People

◄ ABB Optical Group has appointed Daniel Liberman to the company’s board of directors. Most recently serving as the chief commercial officer of Essilor of America, Liberman brings experience as a consumer, wholesale, and technology growth leader.

Jason Dopheide has been appointed VP of sales for Design Eyewear Group, where he will lead the company’s sales activities in North America. He most recently served as the national sales director, U.S., for Morel.

◄ Susy Yu, O.D., MBA, FAAO, has joined the Optometry Giving Sight Board of Directors. For more than 20 years, Yu served as the director of strategy and operations support at Vision Essentials by Kaiser Perma-nente. Previously, Yu was a member of the California State Board of Optometry and currently serves on the National Board of Examiners in Optometry.

Safilo has reorganized for North America and within its sport division with the appointment of Francesco Rinaldi Ceroni as president of the company’s global sports division and Vittorio Verdun as president of the North American market. Ceroni brings his knowledge of the sports sector to the role, and Verdun brings executive experience, including 13 years in the eyewear industry.

Business Updates

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry has announced the recipients of the 2023 Special Recognition Awards: Earl L. Smith III, O.D., Ph.D., earned the Lifetime Achievement Award. Donald Korb, O.D., earned the Dr. Herbert Wertheim Award. Charissa Lee, O.D., MBA, FAAO, earned the Ophthalmic Industry Leadership Award. Jaymeni Patel, O.D., FAAO, earned the Rising Star Award. Melissa Zarn, O.D., FAAO; Gregory Wolfe, O.D., MPH, FAAO, FNAP; and Janette Pepper, O.D., FCOVD, FAAO, earned the 2023 Dr. Lester Janoff Award. Zebin Dholasaniya, O.D., earned the 2023 Student Award in Clinical Ethics.

Eye Designs LLC announced its support for the development of the Tioga Diabetic Optical Laboratories and Dispensary, a Black-owned facility with fully automated ophthalmic goods manufacturing and community health centers and clinics, an outpatient facility, and 34 livable-wage jobs for residents, people with low and moderate income, and women who were formerly incarcerated. With build-out set for September, the Tioga Diabetic Optical Laboratories will be located adjacent to the Temple University Health System Campus in North Philadelphia.

Now Optics has celebrated the grand opening of its new corporate headquarters in Delray Beach, FL, bringing an estimated 45 jobs to the area. The company shares that its new office features a modernized workspace that will support information technology, merchandising, marketing, retail operations, and more, including an on-site lab.

Awards

◄ CooperVision and the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) were recently honored at the Public Relations Society of America 2023 Anvils Award gala for initiatives developed by the two organizations in conjunction with McDougall Communications. CooperVision U.S. won two Silver Anvils, in the Marketing/Business-to-Business and Integrated Communications/Business-to-Business categories, and CLI’s See Tomorrow program won two Silver Anvil Awards of Excellence, in the Integrated Communications/Associations-Nonprofits and Content Marketing/Associations-Government-Nonprofits categories.

VSP Vision earned the distinction as a 2023 Top Hospitals and Health Systems by DiversityInc for the company’s efforts in promoting workplace fairness through talent strategy, supplier diversity practices, and philanthropic engagement.