Deirdre Carroll

Chief Community Officer
SightNation

As college graduation approached I realized (much to my parent’s horror) that I had no desire to get a job yet. With a B.A. in Psychology from Lehigh University, I took off to Manhattan to begin a program at the Fashion Institute of Technology, which is where I discovered that working for a magazine was a real job and fell in love with publishing and New York City. I've now had a decade long love affair with both and joined Vision Monday as an associate editor covering frames, sunwear, and accessories in 2006. In 2008, I was promoted to senior editor and my responsibilities expanded to include providing content for VisionMonday.com and producing the monthly Style. Pages trend feature, as well as managing the social networking presence of the magazine.

In addition to my duties for Vision Monday, I am very excited to take on the challenge of chief community officer for SightNation. I love the idea of claiming a little piece of the web on behalf of the site and providing members of the vision care field and optical industry a one-of-a-kind place to share their collective knowledge and expertise to benefit themselves and others across the nation. If you ever find yourself in the city, drop me a line, I love playing tour guide!

Amy Hellem

Chief Community Officer
SightNation

I was born and raised in Archbald, Pennsylvania, which is a small "coal-mining town" just outside of Scranton, PA (a.k.a. the center of the universe). I moved to Philadelphia in the mid-90’s and was later dragged, kicking and screaming, to New Jersey, where I’m paying too much for car insurance but am otherwise building a very happy life with my husband of five years and two beautiful girls.

I originally took a job in eyecare publishing because I ran out of money while pursuing my Ph.D. in literature (as it turns out lying on my couch with a good book is not super-lucrative). I did have a special connection to eyecare though. The greatest inspiration in life, my grandmother, lost her vision at a relatively young age. So this, combined with what grew into a great passion and respect for this industry, eventually led to my current career status: A 10-year veteran at Jobson, I am now editor-in-chief of Review of Optometry and Review of Cornea and Contact Lenses. Most recently, I took on the role as chief community officer for SightNation and am working on a cookbook, which is not exactly "War and Peace," but it works for the "me" I've become.

Bill Scott

President
JMI ECP Business Services Group

I have been in the media and publishing industries my entire career. Friends used to say that I had ink in my veins instead of blood - I guess today you'd say I have pixels! Through my career I’ve made a variety of contributions to the optical community regarding how industry news and information are delivered. As vice president, group publisher and head of research for JMI’s Optical Group, I served as the launch publisher of Vision Monday and 20/20 Europe, initiated the expansion of VMail and the creation of VMail Extra and guided the creation of the Vision Monday Global Leadership Conference.

Recently appointed to the position of president of JMI's ECP Business Services (of which SightNation is a part), I continue to drive innovation and growth with breakthrough products and services that continue to shape the delivery of information and services to the optical community. Outside of work, I border on being addicted to the game of golf and love good food, good wine and good company.

SightNation Content Ambassadors

Leah Addis

I'm senior website editor for Review of Optometry and have been a part of the publication since I graduated from the University of Scranton in 2006. Since then, I’ve gotten married, earned my Master’s degree, adopted a kitten, and most recently, bought a house. When I’m not working on the next issue of RO or moderating SightNation, my husband and I love relaxing on our new porch—in the summertime, that is, when it’s perfect for a barbecue.

Melissa Arkin

I am the associate editor of 20/20 Magazine. In this role I write on a range of topics including feature stories, trend reporting, special supplements, market research analysis, retail profiles and marketing initiatives. I am also actively involved in all facets of www.2020mag.com which includes facebook.com/2020mag and twitter.com/2020mag. When I’m not thinking up eyewear puns, you can find me tackling new recipes and squinting to read subtitles on my favorite foreign films.

Michael Ferrari

I am the associate editor for Review of Ophthalmology. I’ve worked in both print and web journalism for almost a decade, focusing primarily on trade publications. While I began working in optometry with Jobson’s Review of Cornea and Contact Lenses, my career has led me to cover a number of diverse fields and industries, including construction, telecommunications, media, small and big business, packaging technology and public relations, to name a few. After exploring the various fields, I decided to come back to Jobson and work for Review of Ophthalmology due to a personal interest in science and medicine.

Delia Paunescu

I always wanted to be one of those people who dramatically took off their eyeglasses. So imagine my delight when I realized I couldn’t read the board in middle school. And though I have the bad luck of being near-sighted, eyewear is still very close to my heart. Having recently joined the Vision Monday team as assistant editor, I now also serve as a content ambassador for SightNation. When I’m not reading or writing about glasses, I'm trying them on…all of them. Seriously, there’s no pair I won't put on my face. Same goes for shoes. Feel free to e-mail me with news, tips, pictures, or for my opinion on the latest episode of Mad Men.

Christie Walker

I am editor for LabTalk, the optical industry’s number one how-to magazine for optical laboratory owners and managers. While the magazine is produced in New York, I work "on-high" from my mountain home in Big Bear Lake, Calif. At industry trade shows, I also works for Vision Monday but you might not recognize me since my eye is usually pressed to the viewfinder of a camera. I also contribute my photography to 20/20’s Street Seen, where I roam the country snapping pictures of unsuspecting people in their glasses. In my spare time (HA!) I write romantic comedies and am taking a stab at screenplay writing. Some day you might be able to say, "I knew her when."

SightNation Content Advisors:

Izabella Alpert, Marge Axelrad, Walter C. Bethke, Jane Cole, Cathy Ciccolella, Christopher Glenn, Michael Hoster, Mary Kane, Andrew Karp, Christopher Kent, Jackie Micucci, John Murphy, Gloria Nicola, Karen Rodemich, James J. Spina