OWA Talks Podcast

In this episode, Kasandra Riggs shares how her passion for service, leadership, and community engagement fuels her work at HOYA and beyond—empowering teams, mentoring future leaders, and creating lasting impact. About the guest: Kasandra ‘Kas’ Riggs is a passionate advocate for community service and volunteerism, with over 25 years of leadership experience in customer care. As Director of Customer Care at HOYA, she has spent the last nine years building high-performing teams and driving impactful initiatives. Additionally, Kas serves as HOYA North America's One Vision Country Manager, championing the pillars of Community, Environment and Workplace. Guided by the principle "Focus on a Better Tomorrow, Today," she leads local One Vision ambassadors across the US and Canada, who support our communities, reduce our environmental impact, and foster a safe and diverse workplace. Beyond her professional role, Kas is deeply committed to making a difference. She has served on the Board of Volunteers of America Texas, led a mentorship program with the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, and co-facilitated anti-racism initiatives with Hope For All Colors. Kas’s dedication to service was sparked in childhood, delivering food to rural families with her father—an experience that shaped her lifelong mission to uplift others. Her contributions were recently recognized when she was honored as a Black History Leader in Dallas-Fort Worth. A former expatriate who lived in Uruguay for three years, Kas brings a global perspective to leadership and service. She is a driving force for positive change, making an impact one community, one team, and one act of kindness at a time. Like this episode? Please subscribe and share! iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/owa-talks-podcast/id1498168171] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L8tbgqWoHzrjzOL2ra7n8] | Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1498168171] | iHeartRadio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-owa-talks-podcast-57860952/] | Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/bbae69ac-2a13-4412-b9ef-f2c1d0455a72] Connect with the OWA: Website [https://www.opticalwomen.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/10787865] | Instagram [http://instagram.com/opticalwomen] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/opticalwomen/]

This month, Erin Peshoff joins OWA Talks to talk about applied positive psychology and teach us how to not just survive — but to thrive! Plus, she teases a fun event coming to Vision Expo West.  About the guest: Erin Crotty Peshoff is the Director of Development at KeraLink International, where she leads all fundraising efforts with a strategic mindset and a heart for impact. With 25 years of experience across national consulting firms and nonprofit leadership, Erin is known for blending analytical rigor with a gift for nurturing teams and creating systems that consistently exceed goals. A proud graduate of Marquette University (BA) and the College of William & Mary (MEd), Erin also holds a Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology. She is a frequent speaker on data-driven development and the role of AI in the social sector. Erin lives in Leesburg, Virginia with her blended family of five. Like this episode? Please subscribe and share! iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/owa-talks-podcast/id1498168171] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L8tbgqWoHzrjzOL2ra7n8] | Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1498168171] | iHeartRadio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-owa-talks-podcast-57860952/] | Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/bbae69ac-2a13-4412-b9ef-f2c1d0455a72] Connect with the OWA: Website [https://www.opticalwomen.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/10787865] | Instagram [http://instagram.com/opticalwomen] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/opticalwomen/]

As VSP Vision celebrates 70 years of helping people see, Chief Marketing Officer, Wendy Hauteman joins ‘OWA Talks’ to discuss how giving back can help you live a more meaningful and fulfilled life — both personally and professionally. About the guest: As the chief marketing officer (CMO) for VSP Vision, Wendy Hauteman leads the enterprise marketing and communications strategy to deliver products, services, and brand recognition to a diverse set of stakeholders, including more than 41,000 network doctors and 85 million members. In her 10-plus years with VSP, she has served in a variety of senior leadership roles including senior vice president of marketing for VSP Vision Care and global strategic marketing. As CMO, she is a trusted advisor to the CEO and is focused on driving the company’s purpose to empower human potential through sight by building corporate social responsibility and thought leadership programs. Hauteman’s 25-plus years of marketing and communications experience includes consumer-packaged goods and a comprehensive understanding of the optical industry, specializing in vision insurance and retail optical segments. Before joining VSP, she led marketing and visual merchandising efforts for the Luxottica retail chains of Pearle Vision and ILORI Optical. She is known for leading high-performing teams and making a positive impact through charitable work. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and a master’s degree in marketing and business from Xavier University.  Like this episode? Please subscribe and share! iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/owa-talks-podcast/id1498168171] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L8tbgqWoHzrjzOL2ra7n8] | Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1498168171] | iHeartRadio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-owa-talks-podcast-57860952/] | Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/bbae69ac-2a13-4412-b9ef-f2c1d0455a72] Connect with the OWA: Website [https://www.opticalwomen.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/10787865] | Instagram [http://instagram.com/opticalwomen] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/opticalwomen/]

