Mississippi Association of Dispensing OPticians
16383 South Swan Rd.
Gulfport, MS 39503
Diane Drake has over 40 years experience in the optical business and is an approved speaker for ABO-NCLE up to advanced level and for paraoptometrics and JCAHPO. She has served as president for the National Academy of Opticianry, the Southeastern Opticians and the Opticians Association fo Georgia, receiving recognition and awards from all of these organizations. She is the author of several books.
Allesandro Baronti serves as the President and CEO of De Rigo REM, the Los Angeles-based subsidiary of Italian eyewear manufacturer, De Rigo Vision. In his current role, Baronti is responsible for overseeing the entire American team with a key focus on driving growth, profit, and sustainability for the business as well as developing and empowering the company's next generation of leaders. Through several years of study and practice, Baronti brings a wealth of knowledge in continued education that includes a diversified list of accreditations. He is an esteemed ABO and COPE-certified industry speaker, conducting countless numbers of seminars for thousands of ECPs every year.
Tara Brown is the Kodak brand representative covering Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and northern Alabama. She has been the top seller in the country for Kodak lens for the past 5 years. Tara's experience as a business owner has allowed her the opportunity to utilize this brand in the market to help patients see better and practices be more profitable. Tara is married to Tim Brown. They have four daughters and four grandchildren. They also have a dachsund, Raiford Jackson Brown.
Shannon has been involved in theoptical industry for almost two decades now with experience in insurance filing, optical dispensing, and lens fabrication. Her journeys through the profession have included stops in dispensaries, full service labs, and, currently, with IOT America helping labs create freeform lens designs. She loves helping independent labs produce unique, state-of-the-art lenses with the latest technology.
