May 2017 Newsletter

Maureen Cavanagh, OWA President

Dear OWA Members,

Vision Expo East may have come and gone but not without the long lasting memories of two inspiring OWA 20th anniversary events.

The OWA kicked off the celebration with the traditional champagne breakfast in a non-traditional fashion. OWA members, Coco and Breezy, had us all grooving to their trendy music while over 200 people were networking and enjoying a buffet breakfast and champagne mimosas in Midtown Manhattan. A Jumbotron in Times Square featured pictures of past OWA events for all to see. And to be sure no one was left out, the entire event was streamed live on the internet.

The atmosphere really set the stage for the introductions of our exceptional award honorees. Festivities began with our special 20th anniversary Pinnacle award presentation honoring Corinne McCormack, Vice-President and Fashion Director of Corinne McCormack Inc., a subsidiary of FGX International. Next was our Pyxis award honoree Dr. Lorie Lippiatt, President of Salem Eye Center. And finally, our Pleaides award honoree, Kate Renwick-Espinosa, President of VSP Vision Care. All speeches were inspiring, motivating and certainly well done by such deserving honorees.

I also had the pleasure of interviewing the distinguished Dr. Dori Carlson, the first woman President of the AOA and the North Dakota Optometric Association. Her story was genuine and sincere as she explained how she started out as a humble student looking to make a difference in the optometric community and ended up a successful entrepreneur of 2 large practices, a mom, a wife and a committed volunteer.

The venue for the Saturday night awards evening was absolutely spectacular with its views overlooking Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. What better way to celebrate our 20th anniversary? We recognized the OWA founding members who, 20 years ago, had the vision to create a women's association and set out on a journey to connect, lead and inspire all of us. That small but dynamic group of ladies has grown close to 600 members! In the last 20 years, the OWA has implemented many educational programs and helped hundreds of women in our industry reach their full potential.

We then presented each of the honorees with the OWA Swarovski crystal awards and enjoyed hearing accolades from peers around the room. It was a memorable evening.

The OWA is genuinely appreciative of the gracious sponsors of each of these events. Our sincere thanks go to VSP Global, Marchon and Luxottica for their continued commitment to co-sponsoring these events along with the OWA. We would also like to thank our 40 Professional Development Sponsors and individual contributors for supporting our cause and helping the OWA continue to connect, lead and inspire the women in our industry.

Warmest Regards,

Maureen Cavanagh
OWA President

OWA Champagne Breakfast Honorees Talk Mentoring & Giving Back
Carrie Chambers, Communications Committee Member
Photos by Susan Tarrant
What better way to start off a days-long industry conference than with inspiration, camaraderie, and champagne? All three were flowing at the OWA Champagne Breakfast, held Thursday, March 30 at the trendy Hotel Eventi in Midtown Manhattan.
Read more . . .

Marge Axelrad honored as Prevent Blindness Person of Vision
Yvette Carranza and Brandie Shaw, Communications Committee Vice Chairs
OWA founding member and Jobson Optical Group Senior Vice President Marge Axelrad was honored March 30th as the Prevent Blindness Person of Vision Award recipient for 2017.
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Oh What a Night! The 2017 Star Awards Ceremony
Brandie Shaw, Communications Committee Vice Chair
The annual Star Awards Ceremony is a favorite among OWA members. And this year's event did not disappoint!
Read more . . .

Laura Dorris Appointed to OWA Board of Directors
The Optical Women's Association is pleased to announce the addition of Laura Dorris of Vision West to the OWA Board. OWA President, Maureen Cavanaugh said, "Laura has been a great contributor to the OWA in her committee work and will be a great asset to our Board."
Read more . . .

New Website Design Committee Formed to Enhance OpticalWomen.com
Laura Dorris, Website Design Committee Chair and Janelle Pauli, Website Design Committee Vice Chair
A new website design committee has been established to provide more support and focus on the OWA website efforts, ultimately improving your website user experience and enhancing the value of your OWA membership.
Read more . . .

Welcome New OWA Members!
Michelle Schroeder, OWA Associate Executive Director
The OWA membership continues to grow! We are happy to welcome these 18 new members since the March 2017 newsletter.
Read more . . .