ORLANDO—The American Academy of Optometry (AAO) is in the midst of a search for a new chief executive officer, and is working toward filling the position by the end of the calendar year. AAO formed a six-person search committee in July to identify candidates for the position, and is working with an executive search firm in the recruitment process. In the meantime, chief financial officer/deputy chief executive officer Richard Jones is serving as interim chief executive officer throughout the search process, according to an AAO announcement. Jones has more than 20 years of nonprofit financial experience and been part of AAO’s management team for nearly a decade.

The former chief executive, Peter Scott, had stepped back from the role and then served as an advisor until earlier this month. He had been in the position for about three years.
 
The search committee is led by immediate past-president Barbara Caffery, OD, PhD, FAAO. The committee is composed of Susan Cotter, OD, MS, FAAO; Stacey Coulter, OD, MS, FAAO; Joseph Shovlin, OD, FAAO; Jennifer Coyle, OD, MS, FAAO; and Andrew Mick, OD, FAAO.
 
 
 Barbara Caffery, OD, PhD, FAAO.
“We are very happy with how it's progressing,” Dr. Caffery told VMAIL in a phone interview this week. “The first step was to choose the search firm that we're using, which we have done. And the second step is for that committee, or that search firm, to interview all of the search committee, all of the people … who work for the Academy and specific stakeholders within the Academy, which is normal practice for a search firm that is trying to understand the qualities of the CEO that will be required going forward.”
 
She added, “We believe that this will take us until the end of the calendar year, and we are hopeful that someone will be in place by the end of the calendar year.”
 
The search committee is dedicated to “identifying a leader who will pave the way for the Academy’s continued growth and contributions to the optometric profession,” the AAO announcement noted.
 
“The important thing for the Academy is we're recognizing our centennial, our 100th anniversary, and that should and does make us all pause and ask ourselves, ‘Where should the Academy be in the next 10 years? 20 years? 100 years? What is the vision for the future of the Academy?’ Dr. Caffery told VMAIL.
 
“We want somebody who's very mission-driven, who understands the Academy well, who will learn what the Academy is all about, and who will understand the importance we have to maintain our goal of improving clinical care [and] patient care through continuing education, through evidence-based practice. … We need somebody who understands that vision and mission of the Academy and who can use that to move us forward into the next century,” she added.
 
Now that the process has begun, the plan is for the executive search firm to present to the AAO search committee recommendations of candidates that it has identified. The search committee will meet to review these candidates, and then present a finalist to the board of directors. The board will approve the final selection.
 
AAO president Timothy McMahon, OD, FAAO, added, “It is critical we bring in a highly qualified individual with vision and the experience this role requires. They must be able to work in collaboration with the board and staff to provide the quality programming, continuing education, leadership development, and membership services our Fellows expect.”
 
The American Academy of Optometry (AAO) inspires excellence in optometric practice by fostering research and disseminating knowledge in vision science through its journal, Optometry and Vision Science, and the extensive continuing education and programming presented at its annual meeting.
 
For more information about AAO, visit the website here.