Staff Spotlight – April Wilhelm

Joining the American Board of Optometry in 2014 as Operations Director, April Wilhelm manages the day-to-day business of the organization, assists Diplomates and Candidates with staying on track and promotes the mission of board certification in optometry. She received her undergraduate degree in public relations and marketing from McKendree University in Illinois and her MBA from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri with a concentration in marketing and project management.

Prior to joining the American Board of Optometry, April spent over 10 years as a senior project manager with Maritz Motivation Solutions and then 5 years as a freelance project manager working for companies such as Elsevier and AdvanTech Media. She also taught courses in marketing research and project management as an adjunct faculty member at McKendree University.

Of all of her duties at ABO, April believes one of the most important is promoting the mission and value of board certification. Although board certification has been the gold standard in medicine for quite some time, it is a relatively new standard in optometry. As a profession that serves the health care needs of the public, she believes optometrists have an obligation to keep up with advancements in clinical knowledge and best practices through a commitment to lifelong learning and assessment. “Patients want to know that their eye care provider is as up-to-date and clinically competent as possible,” she said. “Patients have that knowledge when they see the board certification credential.”

Having grown up in the St. Louis area, April is married and has 4 children. When not promoting the merits of ABO board certification, she enjoys hiking, traveling and watching her kids play the sports they love. She spends many weekends out of town for hockey or soccer games with her younger two and has lots of fun visiting her older two away at college. Always up for an adventure, she relishes any opportunity to make new memories with family and friends.