Committee Members

WCO Committees play a vital role in facilitating the development of optometry around the world.

It is only with the tireless efforts of our volunteers that we can work towards our mission of facilitating the development of optometry around the world and supporting optometrists in promoting eye health and vision care as a human right through advocacy, education, policy development and humanitarian outreach. We thank our dedicated volunteers for their service.

Education Committee

FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	COUNTRY	POSITION
Yazan	Gammoh	Jordan	Chair
Peter	Gumpelmayer	Austria	Board Member
Michael	Nelson	Canada	Board Member
Mustafa	Abdu	Sudan	Committee Member
Brendan	Barrett	Ireland	Committee Member
Niall	Farnon	Trinidad & Tobago	Committee Member
Jissa	James	United Kingdom	Committee Member
Beata	Lewandowska	USA	Committee Member
Vanessa	Moodley	South Africa	Committee Member

Legislation, Registration and Standards Committee

FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	COUNTRY	POSITION
Roger	Jordan	USA	Chair
Patrick	Mawila	South Africa	Board Member
Ameer	Abou Adela	Lebanon	Board Member
Obinna	Awiaka	Nigeria	Committee Member
Man Pan (Bruce)	Chin	China	Committee Member
Lourdes	Gonzales	Puerto Rico	Committee Member
Michelle	Piotrowski	Australia	Committee Member
Leandro Luiz Fleury	Rosa	Brazil	Committee Member
Maria	Sampalis	USA	Committee Member

Public Health Committee

FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	COUNTRY	POSITION
Ntombikayise	Zitha	South Africa	Chair
Rajeev	Prasad	India	Board Member
Michele	Ming	Guyana	Board Member
Ali	Ali	Lebanon	Committee Member
Khaled	Alzahrani	Saudi Arabia	Committee Member
Sahani	Dias	Sri Lanka	Committee Member
May	Ho	Australia	Committee Member
Dominika	Olkowska	Poland	Committee Member
Don	Lyon	USA	Co-Opted Member (OPAL Lead Facilitator)

How to Get Involved in a WCO Committee

WCO Committee Member Appointments

The WCO has three (3) standing committees:

Education
Legislation, Registration and Standards
Public Health

The 2025 WCO Committee Member application period has ended. Kindly note that WCO will not be accepting late applications.

The Committee Member Roles, Responsibilities and Eligibility Criteria are outlined below.

Standing Committee Member Description

The Standing Committee members play an integral role in the World Council of Optometry. Through their collaborative effort, WCO facilitates the development of optometry around the globe. The Committee member must be able to contribute to and support the work of WCO and the Committee. The member must be committed to and understand their roles and responsibilities. The WCO Committee Member position is an unpaid volunteer role.

Term Length
Committee Members may serve on the committee for a maximum of three consecutive terms, following which a member can be re-appointed after a break of at least one (1) year.

Roles and responsibilities

To support WCO’s Mission and Vision
To actively contribute and participate in discussions, planning, decision-making, and execution of Standing Committees’ initiatives, projects and programs
To attend and participate in all Standing Committee meetings. Any member who is absent without good reason for two consecutive meetings will be deemed to have resigned from the Standing Committee.
To help promote the Committees’ initiatives, projects, and programs in your personal and professional circles
To develop a positive and professional relationship with members of all WCO committees, officers, board directors and staff

Essential Qualities of a Standing Committee Member

A personal commitment to WCO by actively attending meetings, participating in discussions, volunteering to move the vision and mission of WCO forward
Ability to identify the significance of issues as they arise
Ability to communicate effectively and exercise professionalism, diplomacy, and discretion when conducting his/her responsibilities
Impartiality, fairness, and the ability to maintain confidentiality
Good independent judgement i.e., acting in the best interests of the organization.
Ability to think strategically and creatively in terms of long-term planning and organizational growth
Ability to participate in meetings where English is the official language

Eligibility Criteria

Must either be a member of a WCO Country Member/Affiliate Member or a WCO Individual Member in good standing. Good standing means you or your organization have paid your WCO Membership dues this year. Aside from considering diversity, equity and inclusion in the committee member lineup, priority will also be given to applicants who are members of a WCO Country Member in good standing.
Must qualify as an optometrist by WCO’s definition:

Optometry is a healthcare profession that is autonomous, educated, and regulated(licensed/registered), and optometrists are the primary healthcare practitioners of the eye and visual system who provide comprehensive eye and vision care, which includes refraction and dispensing, detection/diagnosis and management of disease in the eye, and the rehabilitation of conditions of the visual system. An optometrist has successfully undertaken an advanced level of relevant higher education, with the award of a bachelor’s degree or higher from a tertiary-level educational institution.
Must not have been convicted of any serious crimes or offenses or demonstrated unethical and/or unprofessional behavior and must disclose to the WCO Office any pending lawsuits against them to ensure that there are no reasonable concerns about their ability to perform their duties responsibly and ethically. Any disclosures shared with the WCO Office will remain confidential.

Committee members are appointed based on several factors such as the strength of application, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). WCO strives to ensure that diversity and the needs of each committee are met.

Questions about the 2026 Committee Member Appointments can be directed to enquiries@worldoptometry.org.