcomes new leadership

MORRIS TOWNSHIP — Two days after he assumed the duties of president and CEO of the Seeing Eye, Glenn Hoagland witnessed the essence of his new mission.

"That was the experience seeing my first class get to meet their dogs," Hoagland said during a recent interview at the headquarters of the iconic nonprofit organization on the suburban outskirts of downtown Morristown.

"That's a big day here," he recalled. "I learned that there is really a life-affirming thing that happens between the person and the dog. People who have been through the program have said, 'I feel like I got my wings. I feel like I've been reborn.' Those are actual quotes."

Unlike the previous president and CEO, James Kutsch, who announced his retirement last year, Hoagland is not blind, but his mother was. She died very young, Hoagland said, but her memory helped lead him to the Seeing Eye after 35 years of work in nonprofits, mostly in land conservancy.

He spent the last 26 years as the president of the Mohonk Preserve in Gardiner, New York’s largest nonprofit nature preserve, with more than 8,000 acres of protected lands upstate.

"I've been hearing my mother's voice the last few years, to give back more and do something with social impact," he said. "Land conservancy certainly has social impact, but I was thinking I wanted to look at more human service for the next stage of my career."

That human service, of course, will involve dogs. Fortunately, Hoagland and his wife are dog people, having owned as many as four at one time. They still own a home in Poughkeepsie, but have moved to Mendham Township, not far down the road from the former residence of Seeing Eye founder Morris Frank.

Hoagland also is extremely impressed with the organization's breeding, boarding, training and administrative facilities in the greater Morristown area. He reports to work at the Seeing Eye's 62-acre campus off Washington Valley Road. A new $7.6 million kennel opened there in June.

Operating on an annual budget of $27.1 million, the Seeing Eye breeds and trains all the dogs in the program. Each spends about 14 months with a foster family before returning to the program for what Hoagland calls the "ultimate match."

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"If there is a magic here, I think the magic is in the match," he said. "All the work that goes into screening and working with the applicants to our program, then the fine-tuning we do with them in getting them ready to come into the program, and then what we do with the dog for getting them ready to meet each other. The way all the pieces fit together is incredible."

With a market share of about 20% in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, the Seeing Eye is one of the four largest organizations in the nation and one of only 14 accredited guide-dog organizations in the world.

All of the dogs are trained through regular walks through downtown Morristown, with supplemental training at headquarters, where facilities include a practice escalator, revolving door and airline-seat configuration.

"It's just such a unique organization," Hoagland said. "Such a passionate group of people, such an amazing mission and a unique approach to delivering a really high-functioning partnership between a guide dog and a blind person who is seeking independence and mobility."

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His primary goal for the transition and new year is to "sustain the excellence" of the organization. But Hoagland also sees areas of need, including advocacy.

"One of the things we are concerned about is what is a legitimate guide dog or service animal, and how do we distinguish them in public places like airports?" Hoagland said. "There are also a preponderance of fake service dogs, and that's growing, That dilutes our mission, so we're very concerned about that."

A Seeing Eye advocate in Trenton and Washington, Hoagland said, works on those issues and other matters, including consulting with traffic experts on changes to crosswalks and curbs and other potential hazards for blind people in public.

"My predecessor, Jim Kutsch, used to say he had the best job in the world," Hoagland said. "Now I get to say that."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven