Board of Directors

Rich Castillo, OD, DO, FASOS

Founding President

Clifford Caudill, OD, FAAO, FASOS

Treasurer

Alissa Coyne, OD, MS, FAAO, FASOS

Secretary

Lori Grover, OD, PhD, FAAO

Board Member

Dr. Richard E. Castillo, OD, DO, Optometric Physician and Ophthalmologist, is currently the founding Dean of the University of North Carolina Pembroke College of Optometric Medicine. He has served as the Senior Director for Clinical Examination Development and Administration for the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, and an NSU-OCO Professor, Assistant Dean, Chief of Surgical Services, and its principal surgeon from 1998 until 2023, when he retired from the university. He is the 2025 recipient of the Heart of America VISION Service award for contributions to the profession, the 2021 recipient of the Arkansas Optometric Association's Special Service Award for "Outstanding Service to the Association and Profession of Optometry," a past recipient of the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physician's Distinguished Service Award (2017), has been honored as the first "ophthalmologist" to be named "Distinguished Friend" of the Illinois College of Optometry (2019), and has been acknowledged by the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners in Optometry for outstanding contributions to the advancement of optometric surgical care (2016). Dr. Castillo is the recipient of a Special Citation from the Oklahoma House of Representatives for his Contributions to the Advancement of Surgical Eyecare in the State of Oklahoma (2015). Dr. Castillo established the NSU-OCO Optometric Surgical Procedures Clinic in 1998, training scores of optometric faculty, students and residents as well as DO and MD colleagues in optometric surgical and laser procedures, for over two decades. Dr. Castillo is one of the founding members of the current NSU Advanced Procedures CE (Surgery & Laser) Course (1999), a past commissioner and chair of the National Commission on Vision & Health, has served as a physician reviewer for the Health Resources and Services Administration, and is a volunteer with the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps. Dr. Castillo has been contributing to optometric education nationwide since 1995. He maintains a very active national CME lecture schedule and continues to serve as an educational and practice consultant as well as an unwavering advocate for the advancement and modernization of state optometry laws.

Dr. Clifford Caudill, OD is a native of Lexington, KY. Dr. Caudill received an undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky in 1991 and his optometry degree from the University Of Alabama School Of Optometry in 1995. He completed a residency in Primary Care Optometry at the Northeastern State University College of Optometry in Tahlequah, OK in 1996. After practicing in the Chattanooga, TN area for several years in private practice and as Assistant Center Director for Omni Eye Services of Chattanooga, he returned home and joined the faculty of the University of Kentucky Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in 2003 providing primary eye care and serving as the optometric education coordinator and ocular disease residency director. In the spring of 2015, Dr. Caudill accepted the position of Director of Clinics at Kentucky’s own University of Pikeville, Kentucky College of Optometry; and currently serves as the Director of Clinics and Assistant Dean of Clinic Affairs designing and implementing a network of rural eye clinic services throughout eastern Kentucky. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, Board Certified by the American Board of Medical Optometry and the American Board of Optometry, and has received his Laser Certification from the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners.

Dr. Alissa Coyne, OD received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biobehavioral Health from the Pennsylvania State University. She attended the Pennsylvania College of Optometry where she received her Doctor of Optometry degree in 2010. Dr. Coyne completed a one-year residency in primary care and ocular disease at The Eye Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University where she lectures in Ocular Pharmacology and leads the Ophthalmic Lasers laboratory. She is certified in Advanced Procedures through NSUOCO. Dr. Coyne’s interests include ophthalmic lasers, ocular disease, emergency eye care, and ocular pharmacology. She has lectured nationally and internationally. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

