Smile Train CEO, A Huntington Woman, Honored At Islanders Game

ELMONT, NY — Susannah Schaefer, president and CEO of Smile Train, a cleft-focused organization, was named the 2024 recipient of the Charles B. Wang Community Service Award, Smile Train announced.

Schaefer is the second person to receive the honor, which was presented during the New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers game at UBS Arena on Tuesday.

The award is named after the late Islanders co-owner and recognizes people within the metropolitan New York area who have made a special or profound impact on the lives of individuals, families, or the community at large.

Schaefer was selected for this prestigious award for her dedication and service to Smile Train, an organization Wang founded in 1999, and ensuring all children in need have access to safe, high-quality, and comprehensive cleft care.

"It is an honor to be chosen for this award, and even more so, to be recognized for following in the footsteps of Charles Wang, who was not only a leader in our community, but a mentor and role model to me personally," Schaefer said in a news release. "I look forward to continuing to support Smile Train’s vision of a world where every cleft-affected person has access to the care they need to live a full and healthy life."

This year marks Smile Train’s 25th anniversary. Schaefer, who joined Smile Train in 2013 after serving on the organization’s board for over a decade, previously worked for Wang in a number of capacities. She first served as his special assistant at Computer Associates (now CA Technologies), and following his retirement, became his chief of staff for his business and philanthropic interests.

Under Schaefer’s leadership, Smile Train has expanded access to local, high-quality cleft care in 75+ countries and trained more than 40,000 medical professionals around the world in cleft care, according to the organization. She also led the charge in putting cleft care on the global health agenda at the UN and WHO.

Smile Train currently has partnerships with some of the "biggest and most respected names in healthcare," including Haleon and Dentsply Sirona, and likeminded NGOs, such as Kids Operating Room and Lifebox.

To date, Smile Train has supported more than 1.9 million free cleft surgeries in 90+ countries.