AOA Board of Trustees
The AOA Board of Trustees is responsible for meeting the needs of our members and advocating for the profession.
A House of Delegates and an 11-member board of trustees govern the American Optometric Association (AOA). The House is comprised of affiliated association representatives, doctors of optometry in federal service, District of Columbia and optometry students. It meets at AOA's annual Optometry's Meeting® to:
- Conduct AOA business.
- Establish AOA policy.
- Elect officers and trustees to the board of trustees.
The board of trustees consists of six trustees plus these officers: President, president-elect, vice-president, secretary-treasurer, and immediate past president. It is empowered to conduct AOA business when the House is not in session.
2026-2027 AOA Board of Trustees
AOA Officers
President-Elect Terri A. Gossard, O.D., M.S.
Vice President Curtis A. Ono, O.D.
Secretary-Treasurer Paul M. Barney, O.D.
Immediate Past President Jacquie M. Bowen, O.D.
AOA Trustees
Teri K. Geist, O.D.
President | Nebraska
Teri K. Geist, O.D., of Nebraska, was elected president of the American Optometric Association (AOA) in June 2026, becoming the organization’s 106th president. She was originally elected to the AOA Board of Trustees in 2019.
A passionate advocate for optometry and the patients the profession serves, Dr. Geist has built her leadership around communication, collaboration and advancing opportunities for doctors of optometry. Throughout her career, she has worked to strengthen public understanding of optometry, advance the profession through advocacy and ensure patients—particularly children—have access to the eye and vision care they need.
Dr. Geist is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University in 1996. She practices at Midwest Eye Care, P.C., in Omaha, Nebraska.
Her commitment to organized optometry began at the state level, where she served on the Nebraska Optometric Association (NOA) Board of Directors and as legislative chair before becoming NOA president. She later served as president of the North Central States Optometric Council and has held numerous leadership roles within the AOA, with particular emphasis on communications, public awareness and advocacy.
Children’s vision has also been an important focus of Dr. Geist’s service. She directed Nebraska’s Healthy Eyes Healthy Children initiative, which worked to address gaps in awareness and public policy affecting vision care for underserved students, and later chaired the Nebraska Foundation for Children’s Vision. She has also served as a consultant for the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education and is a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry.
Dr. Geist’s contributions have been recognized throughout her career. She was named the NOA Young Optometrist of the Year in 2001 and NOA Optometrist of the Year in both 2005 and 2019. She received the NOA Distinguished Service Award in 2015 and has been honored with multiple presidential citations.
As AOA president, Dr. Geist has emphasized the collective strength of the profession and the responsibility of each generation to help move optometry forward. She approaches leadership with an eye toward possibility—bringing people and ideas together to strengthen advocacy, expand access to care and ensure the profession remains prepared for the opportunities ahead.
Dr. Geist lives in Omaha with her husband, Rod. They have two adult sons, Noah and Zachary, and their respective daughters-in-law, Rachel and Caroline.
Terri A. Gossard, O.D., M.S.
President-Elect | Ohio
Terri A. Gossard, O.D., M.S., of Ohio, was elected president-elect of the American Optometric Association (AOA) in June 2026. She was originally elected to the AOA Board of Trustees in 2019.
A dedicated advocate for optometry, Dr. Gossard has built her leadership around advancing patient access to care, strengthening the profession through advocacy and preparing doctors of optometry for a rapidly changing health care environment. Throughout her career, she has encouraged the profession to embrace innovation while ensuring that new technologies support the doctor-patient relationship and improve care.
Dr. Gossard is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry, where she earned both her Doctor of Optometry and master’s degree in physiological optics. She spent two decades in clinical practice in Cincinnati, much of that time in a multidisciplinary setting, and has also worked in professional relations and consulted with eye care provider networks.
