2024 Board of Directors

PRESIDENT
Beinda R. Starkey, O.D., AOA Board of Trustees

Belinda R. Starkey, O.D., was elected to the American Optometric Association (AOA) Board of Trustees at the 124th Annual AOA Congress & 51st Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting® in June 2021.

As a member of the AOA Board of Trustees, Dr. Starkey is a member of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Eye Deserve More, and the Student Engagement Task Force. She is the President of Optometry Cares–The AOA Foundation and is the liaison trustee to the Education Center Committee, the Vision Rehabilitation Committee, the State Government Relations Committee, the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee, the Faculty and Student Membership Liaisons, the Association for Pediatric Vision Advisory Board, and the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry. She also serves as the liaison trustee to affiliate associations in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin as well as the American Optometric Student Association. Additionally, she is the liaison trustee to optometry schools including Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University and Western University of Health Science College of Optometry.

Dr. Starkey served as a member of the AOA’s Industry Relations Committee and the House of Delegates Credentials Committee. She served on various volunteer committees for the Arkansas Optometric Association (ArOA) where she was a past president and former co-chair of the State Legislative Committee. Dr. Starkey served as treasurer of Arkansans for Healthy Eyes, a coalition group advocating for Arkansas’ scope expansion law during the state’s recent referendum battle. 

A founder and former chair of Networking Optometric Women (NOW), Dr. Starkey received the ArOA’s Optometrist of the Year and Special Service awards in 2020, the Theia Award in 2020 from Women of Optometry and the AOA’s Optometrist of the Year Award in 2021.

A graduate of the Southern College of Optometry, Dr. Starkey is a partner at Parenti-Morris Eyecare in Rogers, Arkansas. She lives in Rogers with her husband, Clay, and dog, Jett. Dr. Starkey enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and is an avid Razorbacks fan.

VICE PRESIDENT
Hilary Hawthorne, O.D.

Hilary Hawthorne, O.D,  graduated from Pacific University College of Optometry in 1992, where she also completed an externship program at Naval Medical Center’s Optometry Clinic in San Diego, Califorinia. She currently practices in Los Angeles, California, and serves on various state and national committees to advocate for pro-optometry state legislation. Dr. Hawthorne has served on the AOA Board of Trustees and is also past-President of the California Optometric Association. She has been recognized as Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, the 2000 Young O.D. of the Year by the COA, and the recipient of the PowerPac Award from the Los Angeles African American Women Political Action Committee (LAAWPAC). She enjoys maintaining an active lifestyle and has devoted hours to aerobic training, cross training, running, and yoga.

Teri K. Geist, O.D.
Secretary/Treasurer, AOA Board of Trustees

Teri K. Geist, O.D., was elected to the AOA Board of Trustees at the 122nd Annual AOA Congress & 49th Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry's Meeting® in June 2019 and elected to the office of secretary-treasurer during the 126th Annual AOA Congress & 53rd Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting in June 2023.

As a member of the board, Dr. Geist serves as chair of the Finance Committee and is a member of the 401(k) Committee, the Executive Committee, the Investment Committee, and the AOA Advocacy Roundtable Committee. Dr. Geist serves on Optometry Cares®The AOA Foundation's Board of Directors and is the liaison trustee to the Education Center Committee, the Health Policy Institute, the Advocacy Committee, the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification, the Paraoptometric Resource Center Committee, the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, and the National Optometric Association. She also serves as the liaison trustee to affiliate associations in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. Additionally, she is the liaison trustee to optometry schools including the University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry and University of Houston College of Optometry.

Dr. Geist is a past president of the Nebraska Optometric Association and also served on multiple NOA committees including as legislative chair. She served as president of the North Central States Optometric Council and was the director of the Healthy Eyes Healthy Children grant aimed to address gaps in awareness and public policy in vision care that present impediments for underserved students in Nebraska schools. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. Additionally, Dr. Geist has been a consultant for the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education and chaired the Nebraska Foundation for Children’s Vision. Dr. Geist was awarded the NOA Young Optometrist of the Year in 2001, the NOA Optometrist of the Year in 2005 and 2019, NOA Distinguished Service Award in 2015, and four presidential citations.

