The OWA was founded in order to help the women in our industry help each other learn and grow. The wonderful events that take place at Vision Expo's East and West each year offer many of us a great opportunity to do just that. Not all of us get to attend Expo, though. So, this spring the Program Committee out did themselves by offering three regional events to give our local members an opportunity to get together.
OWA's first regional networking event took place On March 9 in the Dallas/Fort Worth-area. Our local members were treated to a talk by our very own Maureen Cavanagh, President of the OWA, and Jean Scott, a founding member of the OWA. The ladies shared their personal experiences of how the OWA was founded, their journey as women in the optical industry, and the importance of how networking has impacted their career. I am sorry I missed that one!
The second was held at the offices of The Vision Council in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 18. The turn-out was super — 34 women from the area attended including local optometrists and OWA members from Marchon, Luxottica, My Eye Dr., The Vision Council, and the American Optometric Association.
The event featured food, games, and prizes, providing a fabulous opportunity to build connections that will help strengthen our professional networks for a long time to come. Thank you, Angela McCoy and Laura Lewis, for putting together the Northern Virginia Regional Event!
Laura Lewis, Deb Bulken, Sue Downes, Ashley Mills, and Angela McCoy
Christina Perraud, Christina Courtis-Bryant, and Angela McCoy
Networking Icebreaker — Connect Four — Each Dot contained an adjective, such as "This woman has been skydiving". First person to Connect Four Dots wins a prize. First person to compete the entire game piece wins a prize.
The event in Manhattan was held at the beautiful Silhouette showroom on June 22. Our gracious hostesses — Jan Cory, Kristen McLaughlin, and Erin Farley — made everyone feel welcome as they nibbled cheese, sipped wine, and got to know one another.
Once everyone was settled, Jan introduced Marge Axelrad, our very own co-founder and Senior Vice President / Editorial Director of Vision Monday, who opened the evening with a few remarks and introduced the panel for the evening. The topic was centered on social media. The panelists were Kenyon Cory, a recruiter for SquareSpace; Kirsten McLaughlin, Marketing Director at Silhouette; and Marge. Marge moderated a lively discussion on all things social, including how to use it to promote one's business, how to set privacy settings, and how to use LinkedIn when undergoing a job search. Honestly, I was just glad someone could explain the difference between Snapchat and Insta-something!
Afterwards, Marge had this to say about the event: "It was a great way for . . . our area members to get to know each other a little better and for some new members to discover more about the OWA." It sure was, Marge; it sure was!
Jan Cory of Silhouette makes the introduction
Marge Axelrad and Kenyon Cory
All attendees enjoyed listening to the esteemed panel of #SocialStatus experts
Back to: August 2017 : August 2017 Newsletter