Her commitment to organized optometry includes extensive leadership with the Ohio Optometric Association (OOA), where she served on the Board of Trustees, chaired the Children’s Vision Task Force and Legislative Committee, and served as president. Her work in children’s vision has extended into the community through the OneSight Vision Center at Oyler School and the RealEyes Save Our Sight classroom initiative, helping connect children and families with vision care and education.
At the national level, Dr. Gossard has served the AOA in numerous leadership roles spanning advocacy, third-party issues, membership, professional relations and emerging technology. Her broad experience has given her a perspective on both the challenges facing doctors in practice today and the opportunities ahead for the profession.
Dr. Gossard also has supported the development of future leaders and researchers in optometry, including service with programs recognizing female scholars in vision research and initiatives focused on healthy vision for children. She has been an outspoken supporter of greater opportunity, representation and equity for women in optometry.
Her contributions to the profession have earned recognition from her colleagues, including being named the Ohio Optometric Association’s Optometrist of the Year in 2017.
Dr. Gossard lives in Cincinnati with her husband, Ted. They have two adult children. Away from optometry, she enjoys snow skiing and cheering on her hometown teams: the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds.
Curtis A. Ono, O.D.
Vice President | Washington
Curtis A. Ono, O.D., of Washington, was elected vice president of the American Optometric Association (AOA) in June 2026. He was originally elected to the AOA Board of Trustees in 2020.
A longtime leader in organized optometry, Dr. Ono has built his service around strengthening connections within the profession, developing future leaders and advancing opportunities for doctors of optometry and the patients they serve. His involvement has spanned state, regional and national optometry, giving him a broad perspective on the value of bringing doctors together around shared challenges and opportunities.
Dr. Ono is a co-owner of Puget Sound Eye Care in Seattle and Bellevue, Washington, where his clinical work includes eye care for patients of all ages with an emphasis on specialty contact lenses for challenging and difficult-to-fit patients. He attended Indiana University for his undergraduate and optometric education, where he also served as a clinical instructor and was a member of the Beta Sigma Kappa optometric honor fraternity.
His commitment to organized optometry began in Minnesota, where he served as a legislative grassroots coordinator and co-founded and chaired the Minnesota Vision Project, part of the national VISION USA program. After moving to Washington, Dr. Ono continued that service through Optometric Physicians of Washington (OPW), ultimately serving as president. His leadership also extended throughout the western United States through the Great Western Council of Optometry (GWCO), where he served as Washington state director and later as president.
Throughout his career, Dr. Ono has taken particular interest in membership, leadership development and creating opportunities for doctors to become more engaged in their profession. At the national level, his AOA service has encompassed membership development, affiliate relations, advocacy, emerging issues and efforts to strengthen the connections among doctors, students and the broader optometric community. He also has helped advance national efforts focused on children’s vision and eye health.
Dr. Ono’s service has earned recognition at the state, regional and national levels, including the AOA President’s Award, the OPW Jack Hale Lifetime Achievement Award, OPW Optometric Physician of the Year and the GWCO President’s Leadership Award.
For Dr. Ono, some of the greatest value of organized optometry comes from the relationships it creates. He credits colleagues and mentors throughout the profession with challenging him to grow, sharing their experiences and reinforcing the importance of working together to advance optometry and better serve patients.
Dr. Ono lives with his wife, Wendy, and their adult son, Alex, recently joined the Puget Sound Eye Care after earning his Doctor of Optometry degree.
Paul M. Barney, O.D.
Secretary-Treasurer | Alaska
Paul M. Barney, O.D., of Alaska, was elected secretary-treasurer of the AOA in June 2026. He was originally elected to the AOA Board of Trustees in 2022.
An advocate for advancing optometric education, training and scope of practice, Dr. Barney has devoted much of his career to expanding patients’ access to the full range of care doctors of optometry are educated and trained to provide. He has testified in support of optometric laser and surgical procedures before legislatures in several states and before the U.S. House of Representatives.
Dr. Barney lives and practices in Anchorage, Alaska, where he has served for more than 25 years as center director of Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute. A graduate of the Southern California College of Optometry, he has built a career combining patient care, education and advocacy for the profession.
