- 5 things pediatricians should know about eye health
- Advocating for optometry’s littlest patients
- Dry eye treatment creates growth potential for optometrists
- Honoring longtime AOA member and dedicated volunteer Heather Tibbetts
- Paraoptometric associates create caring first impressions for eye care
- Honoring an optometry trailblazer: Richard Hopping, O.D.
- She’s going FAR
- Community outreach creates avenues for vision care access
- What it takes to work on a comprehensive care team
- Committee spotlight: AOA’s Meetings & Member Experiences Committee
- Making her dream a reality
- Student-centered initiatives promote optometry careers
- 1 year strong, Myopia Collective advancing a new standard of care
- Elevating optometry by advocating for dry eye patients
- Congratulations to the AOA’s 2025 award winners
- Inspiring optometry’s next generation
- A passion for grassroots
- Bringing the optometric community together
- Optometry finds voice in influential society
- Remembering Debbie Hettler
- Part of the solution
- ‘Changing the face of how we practice’
- On the radar: Emerging technologies
- Lessons in staff retention from a 50-year-practicing paraoptometric
- Remembering Virgil Deering
- Understanding the past to inform a better future
- 5 ways to center patient care
- AOA members help Olympians gain an edge
- ‘Advocacy is our history and our future’
- Tennessee Welcomes You to Optometry’s Meeting
- Member in Focus - Dr. Thuy Tran
- Intentional leadership
- 115 years of family eye care
- Optometric foundation’s track record leads to $2.5 million grant for children’s eye care in Ohio
- Honoring Charlotte Ferris’ dedication to optometry
- Representation matters in optometry
- Remembering a true friend of optometry: Patricia Hopping
- AOA’s prestigious leadership program graduates another class
- Inspiring the next gen of contact lens leaders
- Seeing potential
- Taking eye care advocacy to a global scale
- Embracing the journey
- Born to serve: Active duty paraoptometric professionals provide critical care
- ‘Raising the ceiling’
- Honoring the profession’s finest at Optometry’s Meeting 2023
- Why proper documentation is vital
- Change agent
- The power of ‘yes’
- AOA immediate past president: Our biggest challenges
- Optometry through Bubba’s eyes
- Congratulations to the AOAs 2023 award winners
- Andrew Kemp AOA’s 2022 Educator of the Year transitions students from talking in question marks to talking in period
- Distinguishing service
- Successes in diabetes care
- Shantia-Hinderlider-humanitarian-heart
- Glen Steele honored in retirement
- Art Epstein
- Next-level-Loretta-Eriks-CPOT
- Davidoff award
- Leader to leader
- Chicago things to do
- The next generation of optometrys leaders
- 2022 Hall of Fame
- Sullins Award Winner
- A great fit
- Ukrainian refugees find succor in AOA doctor executive director
- Candidates announce bids for Board of Trustees elections
- annual award winners
- women in optometry
- Care close to home
- Emerging leader
- How one doctor lives a life of service
- Jerald Combs Obit
- Connecting with patients as paraoptometrics
- Building relationships
- Persistence pays off
- Advocacy from academia
- Women make giant strides
- AOA Board of Trustee Resolutions 2020
- C Clayton Powell O.D. Obit
- James A Boucher Obit
- Irving Bennett O.D. leaves legacy
- Janet Millis finding her place
- Changing of the guard 2020
- AOA 2020-21 election
- AOA doctors frontline care
- 2020 hall of fame inductees
- members carry the message 2020EyeExam into the future
- When student becomes teacher
- Jeni Kohn Vision Quest Young Optometrist Year
- AOA Board resolves advocacy public awareness in New Year
- nominate Hall of Fame
- AOA honors active-duty sacrifice of Army doctor of optometry
- From small-town to big deal
- AOA Board of Trustee Resolutions 2019
- How doctors of optometry contribute to Air Force mission
- Kneib longtime AOA leader leaves legacy
- Morrow Optometric Family
- AOA member has a super role for NFL team
- Taking pride in what you do
- Longtime AOA volunteer member Frank Fontana OD dies
- a profession of their own
- Doctor of optometry on MasterChef
- Hawaii doctor takes volcano in stride
- A patient person
- Pick Up the Pieces
- Removing the barriers
- Another New Year happily practicing optometry
- 101 years all in the family
- Doctor Levin Obit
- Family tree blooms with doctors of optometry
- Reaping what we sow
- AOA offers condolences to family of Richard L Wallingford Jr OD
- Hollywoods eye experts
- Black History Month AOA doctors rise to occasions
- Longtime AOA California optometric leader and educator dies
- Civil rights leader remembered as heroic and selfless by one doctor of optometry
- All in the family The Castellanos
- All in the Family The Botwins
- War stories Retired doctor receives Frances highest military honor
- All in the family Three generations of eye care
- Opening doors
- Optometrys Family Portrait
- Optometrys eyewitness
- Teachable moments
- doctor of optomtery stays focused in Ferguson Missouri
- Opticals green makeover hits primetime TV
Honoring optometry’s best and brightest
July 7, 2025
As the AOA and AOSA gathered for Optometry’s Meeting® 2025, the outstanding contributions of AOA members and friends of optometry were recognized.
