"When I was notified by the Optical Women's Association that I was going to be the recipient of the 2015 Pleiades award, I was both excited and shocked at the same time," said Maureen Cavanagh, president of the Vision Impact Institute, currently supported by Essilor. "This award is such an honor, and there are so many talented women in our industry who have forged ahead in mentoring other women and laying down the foundation for women to be successful in business."
Cavanagh is a strong advocate for women in leadership roles. She currently mentors several women in business and was integral in the launch of the Diversity and Inclusion initiative at Essilor.
"In coaching and mentoring other women, I will often say that we have earned our spot in our career, and we should feel confident and speak with conviction," said Cavanagh. "Don't let anyone ever let you feel less than what you have become."
Cavanagh has served as keynote speaker on topics of inspiring change and was a guest on the Power Hour radio show, advocating on behalf of women taking control of their own career development. In 2011 she was recognized as one of Jobson's most influential women in optical. A 23-year veteran in the optical industry, Cavanagh is a certified optician and graduate of Bridgewater State University.
"The annual Pleiades Award recognizes and honors individuals who have made a significant difference for women in the optical industry. Maureen's focus on helping and mentoring others is what makes her the perfect recipient of this award," said Christie Walker, OWA president.
"When I found out I was going to be awarded the Pleiades award, it really hit home to me that people are watching when you are in the trenches, fighting the battles and making progress in your career. This sounds so simple however, if you get up and give 110 or 120 percent every day, people will see that you are making a difference," said Cavanagh.
Cavanagh joined Essilor in October of 2005, as the director of DEFINITY lenses. Soon after, she was named vice president of integrated retail, carving out a separate division and launching a new platform to specifically meet the needs of surfacing retail customers for Essilor. In December 2009, Cavanagh was promoted to president of Nassau Vision Group and OOGP, overseeing several stock lens and contact lens distribution centers, along with a local digital lens laboratory, Nova and the Shore lens division. In May 2012, Cavanagh was elected as the US representative for Essilor employee shareholders on the Valoptec board of directors. She was also nominated to represent Valoptec on the Essilor International board of directors.
In her current position as president of the Vision Impact Institute, it will be her mission and that of the Institute to raise awareness of the importance of healthy vision, including the socio-economic impact of Uncorrected Refractive Errors (URE) and the quality of life benefits of visual correction.
The Pleiades award is named after the star cluster "The Pleiades" in the constellation of Taurus. The Pleiades is also known as the "Seven Sisters" — referring to the seven brightest stars in the cluster. According to Greek mythology, each star was named after the seven daughters of Atlas who were turned into stars by Zeus. Together these stars create one of the brightest clusters visible in the northern hemisphere, just as by working together, the women of the OWA have created an organization that is bigger and brighter than the sum of their individual efforts.
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