His commitment to organized optometry includes more than 25 years of volunteer service with the Alaska Optometric Association (AKOA), where he has held nearly every major leadership position, including president and chair of both the Education and Legislative Committees. His advocacy helped advance landmark legislation in Alaska, giving the state Board of Examiners in Optometry authority to regulate procedures taught at accredited schools and colleges of optometry.
Dr. Barney also served eight years on the Alaska Board of Examiners in Optometry, including five years as chair. He represented Alaska as a director to the Great Western Council of Optometry for several years and served as its president from 2014-2015.
A longtime educator, Dr. Barney serves as an adjunct professor at Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and as an adjunct professor to the Faculty of Optometry at Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok, Thailand. His contributions to optometry have earned recognition at the state and national levels. Dr. Barney was named the AKOA’s Optometrist of the Year in 2016 and the AOA’s Optometrist of the Year in 2017. In 2025, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University.
Away from optometry, Dr. Barney takes full advantage of life in Alaska. An avid outdoorsman and photographer, he enjoys hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, climbing and skiing.
Jacqueline “Jacquie” M. Bowen, O.D.
Immediate Past President | Colorado
Jacquie M. Bowen, O.D., of Colorado, serves as immediate past president of the American Optometric Association (AOA), following her term as the organization’s 105th president from 2025-2026. She was originally elected to the AOA Board of Trustees in 2016.
A longtime advocate for advancing optometry and developing future leaders, Dr. Bowen has built her career around patient care, professional advocacy and a willingness to step forward when opportunities arise. Her leadership at the state and national levels has focused on expanding the profession’s ability to serve patients, strengthening independent practice and encouraging doctors to become engaged in shaping optometry’s future.
Dr. Bowen grew up in Helena, Montana, and earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from the Southern California College of Optometry. After completing an ocular disease residency at Omni Eye Specialists in Denver, she purchased a small optometry practice in Greeley, Colorado, at age 26. Over the next two decades, she grew the practice into a multi-doctor operation before eventually transitioning from practice ownership. She continues to provide full-scope medical optometric care in Greeley.
Her commitment to organized optometry began in Colorado, where she served seven years on the Colorado Optometric Association (COA) Board of Trustees, including as president. Advocacy has remained a defining part of her service, and Dr. Bowen was a key member of the legislative team that successfully advanced landmark scope-of-practice legislation in Colorado in 2022.
At the national level, Dr. Bowen has served the AOA across a broad range of areas including advocacy, practice success, public awareness and leadership development. Throughout her AOA presidency, she emphasized strengthening the profession by supporting doctors at every stage of their careers and encouraging the next generation to become involved in organized optometry.
Dr. Bowen’s contributions have earned recognition throughout the profession. She was named Colorado Young Optometrist of the Year in 2000 and Colorado Optometrist of the Year in 2012. In 2024, Vision Monday recognized her among its Most Influential Women in Optical, and in 2025, the Great Western Council of Optometry named her Optometrist of the Year.
For Dr. Bowen, leadership has never depended on following a predetermined path. From buying a practice early in her career to advocating for expanded patient care and ultimately serving as AOA president, she has embraced opportunities to serve, learn and help others find their own place in the profession.
Marrie S. Read, O.D., M.B.A.
Trustee | Association of Armed Forces and Federal Optometric Services
Marrie Read, O.D., M.B.A., of Virginia, was elected to the American Optometric Association (AOA) Board of Trustees in June 2022 and reelected in 2025, representing the Association of Armed Forces and Federal Optometric Services (AFOS).
A retired U.S. Navy Captain, Dr. Read served for more than 26 years in clinical, operational, and senior leadership positions. Her career encompassed direct patient care, health-system governance, and the development of medical policy affecting Navy and Marine Corps personnel. This breadth of experience has given her a wide-ranging perspective on healthcare delivery, policy, and organizational leadership that continues to inform her work in organized optometry.
