Tom Frinzi is President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of STAAR Surgical. He has had a long history in the ophthalmic industry, serving as Worldwide President, Surgical, for Johnson & Johnson Vision, Senior Vice President of Abbott Laboratories, President of Abbott Medical Optics, and President and CEO of WaveTec Vision, as well as other senior roles. Mr. Frinzi is all about paying it forward, according to his nominator. “He exhibits a selfless, nurturing character in his ability to assist in advancing the careers of people who are willing to put in the effort and dedication,” they said. Mr. Frinzi holds a BA in social science from the University of Tampa.

Greg Kunst is the CEO of Aurion Biotech, a clinical stage company developing cell therapy for corneal endothelial dystrophies. He also serves on the board of Pr3vent, an infant eye screening company. Mr. Kunst previously held senior leadership roles at Glaukos and Alcon. “Leading efforts to cure global corneal blindness underscores his forward-thinking, yet altruistic, approach,” said his nominator, who also praised his visionary leadership, patients-first focus, multifaceted expertise in ophthalmic medical advancements, and strategic prowess across global corporate development, marketing, and market access. He has prodigious energy and a rapid-fire, inquisitive intelligence, but most important, his kindness, friendliness and generosity are traits that everyone in ophthalmology admires. Mr. Kunst holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University and a BS in Economics from Brigham Young University.

Nancy Lurker is Executive Vice Chair of the Board of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, a NASDAQ-listed public company. She was previously the company’s CEO for seven years and was previously CEO at PDI, a NASDAQ-listed healthcare commercialization company (now Interpace Diagnostics Group). Prior to that she held senior executive roles at Pharmacia Corporation (now part of Pfizer), and Novartis, and has served on numerous public boards and is an advisor to Novo A/S, a $100B private equity group and Stanford’s School of Medicine Masters in Translational Medicine program.

One nominator described her as a “mission-driven, science-focused leader. Another notes that she is a compassionate leader who is “transparent, open to feedback, and seeks new and innovative ways to engage talent.” As one of only a small percentage of female CEOs in the biopharmaceutical and healthcare industry, Ms. Lurker has always felt an obligation to pay forward the insights and opportunities that she has fought for her entire career. She is deeply committed to inspiring and mentoring women and advancing diversity in STEM. “She appreciates diversity and the knowledge individuals bring to the organization,” said a nominator. Ms. Lurker holds a BS in biology from Seattle Pacific University and an MBA from the University of Evansville.

Tammy Bogetti is the Chief Commercial Officer at Bryn Mawr Communications, and co-Founder of YoungMD Connect, a diverse community for young and aspiring ophthalmologists. She also founded MillennialEYE, a publication dedicated to sharing the voices and achievements of trainees and young surgeons in ophthalmology. Ms. Bogetti has spent 21 years in the ophthalmic industry working in R&D, medical affairs, post market research, professional education, business development, and most recently, overseeing multiple teams at BMC, where she is a proponent for women’s leadership and sponsorship.

“Tammy is passionate about elevating young surgeons,” said her nominator. “She has an innovative mind, a caring disposition, and is one of the most tenacious people I know. Her efforts over the past decade have given rise to a shift in the ophthalmology landscape – one that pays closer attention to young surgeons and their perspectives. For this reason, she has been the catalyst in so many young surgeons’ careers, and a visionary for seeing the way they can contribute to ophthalmology before many others saw their value.”

Warren Foust is the Chief Operating Officer for STAAR Surgical. As a dedicated leader within the medical technology industry, he has led cultural changes as well as the return to growth for multiple organizations, including J&J global businesses in orthopedics, aesthetics and ophthalmology, while taking pride in inspiring and motiving global workforces.

