Latest News SAO Adds Five Opticians to Board of Directors By Staff Monday, September 5, 2016 12:24 AM AUSTIN, Texas—The Society to Advance Opticianry (SAO) has named five optician members to its board of directors. Barry Santini, who was also named the SAO’s 2016 Ophthalmic Optician of the Year, will be serving a two-year term as president of the board. Having obtained his New York State licenses in Ophthalmic Dispensing and Contact Lenses, Santini worked in the field at various offices before taking over his family’s business in 1977. He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the NY State Society of Opticians in 2011.April Frey, who will be serving a three-year term as secretary, previously served as the candidate representative board member and the associate development committee. She has been practicing since 2000 and is currently a partner at an optical business.Master optician Amy Endo will be serving a three-year term as director. Endo is NCLE certified and is a certified paraoptometric technician (CPOT); previously serving as secretary, By-Laws committee chair, branding and social committee. Aaron Wilson is also NCLE certified and a master optician. He owns Pearle Vision in Cleveland, Tenn., and was recently awarded Pearle Vision’s Dr. Stanley Pearle Award. He will be serving a three-year term as director.Joe Sollecito is the owner of Ridgeboro Optical in Brooklyn. He is a professor at the New York City College of Technology and also serves as a regional director for the New York State Society of Opticians (NYSSO). Sollecito will serve a one-year term as candidate representative. All five members of the board will be will be sworn in to begin their terms of office after SAO’s annual meeting at Vision Expo West on Sept. 17 at 11 a.m.