Dr. Read is a graduate of Saint Louis University and earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from Southern College of Optometry. She completed a residency in primary care and ocular disease at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital and earned a Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School. She also served as a legislative fellow on Capitol Hill, working on military policy and gaining firsthand insight into the legislative process.
A past president of AFOS, Dr. Read has held numerous leadership roles in organized optometry at both the affiliate and national levels. Before joining the AOA Board, her service included federal advocacy, quality improvement, and patient safety. As an AOA Trustee, she has contributed to initiatives involving advocacy, professional education, membership engagement, leadership development, paraoptometric professionals, and opportunities for future generations of doctors of optometry. Through this work, she has helped connect the military, federal, and broader optometric communities and ensure that optometry has a strong voice in decisions affecting doctors and patients.
Dr. Read also serves as President of the AOA Foundation, helping guide its work to expand access to care, support optometric education, and strengthen the future of the profession.
In 2024, Dr. Read received the AFOS Orion Award, the organization’s highest honor, recognizing her significant contributions to AFOS and optometry. In 2026, the American Optometric Student Association honored her with the AOSA Merit Award for her continuous support of AOSA and dedication to future leaders in optometry.
Although retired from military service, Dr. Read continues to care for patients and remains actively engaged in advocacy, professional leadership, and service. She lives in Virginia with her husband, John, and they have three children, Joby, Emma, and David.
Tad R. Kosanovich, O.D.
Trustee | Florida
Tad R. Kosanovich, O.D., of Florida, was elected to the American Optometric Association (AOA) Board of Trustees in June 2023.
A longtime independent practitioner and advocate for optometry, Dr. Kosanovich has built his leadership around strengthening the profession through grassroots advocacy, supporting independent practice and encouraging doctors to become actively engaged in shaping optometry’s future. His service at the local, state and national levels reflects a career-long commitment to both his profession and his community.
Dr. Kosanovich earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University in 1986 and completed an ocular disease residency at Omni Eye Services in Baltimore, Maryland. He has practiced in southwest Florida since the late 1980s and has been in private practice at Englewood Eye Care & Optical since 1996.
His involvement in organized optometry began at the local level with the Manasota Optometric Society, where he served as president. He later joined the Florida Optometric Association (FOA) Board of Trustees and ultimately served as FOA president in 2017-2018.
Advocacy has been a defining part of Dr. Kosanovich’s professional service. During his years on the FOA Legislative Committee, he worked alongside colleagues to advance legislation supporting optometry and respond to legislative challenges facing the profession. He also served as Florida’s AOA Third Party Center State Coordinator and on the AOA State Government Relations Committee, where he assisted state affiliates facing their own legislative and regulatory challenges.
Dr. Kosanovich’s commitment to service extends well beyond optometry. In his Englewood community, he has served on the boards of the local YMCA and Englewood Youth Foundation, including chairing the foundation’s Scholarship Committee. A longtime Rotarian, he served as president of the Rotary Club of Englewood and later as an area governor for his Rotary district.
His contributions have earned recognition from his colleagues throughout Florida. Dr. Kosanovich was named the FOA’s Optometrist of the Year in 2020 and, most recently, was honored as the association’s Optometrist of the Decade.
For Dr. Kosanovich, leadership and service have been constants throughout his career. From caring for patients in an independent community practice to advocating for the profession in state legislatures and supporting organizations in his hometown, his work reflects a belief that strong professions—and strong communities—are built by people willing to get involved.
Dr. Kosanovich lives in Florida with his wife, Virginia Carbone. Away from optometry and his community involvement, he enjoys playing guitar in his spare time.
Jon F. Pederson, O.D.
Trustee | Colorado
Jon F. Pederson, O.D., of Colorado, was elected to the American Optometric Association (AOA) Board of Trustees in June 2025.
An advocate for advancing the profession and expanding patients’ access to high-quality eye health care, Dr. Pederson has built his leadership around helping doctors of optometry practice to the full extent of their education and training. His career combines private practice, public health, education and more than two decades of service to organized optometry.
