A member of the Omaha Press Club when he lived up North, Nizar is now semi-retired after decades as an international healthcare executive. Born in Tanzania, educated in Tokyo and fluent in seven languages, he served as the executive director of international healthcare services, Nebraska Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). The journey to his relationship to the medical center began with his wife’s cancer diagnosis in 1999. They evaluated the leading cancer centers for her specific type of cancer and selected a physician at the UNMC for her treatment. While Nizar’s wife died of cancer after 16 months of treatment, he was impressed with the organization. He offered to serve as an ambassador for UNMC throughout the world because of his international business connections. Over his five-year commitment, Nizar established partnerships with 133 institutions in 45 countries and brought in hundreds of patients from 57 countries for treatment.
Nizar now focuses most of his energy as CEO of First Sight, LLC, an international nonprofit that provides free eyeglasses to children and adults in the neediest communities throughout the world. First Sight solves two of the most basic barriers for correcting eyesight: limited access and prohibitive cost. First Sight glasses have been distributed in 22 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Mexico. First Sight forms collaborative partnerships with non-governmental agencies, schools, health clinics, faith-based organizations and civic organizations, such as Rotary International.