SECO International appoints new president

Image Credit: Horace Deal/SECO International

SECO International has announced a new president with extensive optometric experience for the 2024-2025 term. Horace Deal, OD, of Vision Source – Professional Eye Care will be taking over the position after being elected at the House of Delegates meeting during SECO 2024.¹

Outgoing SECO President Michelle Cooper, OD, sent her well wishes to Deal in a news release. "We are honored to have Dr. Horace Deal lead SECO International as we embark on new initiatives to support and advance the optometric profession," she said. "Dr. Deal's impressive background, combined with his passion for education and community service, makes him an exemplary leader for our organization."

Deal began his career in 1997 when he graduated from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee and took on internships at Clayton Eye Center and Gottleib Vision Group. His expertise in pediatrics, vision training, glaucoma, and cataracts grew quickly, and led him to then join Professional Eye Care of Hinesville, Georgia as an associate optometrist later that same year. He later took over as the owner of Becker Eye Clinic in Statesboro, Georgia in 2000, and has remained owner for almost 25 years.¹

Additionally, Deal currently serves on the Board of Athletic Foundation at Georgia Southern University and has worked as a team optometrist for Georgia Southern University Athletics since 2000. Currently, Deal also works as a member of adjunct faculty for Southern College of Optometry.¹

Deal’s past leadership experiences include a presidency of Georgia Optometric Association, with his efforts acknowledged with awards such as 199’s Georgia Young Optometrist of the Year and 2010’s Georgia Optometrist of the Year, among others. He is also an alumnus of the 2002 class of Leadership Bulloch.¹

Reference:

1. SECO International Appoints Dr Horce Deal as President for 2024-2025. SECO International. News release. Published March 2, 2024. Access March 8, 2024. https://attendseco.com/2024/03/02/seco-international-appoints-dr-horace-deal-as-president-for-2024-2025/