Dr. Pederson graduated with honors from Pacific University College of Optometry and completed residency training in geriatrics and hospital-based optometry at the Portland VA Medical Center. He remained at the VA following his residency while teaching ocular disease and advanced clinical procedures at Pacific University. After returning to Colorado, he served as clinical director of the Colorado Optometric Center, a nonprofit teaching clinic providing care to underserved patients, before joining his father in private practice in Centennial.
His commitment to organized optometry includes more than 20 years of service to the Colorado Optometric Association (COA), where he served nine years on the Board of Trustees and as president from 2017-2018. Since 2015, he has served as co-chair of the association’s Legislative Committee and played a significant role in advancing both vision plan reform and scope-of-practice legislation in Colorado.
Dr. Pederson has carried that advocacy to the national level through the AOA State Government Relations Committee, helping other state affiliates navigate legislative and regulatory efforts to advance the profession. He also has served as an AOA Federal Keyperson, AOA-PAC representative and member of the AOA House of Delegates Resolutions Committee.
Service to patients who might otherwise face barriers to care has remained an important part of Dr. Pederson’s career. For approximately two decades, he has volunteered as a doctor at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ Stout Street Clinic and has served as a consultant optometrist for the Fort Logan Mental Health Hospital. He also has participated in international volunteer eye-care missions and teaches and trains optometry students as adjunct faculty.
Dr. Pederson’s contributions have earned recognition at the state, regional and national levels. His honors include the COA Young Optometrist of the Year, Key Person of the Year and Optometrist of the Year awards. In 2023, he was named Optometrist of the Year by both the Great Western Council of Optometry and the AOA.
Dr. Pederson lives in Colorado with his wife, Courtney, and their children, Harper and Lincoln.
Amy A. Puerto, O.D.
Trustee | Louisiana
Amy A. Puerto, O.D., of Louisiana, was elected to the American Optometric Association (AOA) Board of Trustees in June 2025. As the first millennial elected to the Board, she brings a next-generation perspective to advancing the profession, engaging its members and strengthening organized optometry.
An advocate for patients and doctors of optometry, Dr. Puerto has built her leadership around modernizing organized optometry, developing future leaders and advancing public policy that protects the doctor-patient relationship. Her service spans local, state and national optometry, with a particular emphasis on advocacy, communications and member engagement.
Dr. Puerto is a past president of the Optometry Association of Louisiana (OAL), where she helped lead the organization through post-pandemic recovery while modernizing its organizational structure and strengthening member engagement. During her leadership, OAL also achieved significant legislative progress, including passage of Act 384 to strengthen accountability and transparency for vision plans, promote fair contracting, and protect the doctor-patient relationship.
Her commitment to advocacy extends throughout her service to organized optometry. Dr. Puerto remains active in OAL legislative, continuing education, and leadership development efforts and serves as a keyperson for state and federal lawmakers, championing policies that advance optometry and patient access to care. Earlier in her career, she served as president of her local optometric society and launched Louisiana’s Scout Vision Awareness Patch Program in 2018, helping introduce children and families to the importance of healthy vision.
At the national level, Dr. Puerto contributes to AOA initiatives spanning public awareness, advocacy, communications, and member engagement. She also serves on the AOAExcel® and AOA Foundation Boards, extending her work across the broader AOA enterprise.
Dr. Puerto’s leadership has earned recognition at the state and national levels. She was named the OAL Young Optometrist of the Year in 2022 and AOA Young Optometrist of the Year in 2023. In 2025, she received the Women in Optometry Theia Young OD of the Year Award and was recognized by Southern College of Optometry as its Young Optometrist of the Year. She was also named 2025 Louisiana Optometrist of the Year.
Throughout her service, Dr. Puerto has focused on creating a stronger profession for the doctors who will follow, bringing new voices into organized optometry and ensuring the profession continues to evolve alongside the patients and communities it serves.