She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and earned her doctor of optometry degree from Pacific University in 1996. Dr. Geist practices at Midwest Eye Care, PC in Omaha, Nebraska. She lives in Omaha with her husband Rod. They have two grown sons, Noah and Zachary and daughter-in-law Caroline.

Paul M. Barney, O.D.
AOA Board of Trustees

Paul Barney, O.D., of Alaska, was elected to the AOA Board of Trustees at the 125th Annual AOA Congress & 52nd Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting® in June 2022.

As a member of the board, Dr. Barney serves on the New Trustee Orientation Task Force and the Optometry Cares®—The AOA Foundation's Board of Directors. He is the liaison trustee to the Research and Information Committee, the State Government Relations Committee, the Third Party Center Executive Committee, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, the Membership Development Committee, the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety, and the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. He also serves as the liaison trustee to affiliate associations in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.  Additionally, he is the liaison trustee to optometry schools including the University of Alabama at Birmingham—School of Optometry and the University of California—Berkeley School of Optometry.

Dr. Barney has dedicated more than 20 years of volunteer service to the Alaska Optometric Association (AKOA), where he has held almost every leadership title, including president, chair of the Education Committee and chair of the Legislative Committee. He also has served as a member of the Board of Examiners in Optometry for the state of Alaska for eight years, including five years as chair. Dr. Barney has devoted countless hours over many years advocating for the advancement of the practice of optometry in Alaska so that the needs of optometric patients in the rural areas and villages of the vast state can have access to the best care possible. He currently serves as chair of the Legislative Committee for the AKOA. He was instrumental in passing H.B.103 in 2017, an Alaska statute which gave the Alaska Board of Examiners in Optometry the autonomy and the authority to write regulations for anything that is taught at an accredited school or college of optometry.

Dr. Barney served as Alaska’s director to the Great Western Council of Optometry for several years and served as its president from 2014-2015.

Jacqueline “Jacquie” M. Bowen, O.D.
Vice President, AOA Board of Trustees

Jacquie M. Bowen, O.D., was initially elected to the AOA Board of Trustees at the 119th Annual AOA Congress & 46th Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry's Meeting® in July 2016, and elected to the office of vice president during the 126th Annual AOA Congress & 53rd Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting in June 2023.

As a member of the board, Dr. Bowen serves as chair of the Investment Committee and is a member of the 401(k) Committee, Executive Committee, Personnel Committee, the AOAExcel ^® board, the AOA Advocacy Roundtable Committee, the Center for Independent Practice, the New Trustee Orientation Task Force, and the Student Engagement Task Force. Additionally, Dr. Bowen is the Speaker of the House of Delegates Pro Tem and serves on the Optometry Cares®—The AOA Foundation’s Board of Directors. She is also the liaison trustee to the Advocacy Committee, the Federal Relations Committee, the Future Practice Initiative, the Leadership Development Committee, the Industry Relations Center Committee, the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education, the Optometric Vision Development and Rehabilitation Association, and the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety. She also serves as the liaison trustee to affiliate associations in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Furthermore, she is the liaison trustee to optometry schools including The Ohio State University College of Optometry and the University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry.

Dr. Bowen is a past president of the Colorado Optometric Association (COA), also serving on the COA Board from 1998-2005. She is a member of the Northern Colorado Optometric Society and the Colorado Optometric Glaucoma Society, and a legislative keyperson to Colorado. Dr. Bowen was awarded the Colorado Young Optometrist of the Year in 2000, Colorado Optometrist of the Year in 2012, and Colorado Distinguished Service Award in 2023.

She is a graduate of Southern California College of Optometry and completed a residency in ocular disease at Omni Eye Specialists in Denver. Dr. Bowen has owned and operated a private practice clinic where she recently partnered with MyEyeDr in Greeley, Colorado. She has provided eye care to the community for more than 30 years. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry and continues to be active in her community, serving with numerous civic, faith-based and music groups. She has been married to her husband, Doug, since 1990 and they have two grown sons and one daughter-in-law.

