Award winners and finalists were recognized at the 2024 MOA Fall Conference and Vision Expo
2024 OD of the Year
Dr. Tiffany McElroy is a 2012 graduate of the Southern College of Optometry and is currently practicing at Eye Care Associates in Laurel, Ellisville, and Waynesboro. Dr. McElroy is currently an active member of Laurel Arts League, Nurture our Future, the American Optometric Association, Optometry For Progress, and the Mississippi Optometric Association. She is currently serving as Chairman of the Optometry for Progress committee. She has been awarded the 2020 Reader’s Choice best Optometrist in Jones County, the 2020 Helen St. Clair Young Optometrist of the Year Award, the 2021 Helen St. Clair Young Optometrist of the Year, and the 2021 SECO Young OD of the Year. When Dr. McElroy is not actively involved in optometry organizations or local civilian groups, she enjoys traveling with her husband, Dr. Justin McElroy, and their two children, Henry and Claire.
Dr. Stacie Moore received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She was the first African-American to receive a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Degree from the university. Dr. Moore attended Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, where she served as president of her class, received multiple awards, and graduated with honors.
Dr. Moore is motivated, passionate and dedicated to service in her community and her profession. She is currently a partner in private practice at the Eye Clinic of West Point, Inc., in West Point, MS. She has over 24 years of experience in providing exceptional personalized vision care. Dr. Moore has served her community as president of the West Point branch of the Lion’s Club, and board member of the following: Growth Alliance, Sally Kate Winters Family Services, Mississippi State Extension Program, and Methodist Senior Services at Dugan Memorial Home in West Point. Since 2022, she has served as the clinical director of the Opening Eyes component of the Healthy Athletes program of Special Olympics Mississippi. She was elected to the North Mississippi Medical Center Board of Directors-West Point in December 2022. In 2021, as an advocate for optometry, Dr. Moore spoke before the Mississippi Senate Public Health Committee in support of House Bill 1302. Dr. Moore served as the president of Mississippi Optometry Association from 2022-2023. She is also a board member of the Mississippi Vision Foundation.
Dr. Walter Pang practices in DeSoto County, MS at Olive Branch Eye Care and Horn Lake Eye Care.
Dr. Pang, a native of Batesville, MS, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Mississippi College in 2007. Afterward, he went on to earn his doctorate from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN in 2013. Following the completion of his training, Dr. Pang practiced in the Jackson, MS area for 6 years before moving to Memphis, TN in 2019. He is an active member of both the American Optometric Association and Mississippi Optometric Association. He currently serves on the board of the Mississippi Vision Foundation and as the chairman for the Assistance to Graduates and Undergraduates committee for the MOA. Dr. Pang strives daily to provide his patients with high quality, compassionate and up-to-date comprehensive eye care.
He and his wife, Mary Rachel, reside in Memphis, TN and are proud parents to their son, Walt. When away from practicing optometry Dr. Pang enjoys traveling, spending time with his family, hunting, and playing golf.
2024 Young OD of the Year
Dr. Kelli Mullen is a 2016 graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry. She is an active member of the AOA and MOA. She was a member of the 2020 Leadership Optometry Class and currently serves as a board member for the Mississippi Vision Foundation. She lives in Ingomar, MS with her husband Dylan and two children, Tyler and Mack. She practices at Weeden Eye Clinic in New Albany, MS.
Dr. Taylor O’Daniel is a native of Webster County Mississippi and currently resides in Houston, MS with her husband Cameron O’Daniel. She is a graduate of Mississippi State University and Southern College of Optometry. Dr. O’Daniel is passionately dedicated to pediatric optometry and rural healthcare for her fellow Mississippians. In her free time, she most enjoys being with family, reading, and walking with her golden retriever puppy.
Dr. Robert Phyfer is from West Point and practices at Brooks Eye Center in Columbus, Mississippi. There was a time in his life when he was homeless living out of a Toyota Corolla praying he’d be an optometrist. Optometry has been a life changing opportunity for both himself and his future family.
During his residency in Daytona Beach, Florida, he was introduced to full scope medical optometry and teaching optometric interns. His residency director, Andreea Chih O.D., played a vital role in molding him into the optometrist he is today. With Dr. Chih as his mentor, he learned the importance of being thorough, accurate and decisive. She took such pride in her work and wanted her legacy to make a profound impact on optometry. 6 years later and he is forever grateful to this woman, and the impact she had on his career.
Dr. Phyfer is very passionate about what optometry, the impact optometrists make on their communities, and the ability to teach optometric interns in a clinical setting. Mississippi is a great state to practice optometry, and he is proud to say he practices here with some of the most progressive optometrists in the nation.
2024 OD Community Service
Dr. Chaka Norwood is a native of Mound Bayou, MS. She received her Doctor of Optometry
degree from the University of Houston. She also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology
from Jackson State University and a Master of Public Health (Health Administration) Degree
from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. For the past 12 years, Dr.
Norwood has been the owner and optometrist at Norwood Family Eye Care, LLC. She is also the
optometrist for the Bolivar County School Based Clinics which is a multi-disciplinary clinic
consisting of nursing, dental and counseling services. She participates in various local health and charity
events throughout each year and is dedicated to community service.