Shane A. Foster, O.D.
Trustee | Ohio
Shane A. Foster, O.D., of Ohio, was elected to the American Optometric Association (AOA) Board of Trustees in June 2026.
An advocate for children’s vision, access to care, and the advancement of optometry, Dr. Foster has built his leadership around a belief that advocacy is an extension of patient care. His work has focused on ensuring patients can access the eye health and vision care they need while empowering doctors of optometry to fully serve their communities.
A native of Athens County, Ohio, Dr. Foster owns Athens Eye Care, the same practice where he was a patient as a child. He earned bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences and Spanish from Ohio University before graduating cum laude from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 2008. His clinical interests include pediatric optometry, specialty contact lenses and the connection between healthy vision, literacy, and learning.
Dr. Foster has devoted more than 17 years to organized optometry. He served nine years on the Ohio Optometric Association (OOA) Board of Trustees, including as president in 2022, and has been actively involved in legislative advocacy, public awareness and efforts to advance optometric scope of practice.
Children’s vision has become a defining focus of his service. Since 2017, Dr. Foster has served as president of iSee Ohio, the Ohio Optometric Foundation, helping lead efforts to improve vision health literacy and access to eye care for children across the state and, in 2024, was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to the Children’s Vision Strike Force. That work helped build momentum for a $10 million appropriation in Ohio’s 2025-2027 budget to expand vision services for students in kindergarten through third grade. The efforts for children’s vision through the OhioSEE program continue with more than $25 million in additional investment from Rural Health Transformation funding.
At the national level, Dr. Foster has served on the AOA State Government Relations Committee and previously served on the New Technology Committee, working with colleagues across the country to advance the profession.
His leadership has earned recognition from both his colleagues and alma mater. The Ohio State University College of Optometry presented him with its Early Professional Achievement Award in 2023, and the OOA named him its Optometrist of the Year in 2025.
For Dr. Foster, optometry is deeply connected to home. Growing up as a patient of the practice he now owns has shaped his perspective on the relationships doctors build with patients, families and communities—and the responsibility to advocate for better care beyond the exam room.
Steven P. Eiss, O.D.
Trustee| Pennsylvania
Steven P. Eiss, O.D., of Pennsylvania, was elected to the American Optometric Association (AOA) Board of Trustees in June 2026.
A nationally respected advocate for optometry, Dr. Eiss has spent more than three decades working at the intersection of clinical practice, health policy and professional advocacy. His leadership within the AOA and Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA) has focused particularly on payer advocacy, strengthening policy and ensuring doctors of optometry can fully participate in the health care system.
Dr. Eiss is Senior Partner of Eyecare of the Valley, a three-location optometry/ophthalmology practice in southeast Pennsylvania. A 1995 graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, he began his career in both commercial and private practice settings, experiences that helped shape his understanding of the challenges facing doctors of optometry in an evolving health care landscape.
Dr. Eiss has provided more than a decade of national leadership on the AOA Third Party Center Executive Committee, including serving as chair from 2016 to 2026. In that role, he has helped guide the profession’s response to critical payer issues including claim downcoding, panel exclusion, payment clawbacks and other barriers affecting doctors and their patients.
His commitment to organized optometry also includes extensive service with the POA. He served as POA president in 2017 and helped champion legislation allowing doctors of optometry to certify eligibility for handicap placards for visually disabled patients. In 2024, he became chair of the POA Third Party Center, continuing his work on payer policy and advocacy.
Dr. Eiss has represented Pennsylvania on the Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee since 2012 and serves as an AOA Federal Advocacy Representative. His contributions have earned numerous honors, including the POA Optometrist of the Year award, AOA President’s Award, AOA Payer Advocacy Award and POA’s Dr. Jerry Davidoff Memorial Award.
Dr. Eiss lives in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Sara Pike, O.D., and their children, Chase and Ashley. Both Dr. Eiss and Dr. Pike are active in their local Lions Club and support a variety of community organizations and youth activities.
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