The TAOP Joins with SCO for Spring CE

SCO hosted its first ever joint CE program with the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians in April. Called SCO-TAOP: Unity in Tennessee, the event drew hundreds of alumni and

ODs to campus. Industry partners were on hand for an exhibit hall and tradeshow, and the TAOP also hosted a reception for its members.

1952 Bert O. Miller, OD, and his wife, Laura, celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary on November 25, 2022. Dr. Miller turned 91 on February 8, 2023.

1983 Cynthia Baker, OD, was recognized by Women in Optometry as a 2022 Theia Awards of Excellence Winner for leadership.

Rusty Simmons, OD, recently joined Melia Robertson, OD ’10, and Zach Burroughs, OD ’19 in meeting with SCO’s Arkansas Club on campus.

1988 Charles Shidlofsky, OD, was elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice.

1993 Nolan Ng, OD, was named Chief of Cornea and Contact Lens for Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry.

Blake Tarr, OD, won the Best Eye Care Center and Best OD Award in Jefferson County, Tennessee. At the Tarr Trek Winter Ophthalmic Summit held recently in Vail, Colorado, Dr. Tarr is pictured with Nathan Garcia, OD, Cody Lay, OD, Jeremy Durham, OD, Eli Girard (son of Micah Girard, OD, ’03), and Gavin Baker.

1969 SCO Professor Emeritus Glen Steele, OD, received the inaugural Dr. Jeff Foster Distinguished Service Award from the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians.

Dr. Steele was also selected as the AOA’s 2023 Distinguished Service Award recipient.

1977 Gwin Anderson, OD, was sworn in for another term on the Dresden, Tennessee Board of Aldermen.

1978 Steve Cauble, OD, and his wife Sally, were chosen as the recipients of Southwestern College’s Alumni Recognition Awards.

1981 James V. Cornetta, OD, recently retired as an SCO preceptor after more than 20 years of service.

1985 Kendall Krug, OD, has retired from full-time practice. He will continue to provide low vision evaluations for the Kansas State School for the Blind.

1996 Frances Bynum, OD, and Tonya Reynoldson, OD ’01, and Jessica Haynes, OD ’15, were among the alumni speakers at SCO’s Spring CE weekend.

2000 Mark Shirey, OD, was elected as a State Representative in Alabama.

2001 Kayla Strain Melton, OD, was named Ophthalmology/Optometry Department lead at John J. Pershing VA Hospital in Missouri.

2006 James Hertzog, OD was elected President of the Arkansas Optometric Association.

1987 Steve Edwards, OD was named the Mississippi Optometric Association’s OD of the Year for 2022.

2003 Ellen Drury Fitzgerald, OD, was appointed to Georgia’s State Board of Optometry.

Chris Stansbury, OD, was appointed to the West Virginia State Board of Education.

Megan Sumrall Lott, OD was selected to receive the COVD’s Rising Member of the Year Award.

Natalie Swanson, OD, recently opened her first practice in Fredonia, New York.

Daniel Taylor, OD, was appointed the Dean of Ferris State University’s Michigan College of Optometry after serving as interim dean since August 2021. Dr. Taylor also recently patented Protoconch, a device that joins a cochlear implant processor to an eyeglass frame, aiding young people who have visual and hearing issues.

2009 Alex Bell, OD, is the new President-Elect of the Arkansas Optometric Association. Katie Brown, OD ’12, was elected Secretary/Treasurer, Melia Robertson, OD ’10, as Immediate Past President, and Zach Burroughs, OD ’19, and Aaron Tollett, OD ’20, to the Board of Directors.

Leah Gibson, OD, recently opened a new practice in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Matt Jones, OD, was named the Arkansas Optometric Association’s OD of the Year.

Ryan Rosemore, OD, and Zak Rosemore, OD ’12, recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of opening their practice in The Colony, Texas.

2010 Pinakin Davey, OD, guest lectured about the link between nutrition and good vision for SCO’s Public Health Club students.

2011 Jennifer Lyerly, OD, Mark Schaeffer, OD, and Jade Coats, OD ’16, were named 2023 Visionaries by the Contact Lens Institute.

2012 Katie Brown, OD, was elected Secretary/Treasurer of the Arkansas Optometric Association.

JJ Lant, OD, is a new Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri College of Optometry.

2013 Joel Weis, OD, recently joined the Adair County Health system.

2014 Keith Levinson, OD, was named New Jersey’s Young OD of the Year.

2015 Alison Bozung, OD, and Jade Coats, OD ’16, were appointed to advisor roles on the board of YoungODConnect, an organization supporting the next generation of eye care providers.

Carissa Chambers, OD, came in 6th place for her age group in the St. Jude Ironman Memphis triathlon.

Amanda Radeke Geary, OD, and Daniel Geary, OD, enjoyed visiting with classmate Alison Bozung, OD, at the EyeMed CE conference in Orlando where Dr. Bozung was presenting.

2017 Emily Eisenhower, OD, was installed as president of the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians at its fall meeting.

Stephanie Moss, OD, was recently chosen to be part of the AOA’s 2023 Leadership Institute.

Zach Weinberg, OD, has opened a new practice in Ohio.

Jessica Haynes, OD, was a speaker at the World Council of Optometry’s Virtual Myopia Management event.

Amy Puerto, OD, was selected as the AOA’s Young Optometrist of the Year award recipient.

2016 Jade Coats, OD, has joined the Advisory Board for Women in Optometry. She recently was named Best OD in Northwest Arkansas by Celebrate magazine.

Shaleen Ragha, OD, recently was engaged in Memphis to George Abbott.

2018 Eric Woodward, OD, recently joined Oregon Trail Eye Care in Idaho.

2019 Mallory Morris Collins, OD, was named the 2022 Helen St. Clair Young OD of the Year in Mississippi.

Annedrea Morreale, OD, was selected to Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in recognition of her work with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

2020 Colin Hunsaker, OD, and his family recently moved from Virginia to Moab, Utah, where he will be practicing at Moab Eyecare.

Ariel Lenning, OD, recently opened a new practice, Novel Eyes, in Washington.

Mary Kate Walters Sain, OD, visited with Jackie Malish, OD ’23, at the Texas Optometric Association’s annual conference, where Dr. Sain presented on neuroimaging and serology.

Trevor Schramm, OD, recently joined Vision Specialists in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

2021 Casey Krug, OD, is leading the new Low Vision Centers of North Carolina’s expansion in Biltmore Park, North Carolina.

Arianna Schabauer, OD, was named the 2022 OCL Resident Winner for an article published in the Optometry & Visual Performance Journal