DALLAS—The Optical Women’s Association (OWA) will be honoring Sue Downes, CEO of MyEyeDr. as the recipient of the 2016 Pleiades Award, and Ann E. Englert, owner and sole proprietor of Solutions as the Pyxis award honoree at the OWA Champagne Breakfast and the OWA Star Award Ceremony in New York during Vision Expo East.

Downes co-founded the company 14 years ago. Starting with one office in 2001, she has led the growth of the MyEyeDr. brand to over 200 locations across the mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. She served on the advisory board for the Colombia Lighthouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired, was selected as a Vision Monday 2011 Most Influential Women in Optical, awarded the Smart CEO award for Entrepreneurial Spirit and was presented with the 2015 ACG Corporate Growth Award.

Pyxis honoree Englert is the owner and sole proprietor of Solutions, a concierge-style business dedicated to working with wholesalers, retailers and ECPs in the eyewear industry. Englert was selected as one of Vision Monday’s Most Influential Women in Optical in 2013. An active OWA member since 2001, Englert has served on the board and chaired multiple committees, including OWA president.

The OWA Champagne Breakfast will be held on Thursday, April 14 from 7:30 am to 9:00 am at The Westin New York at Times Square. In addition to presentations by both award honorees on the value of mentoring and volunteering, the event will feature an intimate conversation with Sherianne James, Transitions Optical, in an interactive question and answer conversation with Jobson editor, Christie Walker.

Born in England and raised in Jamaica and Trinidad, James received her degrees in chemistry and engineering at U.S. universities. James’s personal and professional journey to her current position as the vice president of marketing at Transitions is both unique and inspirational.

“The Thursday morning Champagne Breakfast will give OWA members and the optical industry the opportunity to learn more about our honorees, Sue and Ann, as we raise a glass of champagne in their honor. At the breakfast event we will also glean insights from an intimate conversation with Sherianne James of Transitions Optical,” said Heather Smith, OWA president.

The plated breakfast includes the champagne toast, presentations about and by our award honorees, and an intimate conversation including Q&A. Seating will be limited and reservations are a must. The cost for this event is $55 per person or $550 for a table of 10. The event is sponsored by the OWA and OWA Platinum Sponsor, Luxottica. Reserve online at www.opticalwomen.com by Friday, March 25, 2016.

The excitement continues with the awarding of both the Pleiades and Pyxis awards at an exclusive invitation-only OWA Star Award Ceremony event hosted by the OWA and OWA Platinum Sponsor, Marchon, at the One World Observatory, at One World Trade Center. This intimate evening to celebrate the honorees will take place on Saturday, April 16. Only guests who have RSVP’d to the specially sent invitations will be admitted, as space is limited.

To request an invitation, send an email to office@opticalwomen.com. Requests will be filled as space allows.

Sponsors of the OWA include Platinum Sponsors—Essilor, Luxottica, Marchon and VSP Global; Gold Sponsors—BluTech Lenses, Jobson Optical, Marco, PFO Global, PentaVision Media, VisionWeb, International Vision Expo and WestGroupe; Silver Sponsors—ClearVision, Hoya, L’Amy, Shamir, Silhouette, Tura, The Vision Council, Vision West and Zyloware Eyewear; and Friends of OWA—Charmant, Hilco Vision, Jeanie Premium Products, Ocuco, Santinelli International and Walman.