This year, two Indiana University School of Optometry graduates – Danielle Richardson, OD’15, and Kayla Campbell, OD’14 – were selected as recipients of the 2025 Golden Opportunity Award, a national recognition that supports early-career optometrists pursuing independent practice ownership.
Their paths may look very different – one in West Hollywood, one in rural West Virginia – but both doctors are using their education and experience to meet the needs of the communities they know best.
Building a new model of care in West Hollywood
During her undergraduate years at Indiana University, Dr. Danielle Richardson was still considering her future career path. After hearing longtime IUSO faculty member Dr. Ed Marshall speak to her scholarship cohort, her eyes were opened to optometry. Subsequent conversations with Dr. Marshall, her hometown optometrist, and Cindy Vance from admissions, she began to see the profession’s potential.
“At IUSO, I was constantly inspired by the variety of career paths alumni were taking,” she said. “Connecting with those doctors as a student made me realize I could design a career on my own terms. The clinical education was rigorous and gave me the confidence to practice. To this day, I still lean on the resources and relationships I built there.”
This winter, Dr. Richardson will open CLARITY on Melrose, the flagship clinic in West Hollywood that will serve as a blueprint for future satellite locations. Her goal is to “build a next-generation patience care experience, blending advanced ocular aesthetics with medical grade treatments to elevate both functional and aesthetic outcomes.” Dr. Richardson hopes that her practice becomes both a clinical resource and a welcoming space for patients who may not always see themselves represented in healthcare.
Receiving the Golden Opportunity Award, she said, affirmed the vision behind her cold-start practice. “The support from this grant is more than financial… I put a tremendous amount of thought into building a strong business plan, and receiving this award was a validating moment. It confirmed that, not only am I on the right path, but that others see the potential and purpose in what I’m creating.”
Beyond the clinic, Dr. Richardson is passionate about shaping the future generation of optometrists. Long-term, she plans to expand her outreach to include mentorship, in-office training, and scholarship support to help students access and thrive in the optometry profession.
Returning home to serve rural Appalachia
For Dr. Kayla Campbell, the journey back to Vienna, West Virginia as an optometrist, began years earlier in an exam room of her own. After a difficult stretch of contact lens complications, her hometown optometrist asked a question that stuck with her: Have you thought about optometry?
“Something clicked immediately,” she said. “From that day forward, I knew what I wanted to do.”
IUSO was a practical fit – close to her husband’s hometown and offering a robust clinical experience. Although the transition to the demanding program in a larger town was challenging at first, everything changed when she started practicing in the clinic.
“That’s where I feel like I soared,” she said. “Seeing patients, connecting with faculty, learning how to think like a doctor – that’s where it all came together.”
Now, she is the owner of Visionary Eye Clinic, serving the community where her family still lives. In a region with limited private practice options and few eye care providers, her clinic fills critical gaps for patients of all ages.
Dr. Campbell also remains dedicated to supporting future optometrists. She helped create Bridging the Gap, a program through West Virginia Association of Optometric Physicians (WVAOP) that prepares students for the practical realities of becoming a doctor – from obtaining licensure, navigating contracts, and understanding insurance. She continues to mentor students and serves as a trustee and past president of WVAOP.
When she learned she had received the Golden Opportunity Award, she was stunned. “I had all my spreadsheets ready,” she laughed. “I was prepared for another round of questions – but then I got the great news that I had won alongside Dr. Richardson.”
Different communities, shared commitment
Though their practices sit in different places with unique challenges, Dr. Richardson and Dr. Campbell share a commitment to the kind of personal, community-focused care that shaped their own training at IUSO. Each credits the school’s clinical education and broad exposure to career paths with giving them the confidence to build practices that reflect the needs of their communities.
Whether creating an inclusive wellness-centered space in Los Angeles or strengthening access to care in rural Appalachia, both doctors show how optometrists can shape healthier futures – one patient, and one neighborhood, at a time.
About the Golden Opportunity Award
Founded in 2024, the Golden Opportunity Award was created to honor the legacy of David Golden, O.D. who passed away in 2021 after a long-fought battle with cancer. Dr. Golden was a co-founder of the Professional Eyecare Resource Co-Operative Alliance (PERC), and EssilorLuxottica employee. His passion as a doctor lay in “elevating those around him, helping others climb the ladder of success.” In this spirit, the award was created as a collaborative effort between The AOA Foundation and PERC Alliance. Up to three Golden Opportunity Awards of $50,000 are awarded each year to optometrists who wish to achieve their dream of owning their first independent practice, with a special encouragement for those underrepresented in the optometric community or for those who intend to practice in an underserved community.
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On Feb. 28, President of the Gold Key International Honor Society Katie Edwards announced the newest students from the IU School of Optometry who became