The Ohio Optometric Association will hold an election for positions on its board of directors during the annual Congress business meeting slated for Friday, October 16, 2026, in conjunction with the EastWest Eye Conference in Columbus, OH. Elections will decide positions for 2027 President-Elect, 2027 Secretary-Treasurer and four, two-year Trustee seats. Please plan to attend and vote for your 2027 leadership!
Current Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Taylor Babcock is running for President-Elect. Current Trustee Dr. Greg Nixon is running for Secretary-Treasurer.
Sitting Trustees Dr. Katherine Fisher, Dr. Katie Greiner, and Dr. William Kegerize will each seek re-election for three of the four open Trustee positions.
Rounding out the candidates for Trustee are two members who seek election for the first time. Both are passionate about helping to direct Ohio Optometry and our association.
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I am excited to announce my candidacy for the position of Trustee for the Ohio Optometric Association Board of Directors. I have been actively involved in the AOA and my state affiliates throughout my career, serving on the Arizona Optometric Association Board of Directors until I returned back to Ohio. During my time on the AZOA Board, I served as Chair of the Membership Committee and as Secretary on the Executive Board, and I sought to further develop my leadership skills through participation in the AOA Leadership Institute 1.0 and 2.0 programs. I have been active in the OOA since returning to Ohio, serving as a member of the EastWest Committee. I have been honored to receive The Ohio State University College of Optometry Alumni Society Early Professional Achievement Award and the American Academy of Optometry Foundation Practice Excellence Award, and, in 2023, I was named the Young Optometrist of the Year by the Arizona Optometric Association.
I am passionate about the practice of optometry, which has shaped my deep involvement in our profession. In addition to being a private practice owner and active member of organized optometry, I am deeply committed to supporting the clinical education and training of our colleagues. I have had the tremendous opportunity and privilege to lecture nationally and internationally, and appear on television, radio, and podcast programs, and I have always made it my goal to use these platforms to elevate and promote our profession. Additionally, I am an editorial board member for several eye care publications including Eyes On Eyecare and Optometry 360, and serve as Chief Medical Editor of Optometric Physician, the most widely-read e-journal and newsletter in optometry. I am also a member of Intrepid Eye Society, an organization dedicated to promoting excellence and growth in the field of optometry.
As a Trustee for the OOA Board of Directors, it would be my goal to continue the work I began as a member of the AZOA Board back in my home state. Optometry has given me so much, and I would be honored to give back by working with the OOA as a Board member. Being a member of the AOA, the AZOA, and OOA has given me the opportunity to build close relationships with optometrists and supporters of optometry across the country, and I would welcome the opportunity to work alongside these incredible individuals to achieve the goals and advancement of our profession in the state of Ohio. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration as I seek this position, I truly appreciate the support of the OOA and the dedicated doctors that comprise it!
All OOA members are encouraged to attend Congress on October 16th to participate in the association's annual business meeting and to determine its 2027 leadership. With five candidates running for four open positions, there will be a contested election for Trustee. Each vote is important!
Members may submit their bids for open positions through Friday, October 9, 2026 by emailing their nomination statement to info@ooa.org.