2026 Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
John Della Volpe
John Della Volpe is the Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, where he has led research initiatives on American youth since 2000. His work focuses on understanding the attitudes, values, and behaviors of young Americans and their impact on politics and public life.
A contributor to NBC, MSNBC, and The New York Times, John is the author of the critically acclaimed book, “Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America” (St. Martin’s Press, 2022).
An Eisenhower Fellow, John’s global research spans Asia, Europe, and beyond. He previously served on the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission on Media and continues to explore the intersection of public opinion, media, and democracy. He is also the executive producer of “Power of Z” and associate producer of “De Slag om Florida” (The Battle for Florida).
A graduate of the University of San Diego, John has been honored with its Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award and holds an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Stonehill College.
Joshua Baker, OD, MS
Dr. Joshua Baker, originally from Blossvale, New York, was named President and CEO of Midwestern University in September 2025. Dr. Baker had held key academic and administrative roles within the University since 2013, including Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer and, most recently, Interim President and CEO.
An Army Major, Dr. Baker served as the Chief of Optometry Service at the U.S. Army Health Clinic in Stuttgart, Germany. He also spent time deployed in Al Asad, Iraq from August 2007 to November 2008 and received the Bronze Star. Dr. Baker served as Chief of Optometry Services at Bassett Army Community Hospital, Fort Wainwright, Alaska prior to his deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Dr. Baker received his bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College in 1999, earned a Master of Science in Secondary Science Education from Syracuse University in 2001, and graduated Magna cum Laude from the Illinois College of Optometry in 2005. His post-doctoral residency was in primary eye care at Northeastern State University College of Optometry at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Baker has previously served as the Assistant Dean, Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Arizona College of Optometry as well as the Acting Dean of the Chicago College of Optometry.
Melissa Trego, OD, PhD, FAAO
Dr. Melissa Trego serves as Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs at the SUNY College of Optometry, where she leads academic programs, faculty development, and student success initiatives. She joined SUNY in the summer of 2025 after nearly a decade as Dean of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), where she championed innovation in curriculum design, accreditation, and professional education.
A graduate of the PCO (OD) and Cardiff University (PhD), Dr. Trego combines a strong scientific foundation with a passion for developing future leaders in eye and vision care. Her experience spans national and international teaching, program development, and interprofessional education. Dr. Trego currently serves as Co-Chair of the Chief Academic Officers Special Interest Group (SIG) for the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) and previously held multiple leadership roles within ASCO, including President, Treasurer, and Chair of Academic Affairs. She has been recognized nationally with the American Optometric Association’s President’s Award for Distinguished Service to Optometry and the Pennsylvania Optometric Association’s Merit Award for her contributions to education and professional advancement.
Beyond her professional role, Dr. Trego values connection, reflection, and balance, whether through evening walks with her dog Zara, conversations by the fire with friends, or friendly competition on the tennis court. Her leadership is grounded in authenticity and collaboration, with a steadfast commitment to making SUNY Optometry the best it can be for its students, faculty, and staff.
Keshia Elder, OD, MS, FAAO
Dr. Keshia Elder serves as Clinical Professor and Dean at the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry. She was born in Columbia, South Carolina and graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Science Teaching: Mathematics. She earned her Doctor of Optometry, Master of Science in Vision Science, and Master of Science in Instructional Design and Development degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Elder has lectured nationally is the areas of contact lenses; dry eye; anterior segment disease; clinical procedures; health disparities; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Distinguished Fellow of the Optometry Academy for the National Academies of Practice. She currently serves as the Treasurer for the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), the Editor for Optometric Education, a member of the Membership Committee for the American Academy of Optometry, and a member of the Public Relations Committee for the Missouri Optometric Association. Additionally, Dr. Elder is active in her local community as a member of the St. Louis Optometric Society, the Missouri Optometric Association, and the Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She is also a Veteran of the United States Navy with duty stations at the Naval Health Clinic Annapolis and the Pentagon/DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic. Her clinical and research areas of interest are cornea and contact lenses, health disparities and dry eye.
Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, Dipl.
Howard Purcell, OD ‘84, FAAO was named the 13th president in July of 2018. Dr. Purcell brings to the position a wealth of experience in private practice, academia, and the optometric industry. He is well versed in evolving trends and technologies in healthcare and optometry in particular and brings this expertise to the presidency.
Prior to his appointment as President, Dr. Purcell served as the Senior Vice President of Customer Development for Essilor of America. He was part of the Essilor team for ten years. Before joining Essilor, he spent 13 years as Senior Director of Professional Affairs for Johnson & Johnson Vision Care.
Dr. Purcell is a graduate of NECO, Class of 1984, and has long been involved in the college by presenting continuing education classes, supporting student development, and serving on the Board of Trustees. He began his optometric career by participating in a group optometric practice for 11 years with his father, NECO alumnus Saul Purcell, OD ’54, in Miami Beach, FL.
Dr. Purcell joined the faculty of Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry in June 1991. During his career at the college, he was a principal in the development of the Department of Cornea and Contact Lenses. As Associate Professor, Dr. Purcell was responsible for both the didactic and clinical components of the program. He later reached the rank of Deputy Dean of the college.
Gary Chu, OD, MPH, FAAO
Dr. Gary Chu is the vice president of Professional Affairs at the New England College of Optometry. He received his Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree from the New England College of Optometry in 1995 and his Masters of Public Health (MPH) in 2002 from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
He has been in practice for over twenty-four years and is involved in the changing landscape of eye care and health care during this span of time. Dr. Chu has been in the forefront of leading change in eye care through the development of partnerships with health systems, federally qualified health centers, social service agencies, government, school systems, health payors, ophthalmic industry and optometry employer groups.
Dr. Chu has been involved in issues of diversity, equity and inclusion for over ten years and has served on the diversity and cultural competency committee for the Association of Schools (ASCO) and College of Optometry since 2011. He is the founding chair of ASCO’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) SIG and was the Guest Editor for the Journal of Optometric Education’s theme issue on diversity and cultural competency in 2017.
Randall Case, PhD
Randall Case, Senior Director of Learning, Technology & Innovation at NECO, has worked at the intersection of teaching, learning, technology, and educational innovation for more than 30 years, serving as both a faculty member and academic leader across a wide range of higher education settings. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with institutions and educators to improve teaching, strengthen assessment, and design meaningful learning experiences that promote lasting student success.
Randall’s approach is informed by the learning sciences, integrating research from educational psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience with expertise in instructional design, faculty development, assessment, and educational technology. He is particularly interested in translating what we know about how people learn into practical, evidence-informed approaches that help faculty create learning experiences that are intellectually engaging, cognitively effective, and professionally meaningful.
Heather Edmonds, MLIS, AHIP-D, FAAO
Heather Edmonds, MLIS, AHIP-D, FAAO, Director of Library and Information Services at NECO, has been a librarian at the College since 2007, and library director since 2017. Throughout the past twenty years, her goal has remained the same: to ensure that the NECO community is able to successfully access, evaluate, and use high-quality information to support critical thinking and decision making. She is highly involved in several professional organizations, including the Medical Library Association, ASCO’s Vision Science Librarians SIG, and the Association for Vision Science Librarians. Heather has served as president of NECO’s library consortium, Fenway Library Organization, and has collaborated with several colleagues to publish on information literacy topics, most recently on the Standards for Vision Science Librarians revision (JMLA, 2026).
Her current areas of interest are institutional research; data management; and the intersection of evidence-based practice, critical thinking, and artificial intelligence. She recently managed the institutional project Generative AI @ NECO, which sought to formalize the College’s approach to AI by:
establishing policy and best practices across all our domains;
creating a toolkit of approved AI platforms, an evaluator rubric for potential platform adoption, and a guide supporting ethical use; and
developing AI literacy training modules and learning opportunities for the NECO community.