Maureen Beddis.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—In a communication sent to The Vision Council members on Friday morning, CEO Ashley Mills announced the departure of Maureen Beddis, The Vision Council’s executive vice president, Membership & Strategic Initiatives. Mills took the opportunity to celebrate Beddis’ “new and exciting role” as the senior vice president, Membership & Events at the American Gaming Association. Her last day with The Vision Council will be Oct. 14. Mills wrote, “Maureen has spent over 20 years in the optical industry and has played an essential role in the evolution of The Vision Council’s brand and role as a leader in the vision community. Since joining The Vision Council in 2006, Maureen has created outreach campaigns to raise awareness for our members’ products and services that have reached millions of consumers.
 
“She’s collaborated with and unified members, vision care organizations and countless other nonprofits to elevate the profile of the vision community. Most notably spearheading the Eye Health Summit of 2009—a consensus building event for a national eye health campaign—which has been heralded by some as a watershed event for the industry and the viral National Sunglasses Day campaign.
 
“Expanding her focus in 2020, Maureen took over the organization’s member services team and oversaw the implementation of the organization’s new market research inSights program, updated membership experience procedures, reintroduced consumer outreach and took on new diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives by partnering with Cornell University to create the first DE&I certification for optical professionals,” Mills said.
 
Beddis has twice been honored as one of Vision Monday’s Most Influential Women in Optical in 2010 in the Innovator category and in 2020 in the Executive Suite category.
 
Mills said, “Maureen’s influence on the association, the membership and the consumer’s impression on vision care cannot be measured. Throughout the years, she’s remained modest and seeks only to take the smart, right and most impactful course of action—earning her the respect and trust of everyone who works with her.”
 
According to Mills, The Vision Council, the team has been working with Beddis over the last month to prepare for this transition. Mills said, “We remain committed to promoting the growth of the industry and will continue to work diligently to serve our members. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or directly contact the team members listed below.”
 
● For Membership and Division initiatives, contact Michael Vitale.

● For Market Research information, contact Alysse Henkel.

● For Shows information, continue to contact Mitch Barkley.