The first female president of the American Optometric Association, Dori Carlson, OD, FAAO, greeted attendees to the first annual Women In Optometry (WO) leadership conference at host University of Missouri, St. Louis, College of Optometry. In her presentation, You Are the 20 Percent, Dr. Carlson, who owns two private practices in North Dakota and is pursuing a master’s in leadership, defined leadership as influence. “We all have the ability to be leaders,” Dr. Carlson said, through interactions with patients—young and old—as well as students. She said further developing a leadership philosophy requires personal growth and creating and cultivating the skills within us. Dr. Carlson praised attendees of the summit who self-selected to take a step forward with their own leadership initiatives. Read More