Dr. Walter Pang practices in DeSoto County, MS at Olive Branch Eye Care and Horn Lake Eye Care.
Dr. Pang, a native of Batesville, MS, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Mississippi College in 2007. Afterward, he went on to earn his doctorate from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN in 2013. Following the completion of his training, Dr. Pang practiced in the Jackson, MS area for 6 years before moving to Memphis, TN in 2019. He is an active member of both the American Optometric Association and Mississippi Optometric Association. He currently serves on the board of the Mississippi Vision Foundation and as the chairman for the Assistance to Graduates and Undergraduates committee for the MOA. Dr. Pang strives daily to provide his patients with high quality, compassionate and up-to-date comprehensive eye care.
He and his wife, Mary Rachel, reside in Memphis, TN and are proud parents to their son, Walt. When away from practicing optometry Dr. Pang enjoys traveling, spending time with his family, hunting, and playing golf.
Dr. Evan Stout is a private practice optometrist in South Mississippi. Dr. Stout co-owns and
operates Family Vision Clinic with locations in Magee, Collins, and Prentiss. Dr. Stout spends
most of his professional time in the clinical setting, but also greatly enjoys the practice
management and business aspects of optometry. Dr. Stout currently resides just outside of his
hometown of Hattiesburg in Sumrall, MS. He enjoys spending most of his personal time with his
wife and children, working on home renovation projects, playing guitar, boating, fishing, and
otherwise spending time outdoors.
2024 Para of the Year
Lisa S. Parker, CPO: As a seasoned Practice Manager of Precision Vision for the last five years, my deep-rooted passion to help people is a driving force to achieve excellence in the Paraoptometric field. Whether it’s my role as a wife, mother, grandmother, soccer coach, or Paraoptometric managing professional, I understand that no single approach is the right one for every individual or situation or patient. I have diligently trained to see all sides of a situation, turning obstacles into opportunity.
Jennifer Stroupe, CPO, CCA began working in the field of Optometry in 2013. She currently serves as the Practice Manager for 3 practices in North Mississippi. Jennifer is also the current Mississippi Paraoptometric Association President. In 2015, she was awarded her CPO certification. In 2023, Jennifer lectured for the AOA Para speaker series.
Madison Taylor-Ayala, CPO is an optometric scribe and medical administrator at Weeden Eye Clinic in her hometown of New Albany, Mississippi. She is a highly devoted and motivated paraoptometric with four years of optometric clinical experience, and considers herself so lucky to have the ability to change patient’s lives through the work of optometry. Madison is blessed with unrelenting support from her husband, Armando, and two year old son, Cruz. Madison looks forward to many more years of dedication and service to the ever growing field of optometry.
2024 Para Community Service
Angela D. “Sissy” Lloyd is a native of Carrollton, MS, and grew up to live near her family in Carroll County before moving to the Brandon area. She loves her church and raising her daughter, Maggie, who has followed in her footsteps as a servant and community-minded person. Sissy loves sports, especially basketball, and anyone that knows her (and her family) knows that she has a special place in her heart for animals, especially her dogs. She is embracing her new role as grandmother as her newborn granddaughter, Jane Louise, will now be filling a lot of space in her heart as well.
With over 11 years of dedicated service at Southern Eye Care of Clinton, Kimberly Pickle stands out as a committed leader in the field of optometry. Her passion for promoting eye health transcends her professional responsibilities, as she actively volunteers in various community initiatives, raising awareness about vision screening and eye health in local pre-schools.
A dynamic community advocate, Kimberly has participated in numerous volunteer activities, including donning an eyeball costume during the 2015 Christmas Parade, cleaning at Cara Animal Shelter, and organizing a charity garage sale that raised nearly $1,400 for a family facing medical hardships due to cancer. She also played a significant role in promoting eye health at the Back to the Bricks event for Mississippi College.
Kimberly’s leadership extends into her church and professional organizations. She has served as the secretary for the Mary Ann Richardson Sunday School Class at Parkway Baptist Church and has been the president of the Lakeside Community Club for the past three years. Her commitment to her profession is evident through her previous roles as president of the Mississippi Paraoptometric Association and as a committee member for the AOA PRC Online Sub Committee.
Currently, Kimberly is involved with the American Optometric Association (AOA) as a member of the CPC CE Review Committee and the Para Resource Committee. Outside of her professional commitments, Kimberly is married to Steven Pickle and is a proud mother to two daughters, Shawna Hover and Trinity Burge. She cherishes her role as a grandmother to four grandchildren and a great-grandmother to one great-grandson. Originally from Paxton, Illinois, Kimberly moved to the Gulf Coast in 1991 and later settled in Clinton in January 2012.
Madison Taylor-Ayala, CPO is an optometric scribe and medical administrator at Weeden Eye Clinic in her hometown of New Albany, Mississippi. She is a highly devoted and motivated paraoptometric with four years of optometric clinical experience, and considers herself so lucky to have the ability to change patient’s lives through the work of optometry. Madison is blessed with unrelenting support from her husband, Armando, and two year old son, Cruz. Madison looks forward to many more years of dedication and service to the ever growing field of optometry.
