Strategic Planning Committee Chair. Steve spent his youth in Acton, Massachusetts, and on Lake Memphremagog in Vermont. He received his BA from Beloit College in Wisconsin, followed four years later by a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) from the New England College of Optometry in Boston. He spent four years as an optometrist in the USAF before starting a residency in the Veterans Administration, which focused on evaluation and rehab for blind and visually impaired veterans. While at the VA, but visiting Lake Memphremagog, he stopped in St. Johnsbury on the way home to Boston to inquire about a job with Drs. Al Thomas and Ted Houle of Ophthalmology Associates. Steve joined their practice in 1977 and in 2000 started Optical Expressions with two associates. He has provided optometry and blind rehabilitation services in the St. Johnsbury area for over 40 years. He became more interested in public health issues by being involved in the state-wide diabetes collaborative and the Blueprint for Health, largely through encouragement from physicians and staff at NVRH. Since retirement, Steve has remained active in the visually impaired community. He met his wife, Marty, at Beloit, and they have a grown daughter in Massachusetts and a grown son in Colorado. Both Steve and Marty remain active in local and state activities. Steve spends his time biking (everything but unicycle), skiing (everything but mono-ski), trail building, practicing forestry, and gentleman farming (beef cattle). He presently serves on the boards of Lyndon State College Foundation and the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually impaired.
