PEOPLE

CooperVision hired Rajeev Garg, Ph.D., as global head of myopia management strategy. Dr. Garg most recently served as executive director of surgical marketing at Bausch + Lomb. Separately, the company promoted Melissa Kiewe to vice president of North America marketing.

◄ Dawn Friedkin, president of Classic Optical, has been appointed to Essilor Vision Foundation’s board of directors. The optical industry veteran brings knowledge of lab manufacturing and a commitment to providing vision services to underserved communities to the role.

◄ New England College of Optometry (NECO) faculty member Angela Abraham, O.D., has been appointed as NECO’s first-ever diversity and inclusion liaison. In a related announcement, NECO has signed on to the 13% Promise, a new initiative led by Black Eyecare Perspective dedicated to increasing Black presence in vision care.

Aundrea Brinkman, a 15-year ABO-certified optical veteran, was appointed chief operations officer of Opticare Vision Services.

To expand and optimize capabilities across the eyecare industry, Sanitas Advisors has announced the addition of Weslie Hamada, O.D., and John Walborn to its team of strategic advisers, including Matt Oerding, who joined the team in 2018. Most recently, Dr. Hamada led doctor-focused advancement strategy and professional relations at Luxottica Eye Care, and Walborn served as president of the wholesale lens business for Essilor of America.

Standard Optical named Emily Cannon as director of store operations. Cannon brings more than 21 years of multisite retail management experience to the role, most recently as a director of stores for Pier 1 Imports.

◄ VSP Global promoted Tiffanie Burkhalter as president of VSP Ventures. Burkhalter succeeds Steve Baker, who is retiring after more than 20 years with VSP. Burkhalter has been with VSP for nearly 10 years and has held senior roles in finance & operations.

BUSINESS UPDATES

Cherry Optical Lab was selected as the first independent lab to participate in Essilor Experts. Previously, the program was available to eyecare professionals only via Essilor-owned laboratories.

Essilor and technology company Tencent have joined forces to enhance vision health in China. The three-year strategic partnership will focus on raising awareness on vision problems, eyecare service innovation, and eye health management.

In response to the impacts of Covid-19, VSP Global announced it will delay its ophthalmic formulary changes, originally set to start Sept. 1, until Jan. 1, 2021, and is launching a grant program to help offset expenses network practices are dealing with as a result of the pandemic.

AWARDS

The Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling Program was recently recognized as a gold Stevie winner for the environmental campaign of the year in the communications or PR—environmental category. The organization was also a sustainability leadership award (organization) winner as part of the Business Intelligence Group’s 2020 Sustainability Awards.

ClearVision Optical was named one of the best companies to work for in New York state by the Best Companies Group. This marks the fifth year that ClearVision has earned a nomination for this specific designation, and, for the first time, the company was awarded a top-10 ranking in the medium-sized business category.

The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness announced the recipient of the sixth annual Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award: Logan Newman, founder of the East High School Vision Care Program in Rochester, NY.

VSP Global and the National Optometric Association announced the recipients of the 2020 Dr. Marvin R. Poston Leadership Award: Randi Jo Francis, Illinois College of Optometry; Astiney Franklin, O.D., 2020 graduate of Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Zarina Meer, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Monique Mohammed, O.D., M.S., 2020 graduate of SUNY College of Optometry; and Darian Travis, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.

MISCELLANEOUS

Revo from ClearVision Optical teamed up with Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute to donate 1,000 pairs of prescription eyeglasses to support the eye center’s community outreach initiative, Vision First.