2020 – The Year That Wasn’t
It got off to a promising start. 2020 - The Year of the Optician. Once in a lifetime opportunity. Once ever, really. OAA had just finished arguably the most successful Leadership Conference in our history. A new board was elected and duly sworn in to continue the plan we have been working on for over 5 years. Then we went home, and the world changed.
OAA had become a well-oiled machine. We knew what our members and partners needed from us and how to provide it. All of a sudden, their needs changed. We had to identify those needs and do our best to meet them. We had to learn new ways to do things. We used to fly. Now we Zoom.
Immediately, we had questions about the safety of ourselves and our patients: What do we need? Where do we get it? Providing accurate information became the most important thing.
And this brings us back to the afore mentioned board. I passed the gavel to the best person for the job and she has a GREAT team to help her. I live by the motto “Change is Bad”. I know what I like and like what I know. In contrast, Dibby Bartlett has embraced the challenge and reinvented what we can do for members and partners. I hate that she was dealt this hand, but she has played it brilliantly.
In closing, OAA will continue to be the “go-to” organization for opticians, just let us know what we can do for you. I look forward to the good old days.
Bob Reynolds
Immediate Past President
