AOA Leadership Institute

The AOA Leadership Institute equips the next generation of optometry's champions to become leaders in their practices, communities and profession at large through a 6-month, virtual and in-person professional development curriculum.

AOA Leadership Institute

What is the AOA Leadership Institute?

The AOA Leadership Institute is a 6-month program designed to engage and equip the upcoming generation of optometry's champions to take on leadership roles within the AOA and its affiliates. Through a combination of virtual and in-person training, focus groups and networking opportunities, AOA Leadership Institute participants will graduate with the skillset and confidence necessary to step in and lead at all levels—local, state and beyond.

Developed by the AOA Leadership Development Committee, the AOA Leadership Institute seeks to build a diverse leadership class each year that reflects the changing demographics of new doctors of optometry. Open to active AOA member doctors of optometry who are early in their careers, the AOA Leadership Institute is your first step for developing and honing leadership skills that can shape our future.

2025 Applications & Nominations

Are you an active AOA member who's in the early-to-middle phase of their career or an AOA Leadership Institute graduate looking for next steps? Learn more about the AOA Leadership Institute 2.0 program.

What is the purpose of the AOA Leadership Institute?

  • Engage emerging leaders for optometry and the AOA.
  • Provide training and personal growth opportunities.
  • Provide leadership opportunities on local, state and national levels.
  • Strengthen relationships between AOA, faculty and affiliates.

What is the vision of the AOA Leadership Institute?

  • Activate and empower participants in the program.
  • Foster cohesiveness within the class.
  • Build friendships and support for each other as they advance in their careers and leadership roles.

What can you expect from the AOA Leadership Institute?

2025 Schedule at a Glance

Personal, professional attribute assessment (virtual) Wednesday, Feb. 12
Leadership Brand (virtual) Wednesday, March 12
Leading Change (virtual) Wednesday, April 16
Negotiation Skills (virtual) Wednesday, May 14
Leaders reception (in-person at Optometry’s Meeting) Wednesday, June 25
Public Speaking Part 1 (in-person at Optometry’s Meeting) Thursday, June 26
Public Speaking Part 2 (in-person at Optometry’s Meeting) Friday, June 27
Graduation and induction ceremony (in-person at Optometry’s Meeting) Friday, June 27

What you can expect from the program:

  • Highly interactive sessions that are designed to provide a foundation for learning from
    subject-matter experts and fellow participants.
  • Quarterly virtual sessions will not exceed 2 hours at 8pm CST.
  • Two in-person sessions at Optometry’s Meeting
  • Quarterly prework and assignments that support learning and application.
  • A web portal that will house:
    • Program curriculum.
    • Program materials including workshop and webinar resources and tools.
    • Roster with contact information.
  • AOA CE Hours credit upon successful completion of the program.

What we expect of participants

  • Engage and actively participate in each session.
  • Complete all prework and assignments:
    • Prework will not require more than 30 minutes of participants' time.
    • Assignments will require 60-90 minutes of participants' time.
  • Attend Optometry’s Meeting 
  • Connect with peer participants to enhance learning and further develop your network.

How to participate in the 2025 AOA Leadership Institute

The AOA Leadership Institute is now accepting applications and nominations for the 2025 program year; please note the following application and nomination deadlines:

  • Nominations for the 2025 program are due by Thursday, Nov. 14.
  • Individual applications for the 2025 program are due by Thursday, Nov. 21.

Please choose the corresponding link to access the appropriate form for the 2025 AOA Leadership Institute.

I'm applying for myself

I'm nominating faculty from my school

I'm an affiliate nominating someone

Who we are seeking to participate

AOA Leadership Institute participants have demonstrated dedication and leadership in optometry and meet the following criteria:

  • Active AOA membership.
  • Five to 10 years in practice.
  • Show interest or potential in leadership roles.

Application and nomination review process

All application and nominations to participate in the AOA Leadership Institute will be reviewed by a committee of experienced doctors, champions and leaders of optometry. Participants will be announced in December with a kick-off session hosted virtually the following February.

Please contact leadershipinstitute@aoa.org for additional information on the application or nomination process, or for further information about the program itself.

How to access AOA Leadership Institute participant resources

All AOA Leadership Institute participants will have access to program resources and recorded virtual sessions within the AOA EyeLearn Professional Development Hub, the AOA's online education platform. Please follow these directions to locate participant content:

  1. Log in to EyeLearn with the username and password used to access AOA.org; this will direct you to your account profile.
  2. Navigate to "My Courses and Learning Plan" to access your AOA Classroom where you can find all available, on-demand courses.
  3. Select "Leadership Institute" to access your program resources.

Access EyeLearn

See the AOA Leadership Institute in action

The AOA Leadership Institute is proud to recognize successive years of graduates that are already taking steps to get involved and lead in their practices, communities and profession.

What participants say about the AOA Leadership Institute

Congratulations to AOA Leadership Institute graduates


2021 Graduates

2022 Graduates

2023 Graduates

Thank you to the AOA Leadership Institute Visionary Supporters

The AOA Leadership Institute is supported by AOA’s Visionary Supporters, Johnson & Johnson and EssilorLuxottica.

Johnson & Johnson

Personal development is a valuable part of becoming the best you can be, and all Johnson and Johnson of us at Johnson & Johnson  stand behind you in your specific goal of leadership development. We are proud to be a Visionary sponsor of the AOA and to have the opportunity to work with programs like the Leadership Institute. It is an honor to support you as you step out of your comfort zone to explore the value of leadership development.

EssilorLuxottica

At EssilorLuxottica, our mission is improving lives by improving sight. We achieve this through our Essilor innovative products, industry-leading programs, and partnerships to grow the eyecare industry. We are thrilled to partner with the AOA on the Leadership Institute, so together; we can help develop leaders that reflect the profession’s demographics. Strong leadership will ensure the continued growth and evolution of our industry, and we are excited to take part in this important initiative.


Contact us

If you have questions about the AOA Leadership Institute please contact us at leadershipinstitute@aoa.org



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