I am honored to announce that I was elected to serve as the President of the Virginia Optometric Association (VOA) on June 22 during our 110^th annual convention in Williamsburg. As President, I will be the official representative of the VOA in its contacts with governmental, civic, business and other professional associations. I will also continue to serve as Virginia’s InfantSEE coordinator.

Eyes have been a passion of mine for quite some time. I can remember shining a light in my eyes in a dark bathroom to watch my pupil constrict and dilate when I was in the 6th grade. Since deciding that I wanted to become an optometrist, I have found many other wonderful reasons why this is the profession for me. It turns out shining a light in other people's eyes is actually more fun than shining it in your own (my kids could have probably taught me that without the doctorate degree). Being able to help patients with not only their eyesight, but also with their general health is gratifying.

Optometry has changed a lot over the last 25 years. Once thought of as eyeglass doctors, optometrists now provide more than 70% of the country's comprehensive eye care, including management of glaucoma, diabetes, and other ocular and systemic diseases.

I am proud to be serving Virginia optometrists as the President of the VOA and to be a part of such an exemplary resource for my profession that represents and advocates the interests of more than 85% of the Commonwealth’s actively practicing Doctors of Optometry. I am looking forward to my new roles and responsibilities as the head of the organization and to continuing its commitment to improving the vision care and health of the public.

If you’d like to learn more about the VOA and its mission, visit the website at http://www.voa.org - or feel free to ask me!