Charismatic and respected eyecare industry legend, Jim McGrann, joins OWA Talks to share his passion for the industry and shed a light on the benefits of ‘spreading your wings’ in optical.  About the guest: Jim McGrann is an engaging, decisive and adaptable leader with a demonstrated history of delivering results in the healthcare, insurance, technology, supply chain and consulting industries. Mr. McGrann is an experienced CEO with a passion for helping businesses win in the marketplace while growing profitably and achieving change amid order, and order amid change.  Mr. McGrann possesses the ideal mix of business skills, technology expertise and creativity to lead in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace.  He has been a C-Level executive for 25+ years and serves on both business and not-for-profit boards of directors. Mr. McGrann is the CEO of Advancing Eyecare, a leader in the eyecare instrumentation marketplace established to offer the best products and service solutions in the ophthalmic equipment industry. Prior to joining Advancing Eyecare, Mr. McGrann was the Chairman & CEO of PECAA | Healthy Eyes Advantage a solutions company that empowers independent eye care professionals to succeed in the rapidly evolving optical industry. This business was sold to VSP Vision in September 2022. Prior to joining Healthy Eyes Advantage, Mr. McGrann was the President & CEO of VSP Global (now VSP Vision), a $5.3B vertically integrated healthcare organization with the mission of helping people see.  He successfully navigated the needs of a complex set of stakeholders, including 83M customers, 60K clients, 37K doctors, 6K global employees & numerous business partners including fashion houses, lens & lab, software and eyewear companies.  From December 2008 to November 2011, before becoming CEO of VSP Global, Mr. McGrann served as VSP Global’s President of Eyefinity, the largest practice management and electronic health record company in the Optical industry serving 25K doctors, VSP Global’s Chief Technology Officer and President of VSP Vision Care, the largest healthcare company in the world (by membership) providing vision benefits to 83M consumers (including 1 in 4 Americans).   From December 2011 to September 2015, while President of VSP Vision Care, Mr. McGrann focused on winning in the marketplace and the business grew by $1.02B (34%) and 23.7M members (42%) while delivering record EBITDA and NIBT. He also led the creation and strategic development of VSP Global’s innovation lab, The Shop. Mr. McGrann leveraged techniques such as design thinking, user-centered design and nexus management to successfully launch The Shop in a three-month period. While President of VSP Vision Care, Mr. McGrann was Chairman of the Board for the National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP). The NAVCP is the national association established to act as the unified voice representing the managed vision care industry. Mr. McGrann was elected as Chairman by his peers at competing organizations. Like this episode? Please subscribe and share! iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/owa-talks-podcast/id1498168171] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L8tbgqWoHzrjzOL2ra7n8] | Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1498168171] | iHeartRadio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-owa-talks-podcast-57860952/] | Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/bbae69ac-2a13-4412-b9ef-f2c1d0455a72] Connect with the OWA: Website [https://www.opticalwomen.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/10787865] | Instagram [http://instagram.com/opticalwomen] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/opticalwomen/]

In this episode, longtime OWA supporter Ed Buffington, Executive Advisor and former CEO of GPN Technologies, joins OWA Talks to share about the women who have impacted his personal life and 46-year career in optical. About the guest: C. Edward (“Ed”) Buffington has been deeply engaged with the eye care industry for more than 46 years. His experience includes senior management in the contact lens and eye care technology. Ed is a highly regarded and well-recognized industry executive with a broad base of key industry relationships. In 1983, Ed founded OfficeMate, still one of the leading PMS / EHR software provider in the eye care industry, and an integral product in the Eyefinity product suite. When Marchon purchased OfficeMate in 1994, Ed remained on board as a senior executive until 2008, when Marchon was sold to VSP. Ed retired from VSP after 6 years as Vice President, Strategic Eye Care Partnerships. At GPN Technologies, Ed serves as Executive Advisor. His vision is to serve our client base with the best possible analytics, and highest standards of customer service. Like this episode? Please subscribe and share! iTunes [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/owa-talks-podcast/id1498168171] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L8tbgqWoHzrjzOL2ra7n8] | Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1498168171] | iHeartRadio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-owa-talks-podcast-57860952/] | Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/bbae69ac-2a13-4412-b9ef-f2c1d0455a72] Connect with the OWA: Website [https://www.opticalwomen.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/10787865] | Instagram [http://instagram.com/opticalwomen] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/opticalwomen/]