SECO welcomes new president, celebrates partnerships

ATLANTA – As a new president stepped up to lead SECO International, both the incoming and outgoing presidents lauded their profession as well as SECO's annual meeting.

James Herman, OD, president of SECO International, and Stan Dickerson, OD, SECO president-elect, both released statements here at SECO in Atlanta.

"The theme for our 92nd annual meeting is "Where Sight Meets Vision," a reference to the forward-thinking nature of SECO's educational offerings," Herman said in his press statement. "This year, we have more than 100 talented, world-class speakers presenting over 250 continuing education courses for optometrists and eye care professionals."

Stan Dickerson and James Herman at a media reception in the exhibit hall of the Georgia World Conference Center.

Herman detailed the strategic relationships that SECO is involved in as well as its student involvement, which fulfill crucial components of the organization's mission statement. He, with SECO, celebrated specific partnerships with the College of Optometrists in Vision Development and the Armed Forces Optometric Society.

"SECO continues to attract impressive student attendance and involvement," he stated. "Along with being able to attend any CE alongside optometrists, students are becoming a greater part of SECO, and new programs are evolving with student input. SECO annually visits the Southern College of Optometry, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Nova to continue to help us with the student connection and has faculty liaisons at each of these schools as well."

As his tenure is ending, Herman also thanked the organization for the time he was able to spend at the helm.

Herman said he was grateful for the opportunity to serve his profession as president of the Southern Council of Optometrists and SECO International.

Dickerson will step into the role of president before the conference ends. In his release, he explained why he decided to become involved with SECO and the importance of the organization within optometry.

"When I first moved into a leadership position with SECO, I was told a number of times that we educate, not legislate," Dickerson said in his press statement. "We leave this role to the American Optometric Association, who can provide political advocacy for the profession. The quality and type of education SECO offers doctors has been an integral part in moving our profession forward. I would say at least 80% of the things I do in the office today did not exist when I graduated from SCO. This includes diagnostic testing, pharmaceuticals I prescribe and a wide range of frame, spectacle lens and contact lens technologies."

He continued: "There are so many new ways I have to provide care for my patients, all of which I learned about after graduation through continuing education programs like SECO's."

Dickerson concluded: "My mission, my passion and that of the docs who have served before me is to ensure in this ever-changing world that SECO maintains its position as a leader in providing optometric education. To do whatever it takes." – by Chelsea Frajerman