Lifetime Achievement
Some women shine so bright that the OWA Board decides to recognize them with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes their significant contributions and lasting impact to the OWA.
OWA's Lifetime Achievement Award Past Honorees
In 2013 OWA decided to award our first ever Lifetime Achievement Award to Grady Culbreth of Grady & Associates, Inc.
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In 2024, by unanimous vote of the OWA Board of Directors, the second OWA Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Marge Axelrad, Senior Vice President and Editorial Director for Vision Monday/VMAIL, part of the Jobson Optical Group. Marge is a founding member of the OWA and has served the optical industry for 35 years.
Marge Axelrad
Founding Member — Optical Women's Association
2024 Honoree
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Marge Axelrad was hired in May of 1988 as the editor-in-chief of Vision Monday, a year after its launch. At Vision Monday, originally a print newsmagazine when it started in 1987, Marge and the team she created redefined and shaped news coverage of the optical business as the industry was expanding significantly in all sectors.
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In 1998, Vision Monday inaugurated VMAIL, a weekly digital newsletter. VMAIL is now published daily and has become the primary delivery vehicle for news developments with readership throughout the U.S. and international optical communities.
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Marge also oversaw the launch of VisionMonday.com, which complemented and enhanced the distribution of Vision Monday's print edition and VMAIL; in 2007, she played an instrumental role in the launch of the Vision Monday Leadership Summit, which is now regarded as a key and influential gathering of the industry's leading decision makers.
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Marge is a founding board member of the Optical Women's Association (OWA) (1997), served as co-president of the group (2000-2002), and is currently on the OWA Nominating Committee. She was honored by the OWA in 2013 as a Pleiades Award recipient.
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In 2017, she was recognized as the Prevent Blindness "Person of Vision." She served on the national board of Prevent Blindness America (2009–2013) and continues to help its development committee. She currently serves on the board of trustees of the SUNY College of Optometry Foundation. In 2008, Marge was recognized by the Accessories Council with its "Hall of Fame" award and in 2011 was honored by SUNY's Optometric Foundation.
Grady Culbreth
Co-Founder — Grady & Associates, Inc.
2013 Honoree
This year, the OWA is presenting its first Lifetime Achievement Award to Grady Culbreth, of Grady & Associates, Inc., an OWA member since the organization's inception, Culbreth has seen the industry evolve in its attitude towards women. When she first entered the industry as an optician, patients would come in and ask to see the "male doctor."
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"I would say I am the optician and some people walked out — especially men. Now the industry has really changed and there are many more female opticians today than ever before," said Culbreth. Culbreth's career evolved along with the industry. When she was working as an optician and volunteering with Prevent Blindness, Culbreth kept bumping into Ed Greene from Zeiss. Finally, out of the blue she received a phone call asking her to interview with Zeiss. At the time she really hadn't realized that the Zeiss headquarters were about 45 minutes away from where she lived.
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"I interviewed and got the job. Ed always had an open door policy and women in the company had the same chance as men to succeed," said Culbreth. Greene, now with The Vision Council, became Culbreth's mentor and lifelong friend. So based on past experiences — when a group of women began discussing the creation of an organization for women within the optical industry — Culbreth was all for it. Culbreth's passion and hope for the OWA was to make sure that women got a fair shake and that they had someone to go to when they needed help; encouraging women to do what they want to do and not be afraid to try.
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A member in the first year, Culbreth served as the organization's president for two years, creating events on the program committee for seven years, and becoming an active member of the membership committee. It has been Culbreth's efforts that have seen the OWA create programs for the women in the optician segment of the industry.
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In addition to working as an optician, volunteering for Prevent Blindness, and working for Carl Zeiss Optical, Culbreth also worked for The Vision Council and is a past president of both the AR Council and the National Academy of Opticianry. As someone who has always been involved in the OWA and found out how to get the most out of being a member, Culbreth had this to say: "The best thing women can do when they join (the OWA) is to get involved. The more involved they become, the better networking opportunities they will have. One of the best parts of being an OWA member is the friendships you will make. I will be friends with some OWA members forever."