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March 2017 : The Optical Women's Association Turns 20!

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Yvette Carranza, OWA Communications Committee Vice Chair
Yvette Carranza, OWA Communications Committee Vice Chair
By Yvette Carranza, OWA Communications Committee Vice Chair
(OWA News)

In 1997 the OWA started as the dream of one woman, Linda Little Bullwinkle. Without her vision, the Optical Women's Association would not exist.

Linda began working in the optical industry in 1985 and was truly a pioneer for women in the industry. In those days, the Optical Lab Association and the Vision Council were largely run by men and any social or networking events for women were for their spouses.

Linda Little Bullwinkle

When asked why she started the OWA, Linda was only partly joking when she said "To have some friends within the industry." Her big dream was to create an organization that allowed women to network in a professional capacity.

Linda presented her dream to 12 women on September 13th, 1997. They completely embraced her idea and agreed with the need for a women's organization. With immense focus and drive by the original 13, the Optical Women's Association became an official non-profit organization with a name, a mission and a volunteer board of directors by December 1, 1997. It started with 25 official members.

That first board defined the mission and objectives of the organization.

Mission: To enhance and promote the leadership role of women in the optical industry through networking, education and peer support.

As the vision for the OWA evolves, we continue to maintain the founding principles and core mission to:

  1. Provide a forum for networking and camaraderie among women
  2. Provide education for the ongoing professional development of women
  3. Offer mentor and mentee opportunities

To meet those objectives the OWA hosts annual events at Vision Expo East and West and regional events in major cities. It publishes the One Minute Mentor email twice a month, offers mentor and mentee opportunities, presents Tuesday Talks (an informative online, lunchtime webinar), and produces a quarterly newsletter. OWA also provides an annual choice of books to promote professional growth, and raises money to support the ongoing professional development of our members.

The first official membership count was 25. Now, in its 20th year, the OWA has grown beyond Linda's wildest dreams. From the original 25 members, it grew to 110 within the first 5 years. By its 10th year there were 235 members and by its 15th year, the OWA grew to 322. This year our membership is at an amazing 574. Wow, what a testament to the valuable volunteers who continue to shepherd this organization!

Congratulations and Happy 20th Anniversary to the Optical Women's Association!

Thank you to Linda Little Bullwinkle for sharing her vision with me for this article.





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