By Staff
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 12:21 AM
DALLAS—
Eyemart Express, a leading national optical retailer, is kicking off its fifth annual fundraiser to benefit Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). SU2C works to accelerate cancer research so that all cancer patients can become long-term cancer survivors. Eyemart Express will donate $5 for every pair of SU2C frames purchased through Oct. 24, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $20,000, according to an announcement this week. “We are pleased to support Stand Up To Cancer as this fundraiser is an important tradition in our stores and for the local communities that we serve,” chief executive officer Michael Bender said.
By Staff
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 12:21 AM
LYON, France—
Bollé Brands has named François Benaben as the president of its sport and luxury division. Benaben, formerly vice president of the Rossignol Group for Europe, Asia and the Southern Hemisphere, has spent 14 years in several sales and category management positions at various companies.
By Staff
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 12:15 AM
MANALAPAN, N.J.—The
Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, International (NORA) announced the appointments of its new executive and advisory board members. For the executive board, DeAnn Fitzgerald, OD, assumes the position of president, succeeding Susan Daniel, OD, who now joins the NORA Advisory Board; Charles Shidlofsky, OD, FCOVD is appointed vice president; and Tanya Polec, OD, FNORA, FCOVD, joins the executive board as secretary/treasurer. Drs. Shirley Blanc and Melissa Zarn Urankar are new members of the NORA Advisory Board, joining returning members Patti Andrich, MA, OTR/L, COVT, CINPP , Shirley Ha, OD, FCOVD , and Gina Kim, MOT, OTR/L, CBIS.
By Staff
Friday, September 18, 2020 12:30 AM
ELKINS PARK, Pa.—
Salus University Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) recently partnered with
Hampton University, one of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) based in Hampton, Va., to offer a new articulation agreement to address the shortage of Black student representation in optometric education and the health care profession.
By Staff
Friday, September 18, 2020 12:18 AM
NEW YORK—Several leading professional and industry optometric professionals are scheduled to take part in "An Honest Conversation about Race & Optometry," a live webinar exploring Diversity & Leadership Development in Industry and the Profession," the third in a series of panels hosted by the
SUNY College of Optometry. The session is open for
registration and will be held on Sept. 23 from 7:00 p.m. ET to 9:00 p.m. ET. The third of SUNY Optometry's webinar series discusses how to increase diversity and provide leadership development in industry and professional organizations by bringing together leaders in those areas. The first two parts of the series discussed the experiences of Black optometrists as students and doctors and offered solutions to problems of diversity, inclusion, and mentorship within optometric education.
By Staff
Friday, September 18, 2020 12:15 AM
BOULDER, Colo.—Moving to expand and optimize capabilities across the eyecare industry, Sanitas Advisors has announced the addition of John Walborn and Dr. Weslie Hamada to their team of strategic advisors. “I am proud of the team we are assembling and excited about building the future together,” said Bart Foster, founder and managing director. He added "Sanitas Advisors partners with organizations across the public and private sector to tackle their important challenges and help accelerate innovation," according to the announcement.
By Staff
Thursday, September 17, 2020 12:21 AM
NEW YORK—As the COVID-19 virus continues to affect our everyday activities, Jobson continues its salute to the industry's health care workers, especially ECPs, for continuing to provide essential eyecare during the pandemic. This week, we honor three more Eyecare Heroes in our online gallery located at the
Eyecare Heroes site. Dr. Gary Chu,
New England College of Optometry, Boston, Mass., Dr. Michael McGovern,
SUNY College of Optometry, New York, N.Y., and Dr. Eva Yan,
Metro Optics, Bronx, N.Y. ECPs in the Gallery were selected from among the nominations submitted by readers of
Vision Monday and
20/20.
By Staff
Thursday, September 17, 2020 12:15 AM
DALLAS—
The Optical Women’s Association will host ELEVATE, an innovate virtual event sponsored by Luxottica, tonight, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The event honors 2020 Pleiades Award honoree Millicent Knight, OD, Essilor of America; Pyxis Award honoree Jean Sabre of Uptown Vision; and Visionary Award honoree Sheena Taff, @OpticianAboutTown. It is open to both OWA members and non-members alike, and will feature keynote speaker Paula Calise, 2020 founder and principal at Linked Executive Search. Calise is on the
Forbes "Top 10 Best Recruiters in the U.S." list, and is a professional branding expert. The OWA said, “Her experience and enthusiasm for ‘The Art of Hello,’ will help all of us create the perfect professional introduction."
By Staff
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 12:15 AM
DULUTH, Ga.—
National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), appointed Naomi Kelman, former CEO and president at Willow, to its board of directors, effective Sept. 14. “We are so excited to have Naomi join our board of directors,” said Reade Fahs, CEO at National Vision. “We developed a deep respect for Naomi a decade ago—during the five years she so successfully ran Johnson and Johnson’s contact lens business for the Americas. Her subsequent experience in digital transformation and the development of disruptive products, along with her success at scaling health care models will be valuable to National Vision as we continue our growth trajectory.”
By Staff
Monday, September 14, 2020 12:24 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—
The Vision Council is announcing today the launch of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force. The task force launch is part of the organization’s larger brand reimagination focused on community-building and industry growth.
By Staff
Monday, September 14, 2020 12:15 AM
SARASOTA, Fla.—Dr. Irving Bennett, a renown optometrist who influenced many in the eyecare field during his long career, passed away on Sept.7 at age 97.
By Staff
Friday, September 11, 2020 12:18 AM
GREEN BAY, Wis.—Barbara Vitchus, who has served as general manager and president of
Global Optics for the past nine years, is retiring, effective Sept. 30. She will continue to consult with Global Optics until the end of 2020, a company spokesperson said. Vitchus, who has an extensive background in operations management, finance, labor relations and contract negotiations, joined Global Optics in 2011. Under her leadership, the company undertook a number of key growth initiatives.
By Staff
Thursday, September 10, 2020 12:18 AM
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.—Services were held recently for Ronald Williams De Long, a longtime optical industry executive who was very involved in raising awareness for low vision issues. De Long passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 9 here, at the age of 78. De Long earned his BA at UCLA and MBA at USC and devoted much of his career to low vision. He was a distributor of magnifying aids and previously served as managing partner of Myoptica, CEO of Vision Advantage International, vice president of sales and marketing with Visionics Corp., and, for many years, served as vice president of new business ventures at Coburn Optical.
By Staff
Tuesday, September 8, 2020 12:27 AM
BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—
Keplr Vision has announced the promotion of Sarah Throne to senior vice president of business operations and Shondra Pistone to vice president of operations. Keplr noted in its announcement that “in the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, both Sarah and Shondra worked tirelessly, providing leadership across the organization and overseeing initiatives that helped bring clinics back after all were shuttered for at least two weeks.” “The recent months have been filled with monumental challenges requiring real-time, complex decision making on a scale that no one could have ever predicted,” Keplr Vision chief operating officer Adam Rosengren said in the announcement. “These two individuals stepped up and worked tirelessly to help us weather the storm and ensure the safety of our patients and team members.”