Southern Council of Optometrists Inc

“There are two classes of membership: state association membership and associate membership. The following state optometric associations are members of the council: alabama optometric association, inc. Arkansas optometric association, inc. Florida optometric association, inc. Georgia optometric association, inc. Kentucky optometric association, inc. Optometry association of louisiana, inc. Mississippi optometric association, inc. North carolina state optometric society, inc. Oklahoma association of optometric physicians, inc. South carolina optometric physicians association, inc. Tennessee association of optometric physicians, inc. Virginia optometric association, inc. West virginia association of optometric physicians, inc. Individual optometrists who are licensed in these member states maintain their membership in the council through their state associations, provided that state association maintains membership in the american optometric association. (1) any optometric organization that is a member in good standing of the world council of optometry may be conferred membership in the council as an associate member upon written application to the council, and upon a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the delegates present at any annual meeting of the house of delegates; provided, however, no organization shall be admitted to membership in the council that is not a legally established organization in the country wherein that organization is domiciled.”

“The nominating committee shall consist of the state trustees of the board of trustees and the immediate past president of the council, who shall serve as chair of the committee. The nominating committee shall nominate one candidate for each position of elected officers for the ensuing year and shall notify the secretary of the council, in writing or by electronic communication, of its selections not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the next scheduled annual meeting of the house of delegates.”

“A draft form 990 is provided to the officers and board of trustees for their review. Officers and trustees are requested to review the form 990 and provide comments or questions to the treasurer and executive director within ten days. The treasurer and executive director will review and resolve any questions prior to filing the form 990. A copy of the form 990, as filed, will be distributed at a subsequent board of trustees meeting.”

“Upon initial appointment to the board of trustees all members complete the organization's conflict of interest disclosure statement. It is the duty of the individual board member to advise the executive director in writing if, during their term in office or appointment, any additional possible conflict of interest arises. At each board and committee meeting the participants are asked to verbally provide any updates since submitting the form.”

“The executive director's salary is negotiated with the executive committee before being signed into contract. The executive committee considers the compensation paid to other executive directors of other 501(c)(6) organizations and associations within and outside the optometric profession by review of other forms 990 and compensation studies by the american society of association executives.”

“The organization's bylaws and conflict of interest policy are available on its website. Financial statements, forms 990, and other governing documents are available upon request.”

“Seco international implemented several key enhancements to expand educational value, engagement opportunities, and year-round accessibility: - in partnership with the american society of optometric surgeons, seco launched an expanded presence in the exhibit hall featuring daily bite-sized educational sessions and live clinical demonstrations in the seco surgical skills & education pavilion. - introduced additional hands-on workshops and facilitated learning labs, offering practical, skills-based learning for attendees. - provided student travel stipends and hosted an updated networking event to foster greater involvement from students and emerging professionals. - reintroduced the complimentary ce registration for nao members and brought back the nao pavilion on the exhibit floor, reinforcing seco's support for opticians and allied healthcare professionals. - expanded the year-round educational offerings through seco university, including the reintroduction of optometrist-focused live webinars alongside continuing education for opticians and paraoptometrics. - enhanced the exhibit hall experience by introducing new networking hub areas and implementing additional traffic drivers to foster greater engagement between attendees and industry partners.”