Photo courtesy of Accreditation Council on Optometric Education
Leadership-level changes at the ACOE
Oct. 27, 2025
The 13-member Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) has announced changes at the leadership level with the appointments of Julie DeKinder, OD, as chair, and Michelle Welch, OD, as vice chair. Former Chair, G. Timothy Petito, OD, served as ACOE chair from 2022 to 2025 and will remain on the council as a member and key resource.
“We thank Dr. Petito for his years of service and support,” said Dr. DeKinder. “His work has helped advance the ACOE processes and standards, including completing the comprehensive review process and adoption of new accreditation standards for professional optometric degree programs and for optometric residency programs. He spearheaded developing a definition for the term ‘contemporary optometry’ to which all professional optometric degree programs must adhere.”
About Dr. DeKinder and Dr. Welch
As Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Director of Residency Programs at the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry, Dr. DeKinder has been a member of the council since 2018 and has served as the vice chair since 2022. Dr. DeKinder served as a consultant for the ACOE, participating in on-site program reviews, and as a committee member for the ACOE for several years prior to joining the council. Her installation as chair was effective July 1, 2025.
Dr. Welch is a staff optometrist with the Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority in Idabel, Oklahoma, and was initially appointed to the ACOE in 2021 and previously served for several years as a committee member for the ACOE.
Dr. DeKinder and Dr. Welch take the reins as ACOE seeks to continuously elevate its mission to serve the public and the profession of optometry. “The ACOE’s areas of focus include maintaining the integrity of its decision-making, continuing to engage with the profession and the public and promoting clear and transparent standards and processes,” said Dr. DeKinder.
Learn more about the ACOE and read about the council’s latest actions.
