RUIDOSO, N.M.—The Society to Advance Opticianry (SAO) will elect seven optician members to its board of directors for the September 2018-2020 term at its upcoming meeting. The organization will vote on the officers and new board members in early September, and the positions are effective Sept. 12, according to incoming president Sam Johnson of New Mexico. Barry Santini is the outgoing president, and will move into the immediate past president post at the September meeting.

In addition to Johnson, the other new SAO officers and directors (with their state residence) are: Thomas Blair Jr., vice president, Georgia; Michelle Johnson, secretary/treasurer, New Mexico; Amy Endo, board member, Hawaii; April Frey, board member, Texas; Thomas Snyder, candidate representative, Nebraska, and Barry Santini, immediate past president, New York.

SAO is a credentialing organization and it promotes higher education and certification levels for opticians. Its mission is to “expand the scope of practice of opticianry, to increase the mobility of opticians between states by encouraging a national standard of education for opticians (which includes a college education in ophthalmic optics), and to provide mentoring services to assist ophthalmic optician candidates seeking the SAO's high standards.