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Spring Planning Conference 2008

Optometrists serving on more than 30 AOA committees, project teams, commissions and sections met in St. Louis May 2-3 to advance the work of the association. AOA President-elect Peter H. Kehoe, O.D., asked the groups to be mindful of the AOA’s four pillars: advocacy, affiliates, membership, and public health. “We built great foundations in public health at the national level,” Dr. Kehoe said. “Now it’s up to the affiliates and members to build the walls.”

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Spring Planning Conference 2008 Slideshow

Another mission for attendees was presented by incoming Executive Director Barry Barresi, O.D., Ph.D. “We are looking for things in your portfolio that are undervalued,” he said. He asked that each committee review its programs and assess each according to its alignment with the AOA’s mission, value to members, resources assigned and availability outside of the AOA.

In addition, he asked each group to ”think of ways to tell membership what your committee does,” and how best to get that message across.

Among the groups attending were the

Aviation Vision Committee
Clinical Care Group Executive Committee
Clinical Guidelines Coordinating Committee
Commission on Ophthalmic Standards
Commission on Paraoptometric Certification
Commission on Quality Assessment & Improvement
Communications Group
Community Health Center Committee
Contact Lens and Cornea Section
Eye Care Benefits Committee
Eye Safety Committee
Faculty Relations Committee
Federal Relations (Legislative Action/Keyperson/PAC)
Healthy Eyes Healthy People® Committee
Hispanic Communication Project Team
Industry Relations Committee
InfantSEE® Committee
Information & Member Services Group
Low Vision Rehabilitation Section
Membership Development Communications Subcommittee
Neuro-Optometry Project Team
Optometry’s MeetingTM Committee
Paraoptometric Section
Pediatrics & Binocular Vision Committee
Practice Modalities Committee
Professional Relations Committee
Sports Vision Section
State Government Relations Center
Student and New Graduate Committee.