“Warren has been a wonderful developer and promoter of diverse organizations,” said his nominator, pointing to his focus on employee engagement, job satisfaction, retention, and advancements in diversity, equity, and inclusion broadly across organizations that he has led. Mr. Foust strives to be an advocate for talent development, having mentored more than 100 colleagues over the years. He is passionate about creating an environment of collaboration, transparency, and inclusion to effectively lead his team and advance people’s careers in a way where the business, people and company culture thrive. He volunteers with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Beyond Blindness, and others and is active on the AAO Foundation Advisory Board and Gavin Herbert Eye Institute among others.

Cindy Metrose has had numerous successful sales and leadership roles in her 36 years with Carl ZEISS Meditec, where she currently serves as Senior Director of Strategic Accounts and Zeiss’s Digital Business in the US. Cindy’s leadership is distinguished by her focus on building trust, developing high performance teams, and fostering customer success through an informed and consultive approach.

According to her nominator, “Cindy is a teacher and motivator with a calm spirit and goal-oriented focus. She has a special gift of helping others that’s rarely found in today’s business environment.” Ms. Metrose received the ZEISS Award in 2020 and was named by Vision Monday as one of the most Influential Women in Optical in 2021 for her decades of exemplary leadership in the ophthalmic industry. “I’m driven to find the best in the individuals on my team, to nurture those strengths, and to create a high-performance team culture based on integrity, growth, problem-solving, trust and success,” she said. “It thrills me when people I care about succeed.”

Eris Jordan is Vice President of Global Clinical and Medical Affairs at Aurion Biotech.  Over her career, she has not only excelled in her role as a practicing clinician but has also made significant contributions to the ophthalmic industry in clinical strategy and education, medical affairs, and drug development. She founded and is the managing partner of Trillium Vision Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide high-quality vision care for those with limited access in remote areas of the world.

A nominator who has worked closely with Dr. Jordan says, “Her knowledge, passion, professionalism and work ethic are unmatched.”  A second nominator notes that “She approaches every new role, every new challenge, with intelligence, pragmatism, care and concern for patients and colleagues, and with a refreshing creativity that helps to solve problems quickly and elegantly. She single-handedly orchestrated Aurion’s first OUS clinical trial. Working closely with the world’s finest corneal specialists, she pulled together the trial design, patient recruitment, and surgical protocol.” Part of that meant successfully managing travel, training, and surgeries during the COVID pandemic as a Category 4 hurricane loomed.

Maáza Martin is Senior Director of Marketing for Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, where she has delivered an award-winning disease education campaign and now launched the company’s flagship therapy, the first and only FDA-approved treatment, for Demodex blepharitis. She has played a critical role in championing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at Tarsus, including helping to form the company’s DEI council and spearheading Juneteenth programming. Ms. Martin has also served in marketing, strategic consulting, and analytics roles at Avanir, IMS Health (now Iqvia), and Allergan. 

Ms. Martin has co-chaired OWL’s programming committee and led the programming for OWL’s AAO Signature Events, most notably securing impactful speakers and developing dynamic program content designed to educate and enrich members’ knowledge. At a recent Eyecelerator meeting, she “demonstrated her talent, intelligence, and readiness to soar,” said a nominator. “She is a great example of the OWL fellowship program, a true advocate for diversity and inclusion, and someone who works to create and foster a supportive, dynamic culture.” She holds a BA and MS in biochemical engineering from Dartmouth.

Aimee Shimamoto brings 19+ years of ophthalmic industry experience to her current role as Senior Global Marketing Director for the Americas and Japan markets at BVI Medical. Prior to joining BVI, Ms. Shimamoto worked at Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, STAAR Surgical, and Inspire Pharmaceuticals. progressing into commercial leadership roles across sales, training, and marketing. Her professional passions include leading and developing people and teams, shaping strategy from conception to implementation, and cultivating meaningful relationships with customers.

As a longtime OWL member, she has demonstrated a desire to promote diversity in her organization and drive the OWL mission in the larger eyecare community. “Aimee is a rock star!” said her nominator, praising her involvement in program development and organization of the Leadership Summit. Ms. Shimamoto holds a B.S. in Psychobiology from UCLA.