Barry J. Barresi, O.D., Ph.D., Appointed Executive Director of the American Optometric Association

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Barry J. Barresi, O.D., Ph.D., Appointed Executive Director of the American Optometric Association

The American Optometric Association has appointed prominent health policy expert and educator Barry J. Barresi, O.D., Ph.D., to serve as executive director of the 34,000-member organization, effective July 1, 2008.

Barry J. Barresi, O.D., Ph.D.

St. Louis, MO (January 18, 2008) -- The American Optometric Association has appointed prominent health policy expert and educator Barry J. Barresi, O.D., Ph.D., to serve as executive director of the 34,000-member organization, effective July 1, 2008.

Dr. Barresi is currently president of the New England Eye Institute and vice president of clinical affairs at New England College of Optometry. He replaces Michael D. Jones, O.D., who is retiring on June 30, 2008, after serving as AOA's executive director for 10 years.

Kevin L. Alexander, O.D., Ph.D., President of the AOA, said that Dr. Barresi's record of achievement in federal advocacy and clinical optometry as well as his extensive administrative experience will be a tremendous asset to the organization. "I have known Dr. Barresi for close to 30 years. He is one of the brightest and most talented optometrists I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is passionate about the profession and I am confident of his abilities to lead optometry's premier association," added Dr. Alexander.

A long-time AOA volunteer, Dr. Barresi has served for seven years as the CEO of the nation's largest urban-based eye care community clinic network staffed and managed in affiliation with a college of optometry. He created and successfully built the first subsidiary corporation structure of an optometry college-owned clinical system.

He is currently a member of the AOA's Federal Relations Committee, and has been involved with the committee's work for more than a decade. He also serves as a consultant to AOA's Healthy Eyes Healthy People® project and is the founding chair of the newly established National Commission on Vision and Health.

Dr. Barresi has a distinguished 30-year optometric career as a practitioner, clinical teacher, lecturer, academic administrator, business and health care executive. He was vice president and dean of academic affairs at the State University of New York, State College of Optometry, and founding director of the school's Center for Vision Care Policy. At Southern California College of Optometry, he was director of outreach programs. He was president and chief executive officer of Partner Provider Health Inc., the national managed care and disease management subsidiary of TLCVision for four years.

With service to the AOA since the early 1980s, some of his former assignments include primary care editor for Optometry: Journal of the American Optometric Association; chair of the Workforce Project Team; chair of the Health Information Task Force; member of the AOA's Information and Data Committee; and primary editor of the first AOA Clinical Practice Guideline.

Dr. Barresi has been a key player in AOA's advocacy efforts, having testified across the country in state legislatures on scope-of-practice legislation and worked with AOA on policy development and advocacy in Washington.

He is a graduate of New England College of Optometry, and Holy Cross College and holds a Ph.D. in public administration and health policy from New York University. His late father, Joseph V. Barresi, O.D., was a 50-year member of the AOA and private practitioner in Maine.

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