Tag(s): Inside Optometry, Member Spotlight
Exceptional achievements were honored at Optometry's Meeting® | 5th World Congress of Optometry, June 25-28 in Minneapolis.
The honorees—doctors of optometry, AOA affiliates, paraoptometrics and optometry students—were variously recognized for their unwavering dedication; service with distinction in their practices, communities and profession; leadership in educating and mentoring next-gen doctors of optometry; and a shared passion for advancing the profession.
The AOA congratulates the following awardees:
Dr. W. David Sullins, Jr., InfantSEE® Award
- John Tassinari, O.D.
National Hall of Fame Inductees
Since 1998, the National Optometry Hall of Fame, administered by The AOA Foundation, has recognized and honored doctors of optometry who are luminaries of the profession and have imparted long-lasting contributions to optometry. Attendees gathered during the AOA Awards and National Optometry Hall of Fame ceremony to recognize the Class of 2025:
- Christopher Quinn, O.D.
- Timothy Wingert, O.D.
Optometrist of the Year
- James Hardie, O.D.
Young Optometrist of the Year
- Annabelle Storch, O.D.
AOA Distinguished Service Award
- Richard Soden, O.D.
Optometric Educator of the Year
- Aaron Zimmerman, O.D., M.S.
Student of the Year
- Cori Dorrell
Apollo Award
- Napua Rich
Paraoptometric Community Service Award
- Kimberly Pickle, CPOA
Paraoptometric Lifetime Achievement Award
- Tamara (Tami) Franklin, CPOT
President’s Awards
- Dr. Glen “Bubba” Steele
- Dr. Jennifer Zolman
- Dr. Reena Patel
AOA Advocacy Awards
- Meghan Elkins, O.D. (federal advocacy)
- Michael Jorgensen, O.D., (federal advocacy)
- Matthew Maki, O.D. (federal advocacy)
- Arkansas Optometric Association (affiliate advocacy)
- Association of Armed Forces and Federal Optometric Services (affiliate advocacy)
- Montana Optometric Association (affiliate advocacy)
- West Virginia Optometric Association (affiliate advocacy)
- Peter Santisi, O.D. (payer advocacy)
- Darryl Glover, O.D., and Jennifer Lyerly, O.D., Defocus Media (media advocacy)
Dr. Jerry P. Davidoff Vision Care Award
- Tracy Matchinski, O.D.
AOSA Optometry Student Bowl™ XXXIV crowns champion
Dakotah Brandow of Western University of Health Sciences, College of Optometry hoisted the winner’s trophy at the AOSA Optometry Student Bowl™ XXXIV, powered by EssilorLuxottica. The Illinois College of Optometry won the Spirit Award.
5K Run winners
Runners laced up their shoes for the AOA Foundation 5K Run on June 28 through downtown Minneapolis. The 5K, presented by the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety and supported by Abbvie and Tarsus, benefits AOA Foundation programs, such as InfantSEE®, Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief, Opportunities in Optometry grants, the Optometric Historical Society, student scholarships and more.
This year’s overall men’s winner is Nathan Morrow, O.D., and overall women’s winner is Lydia Bouman, O.D.
The generous support of the AOA's industry partners makes it possible to honor its outstanding members.