Honoring longtime AOA member and dedicated volunteer Heather Tibbetts

Even as Heather Tibbetts, CPOT, sat in a hospital bed amid her cancer battle, she proudly wore an AOA winter hat and enthusiastically shared her goal to attend Optometry’s Meeting®. 

“Her commitment and passion for the paraoptometric profession and her role as an AOA volunteer were even more visible when she participated in our meetings while undergoing treatment for her illness,” wrote Erlinda Rodriguez, CPO, chair of the AOA Paraoptometric Resource Committee, in her recommendation for Tibbetts  to receive the Paraoptometric Lifetime Achievement Award. “She was instrumental in many key projects and resources the committee helped develop… She deserves great recognition.” 

Tibbetts, a longtime AOA member and dedicated volunteer who also served on the AOA’s Commission on Paraoptometric Certification and was board president of the Maine Paraoptometric Association, passed away in June. The AOA board elected in August to posthumously grant Tibbetts the Paraoptometric Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Dedicated to work and service 

At the time of her death, Tibbetts was the lead technician at Eye Center Northeast in Bangor, Maine. She had been a dedicated employee for 22 years and “meant everything” to the practice, says David Douglass, O.D., who was Tibbetts’ AOA membership sponsor. 

Along with overseeing the tech area, Dr. Douglass says, Tibbetts did much of the training of the practice’s techs over the years. “She was very particular and detailed,” he says. “When she trained a tech, she would make sure they crossed all the Ts, dotted all the Is.” 

Tibbetts, who is survived by her husband and stepchildren, was also very active in her church, Dr. Douglass says. She coordinated and cooked countless church luncheons, taught Sunday school, and put together weekly bulletins, according to her obituary. 

Optometry colleagues remember her impact 

Rodriguez joined several other optometry colleagues in submitting letters and testimonials to the AOA endorsing Tibbetts for the Lifetime Achievement Award. 

“Heather first served the Maine Paraoptometric Association (MPA) as a member at large, and eventually president more than once,” wrote Sally Greeley, CPOT. “When no other members would volunteer to serve, she would volunteer again. She was passionate about the MPA and did not want to see it fail. She wanted to make sure we offered our members nothing but the best education by booking national speakers to our meetings.” 

“I immensely enjoyed working with Heather on all things related to test development, including item reviews, exam reviews, standard setting, and item bank recoding,” wrote Vicki Gremelsbacker, president of the Professional Testing Corporation. “She came to every meeting with a smile and a warm, contagious energy that permeated the room. She made everyone feel welcome. She made these hard tasks more enjoyable. Even when she was sick, she still showed up, worked hard and smiled.” 

“I had the pleasure to work with Heather in person during CPC Exam Re-Coding at PTC in New York City in November 2024,” wrote Sasha Radford, O.D. “Heather’s exceptional expertise as a paraoptometric in clinic and as a volunteer for the AOA, as well as her solid work ethic, made a difficult and lengthy task run smoothly. Her bright and warm personality made our days so much more fun and enjoyable, and we couldn’t have accomplished as much as we did without her assistance. Heather was instrumental in creating the latest iteration of the Paraoptometric Certification Exams. She was a strong advocate for paras nationwide and the profession is better today as a result of her efforts.” 

“Heather’s impact was particularly profound in her work with the CPC Test Development meetings, where her clinical insight and attention to detail ensured that exam content accurately represented the evolving role of paraoptometrics in optometric practices,” wrote Catherine Firman, CPOT, ABOC, past chair of CPC. “Her ability to interpret and source reference materials made her an invaluable resource during these sessions—colleagues often turned to Heather for clarification, knowing she would always find the appropriate source.” 

Firman went on: “[Heather’s] passing represents a significant loss to the optometric community, both personally and professionally. However, her legacy continues in the systems she helped refine, the exams she improved, and the many professionals she mentored and inspired.”