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View #HerStory PDF
View an Alphabetical List of Honorees from 2003 to 2015

NEW YORK—Coming up with a theme for this Special Report year after year is no easy task. Some of us on the editorial team have been profiling optical’s Influential Women since VM’s Special Report began way back in 2003. The challenge is always the same: finding a theme that is fresh and dynamic, like the Influential Women themselves.

After thinking of—and rejecting—several possibilities, we hit upon this year’s theme #HerStory, and it felt right. Because as writers, we all love telling a good story and this year’s crop of honorees provided many opportunities to do just that.

So once again this year, we play the storyteller, painting vibrant portraits of women in today’s optical landscape—giving you an idea of what it’s like in the worlds of vision care, retailing, manufacturing, distribution, dispensing and designing.

This year’s Influential Women were chosen from a large pool of nominees named by VM readers and in the following pages we profile their accomplishments in these roles:

Executive Suite: Candidates are women who hold positions such as president, VP, CEO, CFO, CMO, CIO or COO that guide their companies forward, inspire leadership among their teams and peers and achieve high performance. 
Rising Stars: Candidates are women who are “up-and-comers” in their careers and within their companies or arenas within the industry; sharp talents who are on their way toward higher levels of responsibility and influence.
Mentors: Candidates are women who are team builders, developers of talent, who via example or education and training successfully influence others to learn and to grow in their business or professional acumen.
Innovators: Candidates are women who have initiated new product developments or special programs in the arena of marketing, technology or retail, who have spearheaded innovative business ideas or enterprises.

As you read through these profiles, we hope you’ll enjoy their “stories” and come to know why they are being singled out for this honor. They join a distinguished group of nearly 500 Influential Women whom we’ve profiled since 2003.

Join the conversation about these Influential Women and other industry standouts you may know using the hashtag #HerStory. Please visit www.VisionMonday.com to review an alphabetical listing of past years’ honorees and to read prior years’ Special Reports.

–The Editors