Lori Grover, OD, PhD is Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Eye and Health Outcomes at Southern College of Optometry. Dr. Grover received her Doctor of Optometry degree from the Illinois College of Optometry and her PhD in Health Services Research and Policy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with certificates in health economics and health informatics. She is certified in advanced surgical and laser procedures through NSU-OCO. In addition to private and hospital practice focused on treating chronic vision impairment, Dr. Grover served on the medical staff and as faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Wilmer Eye Institute. Her clinical research focuses on population health, and includes access to health care, patient-centered outcomes, integrated care delivery, and shared clinical decision making. Dr. Grover served on the U.S. Committee on Public Health Approaches to Reduce Vision Impairment and Promote Eye Health of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM; formerly Institute of Medicine) and is an author of the landmark report “Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow”. She is a Distinguished Practitioner of the National Academies of Practice, and Diplomate of the American Academy of Optometry. She is an author of multiple nationally recognized and awarded AOA evidence-based optometric clinical practice guidelines. She served on the Vision Health Initiative Strategic Planning Committee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Chair of Government Affairs Committee and Board of Directors of Association of Schools and Colleges in Optometry (ASCO), National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) Planning Committee, as Chair-Elect of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Professional Development and Education Committee, and Section Councilor for the Vision Care Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). She is a national and international lecturer, published researcher, textbook chapter author, advocate for comprehensive optometric eye care, and health policy consultant focused on improving the nation’s health through access to doctors of optometry.

James Hunter, OD, FAAO, FASOS

Founding Vice-President

Dr. James Hunter, OD recieved his education and training at the University of Illinois, Indiana University and Case Western Reserve. Dr. Hunter then became a full time Assistant Professor and Clinic Director at the Indiana University School of Optometry. Following ten years in that capacity and establishing the School’s ocular therapeutics curriculum, in 1987 he left Indiana University to establish and become managing partner of Eye Specialists of Indiana – a high volume, by referral only, optometric medical and surgical referral center. Because of a desire to return to optometric education , in 2012 Dr. Hunter left his practice and surgery center to return to IUSO where he is now Professor and has established the School’s “Ophthalmic Laser and Minor Surgical Procedures Course “. He teaches the laser portion of that course and teaches the School’s post-op cataract portion of the IUSO curriculum.

Dr. Hunter became a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry in 1979, a full physician member of the ASCRS in 1995 and is board certified by the ABCMO. He has been a constant member of multiple NBEO committees and councils since 1979, currently serving as one of the six members of the initial NBEO Laser & Surgical Examination Committee. Dr. Hunter has been on the Indiana Optometry Board since 2004 , is Indiana’s ARBO representative and served on ARBO’s initial Continuing Competency Committee.

Paul H. Peng, OD, MA, JD

Founding Board member

Dr. Paul H. Peng, OD, MA, JD received his doctorate of optometry degree (OD) and a Masters in Education (MA) from the University of California, Berkeley. He received his law degree (Juris Doctor) from the John F. Kennedy College of Law, JFK University in Orinda, California. Dr. Peng has been an optometric physician and educator since the late 80's and continues contributing in this capacity to the profession to this day. He is an innovator and early adaptor of Distance Learning Technology.

Dr. Peng retired as an Associtate Clinical Professor from UC Berkeley School of Optometry, and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Marshall B. Ketchum University, Southern California College of Optometry. He serves as Chief, Department of Optometry, Kaiser-Permanente, Santa Rosa Medical Center where he also initiated and oversees the optometric residency program. Dr. Peng has extensive experience in distance education and telemedicine.

Elizabeth Wyles, OD, FAAO

director of Collaborative Infrastructure

Dr. Elizabeth Wyles is an Associate Professor at the Illinois College of Optometry (ICO). She received her optometry degree from the Southern California College of Optometry (Marshall B. Ketchum University) and completed a residency in Hospital Based Primary Care Optometry at the Crownpoint Indian Health Care Facility in Crownpoint, New Mexico. Prior to arriving at ICO, Dr. Wyles was in private practice and taught in both the didactic and clinical programs at Pacific University College of Optometry (PUCO). Dr. Wyles is an attending optometrist in the Primary Care and Advanced Care Services of the Illinois Eye Institute working with 1st, 2nd, 3rdand 4thyear students. She teaches the Ocular Anatomy and Retina courses. She developed the Injections course in 2008 and the Minor Surgical Procedures for Optometrists course in 2009. To date, she continues to teach in the labs.

Additionally, she leads the development of the preparatory Part 2 national board exam course for KMK Educational Services. She has authored posters and papers in optometric and educational journals, presented continuing education courses nationally and internationally and has co-authored a chapter in a textbook. She has over 15 years of experience with optometric curriculum development and has a passion for education and learning. Her commitment to quality education has been recognized by receiving multiple teaching awards from the students at both PUCO and ICO. She has extensive experience with national optometric standardized testing, as an item writer, committee and council member. Dr. Wyles is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a member of the American Optometric Association.