During the American Optometric Association (AOA) 2025 Optometry’s Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this past weekend, the organization formally recognized and inducted AOA officers and trustees for 2025-2026 during its final House of Delegates session.
Included in these new appointments: AOA president and members of the Board of Trustees.
First up: this new president.
Jacqueline “Jacquie” M. Bowen, OD, has officially assumed her new role as the 105th AOA president.
- This formal recognition follows her election to the office of AOA president-elect during last year’s AOA Congress & 54th Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting in June 2024.
What’s her background?
A graduate of Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University in Fullerton, California, Dr. Bowen completed her residency at the Denver, Colorado-based Omni Eye Specialists.
- Her clinical focus: ocular disease
And since then?
In practice for the last 30+ years, Dr. Bowen is currently the owner and operator of a private practice clinic—which has reportedly recently partnered with MyEyeDr.—in Greeley, Colorado.
Plus: As past president of the Colorado Optometric Association, she also:
- Served on the COA Board (1998-2005)
- Has received several state optometric awards
- Is a member of numerous professional and clinical organizations
- Including a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry
So what are her plans for the upcoming year?
In speaking during the AOA’s annual House of Delegates meeting on June 28, Dr. Bowen reportedly emphasized three key priorities she intends to target during her tenure:
- Challenging vision plan abuses (in alignment with recent action the AOA has taken)
- Continuing to support independent clinical practice owners
- Strengthening referral relationships with other optometrists
Circle back to this support for independent practice owners.
Note the “continued” aspect of this, as the intent is to further and build on efforts the AOA is already making via already-established programs.
Case in point: The AOA Center for Independent Practice (CIP), which was first launched in 2022 as a “one-stop hub” for resources to help optometrists advance their professional skills.
What CIP offers: Through visionary partnerships with several optometry colleges, CIP offers:
- Independent practice programs (including a 10-month member benefit program)
- Independent practice resources (such as the practice continuity program)
A worthwhile effort! Now moving on to the Board of Trustees.
This 11-member board of six trustees and five officers along with a House of Delegates are the two governing bodies of the AOA.
While the House consists of affiliated association representatives, optometrists in federal service, and optometry students, the Board of Trustees is composed solely of optometrists.
- Both entities meet during Optometry’s Meeting to cover AOA business, establish AOA policy, and elect new members to the Board.
Next up: These new inductees.
Included among the U.S. delegates selected to join the Board of Trustees are the following AOA officers and trustees (starting with their respective titles):
- President-elect: Teri K. Geist, OD (Nebraska)
- Vice President: Terri A. Gossard, OD, MS (Ohio)
- Secretary-Treasurer: Curtis A. Ono, OD (Washington)
- Immediate Past-President: Steven T. Reed, OD (Mississippi)
- Re-elected trustee: Marrie S. Read, OD, MBA (Armed Forces Optometric Society [AFOS])
- Newly-elected trustee: Jon F. Pederson, OD (California)
- Newly-elected trustee: Amy A. Puerto, OD (Louisiana)
Were there AOA Trustees who weren’t up for election this year?
Indeed there were! Three members who will continue to serve through 2025-2026 are:
- Paul M. Barney, OD (Alaska)
- Tad R. Kosanovich, OD (Florida)
- Karoline L. Munsen, OD (Kentucky)