NEWARK, N.J.—Women In Optometry (WO), a national platform from Jobson Optical Group serving women eyecare professionals through news, features, events and digital content, will host its 8th annual Women’s Leadership Conference on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 4:00-6:45 p.m., during the 2026 American Academy of Optometry (AAO) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. The 11th annual Theia awards and a networking cocktail hour will immediately follow the event. A registration option is available in the schedule of events for the AAO Annual Meeting here.
The 2026 theme for the Women’s Leadership Conference is Focus. Amplify. Lead. Each of these words has a specific meaning to the conference, WO explained:
Focus: Deliberately choose where to concentrate your attention, time and resources toward the highest-value goals.
Amplify: Intentionally increase the reach, impact and visibility of ideas, people and results.
Lead: Mobilize people toward a shared purpose.
The conference will help translate these leadership theory ideas into everyday practice, WO said. It is positioned for optometrists in every career setting, students and those supporting ODs in their roles as well as industry representatives.
Keynote Speaker
Barb Betts.
In line with the conference’s theme, keynote speaker Barb Betts will present “The Relationship Advantage: Master the Art of Influence and Connection for Real Results in Business and Life,” where she will discuss what she learned about confidence, authenticity and leadership through the personal moments that she spent years trying to hide. This year’s keynote is sponsored by Alcon, WO said.
Betts is an international keynote speaker, CEO, and author of “The Relationship Advantage,” teaching leaders and professionals how to drive growth through authentic, trust-based relationships. Over the past 23 years, she has built businesses and led high-performing teams, including sustaining a seven-figure business for more than a decade with no ad spend and no cold strategies.
A respected industry leader within the largest trade association in North America, she has worked with organizations including Fidelity and LVMH. Her message on confidence, authenticity, and human connection has been featured in Us Weekly, ABC and KTLA and her high-energy, actionable keynotes inspire audiences to connect with confidence and lead with authenticity.
In a video shared by WO, Bett’s said she hopes attendees walk away with inspiration and something “practical to use right away in your practices, businesses and lives, and maybe, most importantly, in the relationship you have with yourself.”
OD Speaker Panel
In addition to Betts, WO recently announced that M. “Araba” Otoo, OD, Neda Gioia, OD, and Jennifer Maples, OD, will join the conference’s list of speakers. The doctors will share their connection experiences from personal, professional and community settings in a panel discussion titled “Connections That Raise You and Others.”
(L to R) M. “Araba” Otoo, OD; Neda Gioia, OD; and Jennifer Maples, OD.
Dr. Otoo, founder of Cherish Eyesight and Vision, will discuss how connections with clinicians and public health professionals help center eyecare as a fundamental aspect of healthcare. Dr. Otoo also serves as the current chair of the American Public Health Association Vision Care Section, is an advocate for access to eyecare, and founded Cherish Eyesight and Vision in December 2020 to raise public awareness about the importance of vision and eye health.
“Public health helps us identify and address the root causes of vision problems such as diabetes, hypertension, poor access to care, health disparities and social determinants of health,” said Dr. Otoo. “It allows us to prevent vision loss through screening, education, early intervention and policy efforts rather than waiting until eye disease becomes advanced.”
Dr. Gioia, of Shrewsbury, N.J., has nearly 30 years of experience in the eyecare industry in more than 30 clinical settings across three states. As founder of Integrative Vision, she focuses on bridging the gap between traditional eyecare, nutrition, lifestyle medicine and preventive health while helping patients and providers understand the connection between vision and whole-body wellness. Through patient care, consulting, mentorship and speaking engagements, she continues to shape the evolving field of integrative optometry.
“The question is no longer whether nutrition matters to eye health,” said Dr. Gioia. “The question is, how do we effectively translate that science into our patient care?” She builds that into her patient conversation through what she calls a “paper-to-person” philosophy. “I help patients understand practical, achievable steps that support both their vision and overall health rather than simply discussing nutrients in isolation.”
Dr. Gioia has extended her work into women’s health more generally as “a natural extension of my work because hormonal changes influence far more than reproductive health, including the eyes and nutritional shifts. Many women spend years seeking answers while navigating multiple healthcare professionals. I see part of my role as helping patients identify patterns, ask better questions, and connect with the right professionals who can support a more comprehensive approach to their care.”
Known online as The Mindful Optometrist, Dr. Maples is the founder of EyeTeach, LLC, where she helps women stop running on empty by teaching mindfulness and nervous system regulation that supports both who they are at work, and who they want to be when they get home. She also practices in a multispecialty ophthalmology setting. Dr. Maples has been a guest on WO podcasts and featured in articles discussing mental health, goal setting and bringing mindfulness into patient conversations.
Dr. Maples said the first step in connecting with yourself through mindfulness is just noticing. “Most of us are moving so fast that we’re reacting to what happened three hours ago or worrying about what might happen tomorrow. Mindfulness starts with asking: what’s actually happening right now? That one pause creates a gap between stimulus and response, and that gap is where intentional decision-making lives,” she said.
“It’s not about adding another practice to an already full life. It’s about getting curious about your own patterns, asking yourself when you feel most scattered or most clear. That self-awareness becomes the foundation for everything else.
Alcon and EssilorLuxottica are event sponsors. Registration is available here.