Jason Compton, O.D.

Dr. Jason E. Compton graduated from the SUNY State College of Optometry and completed his residency at the Wilmington Delaware VA Medical Center.   Dr. Compton owns three private practices [Compton Eye Associates] in the New York City area.  Dr. Compton serves as Assistant Adjunct Faculty for the SUNY State College of Optometry and is a Regional Trustee for the New York State Optometric Association.     Dr. Compton is the Immediate Past Chair for the American Optometric Association’s Contact Lens and Cornea Section and is a fellow in the American Academy of Optometry.  Dr. Compton is the President/Founder of TheRightContact.com, a contact lens resource used by eye care professionals worldwide.  

Brad M. Lane, O.D., MBA,MEd

Brad Lane, O.D., MBA, MEd, earned his undergraduate degrees in psychology, sociology, and pre-professional biology from the Honor’s Program at Concord University in Athens, West Virginia. He graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry with a Doctorate of Optometry in 2007 and became a partner at Appalachian Eye Care with offices located in southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia.  In 2016, he completed work earning an MBA, and in 2020, he earned a Master of Education in Instructional Design.

Dr. Lane is a staunch advocate for his profession and serves on many boards that seek to advance Optometry, eye health, and patient care. He is a frequent contributor to AOA Focus magazine and is a past Co-Chair of the American Optometric Association’s Education Committee. He has served on the AOA Federal Legislative Action and Keyperson Committee and the Health Promotion Committee.  He is a past president of the West Virginia Association of Optometric Physicians and currently serves as a Trustee to the Southern Education Congress of Optometry (SECO) based in Atlanta. Dr. Lane is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry and was honored as the West Virginia Young Optometric Physician of the Year in 2013 and as the Optometric Physician of the Year in 2017.

Dr. Lane is also committed to his community and is the Vice Chairman of the Concord University Board of Governors, a founding member of Concord University’s White Coat Society, and has created and funded three scholarships. In 2013, he was honored as the Concord University Young Alumnus of the Year and as the Concord University Philanthropist of the Year in 2021.  In 2022, he was honored as the Concord University alumnus of the Year.  He also serves on the board of the Jonathan Powell Hope Foundation, a local charity that raises money for families who have children battling cancer, and the "You are Loved WV" foundation that helps those battling breast cancer.

Marrie Read, O.D., MBA
AOA Board of Trustees

Marrie S. Read, O.D., MBA, of the Association of Armed Forces and Federal Optometric Services (AFOS), was elected to the American Optometric Association (AOA) Board of Trustees at the 125th Annual AOA Congress & 52nd Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry’s Meeting® in June 2022.

As a member of the AOA Board of Trustees, Dr. Read is a member of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Eye Deserve More and Student Engagement Task Force. Dr. Read serves on Optometry Cares®–The AOA Foundation Board of Directors and is the liaison trustee to the Telehealth Council, the Strategic Communications Committee, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and the Leadership Development Committee. She also serves as the liaison trustee to affiliate associations in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Additionally, she is the liaison trustee to optometry schools including NOVA Southeastern University College of Optometry and Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University.

Dr. Read is a past president of AFOS, also serving on the AFOS Board and chaired the AFOS Awards Committee. Prior to her election to the AOA Board of Trustees, she chaired the Nominating Committee and served on several AOA committees including Quality Improvement, Registry, Federal Relations, Federal Advocacy Representative and Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety. Dr. Read was awarded the AFOS Navy Optometrist of the Year in 2013.

She is a graduate of Saint Louis University, earned her doctorate of optometry from Southern College of Optometry, completed a residency in primary care and ocular disease from the Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital, earned a master of business administration from Naval Postgraduate School and completed a legislative fellowship on Capitol Hill. For more than 25 years, Dr. Read has served in the U.S. Navy in various leadership and clinical positions.

Dr. Read lives in Virginia with her husband John. They have three children: Joby, Emma and David.