IDOC named Dave Brown, former president of Vistakon, North America, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., as its president. Mark Feder, OD, founder of IDOC, an alliance of independent optometrists, will continue as CEO of the group. Brown will be responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the business, overseeing sales, marketing and member services, and he will be based out of the IDOC corporate office, reporting to Dr. Feder.
“I have always had a passion for entrepreneurial environments,” Brown says. “When I started talking to Mark, I was aligned with his vision and excited about the opportunity at IDOC. We are positioned for strong growth and I am very pleased to be joining a leader in the industry.”
“IDOC continues to be on a strong growth trajectory and we continue to add staff to support the needs of our members and vendor partners,” Dr. Feder adds. “As our industry evolves in the new health care environment, it has also become evident that key roles within our organization needed to be re-evaluated. We felt that a president with significant industry experience and knowledge of running large organizations, as well as start-ups, would be a good fit for IDOC at this time. We are pleased to have Dave join us, as he fits that description perfectly. Dave’s proven ability to lead teams to excellence will allow me to focus more of my time on the external drivers of our success.”
Brown’s career spans the consumer OTC, pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. Recruited by Johnson & Johnson in 1990, Brown is a proven professional and consumer marketing expert, with experience in creating programs that excel, company turnaround and entrepreneurial start-ups. Brown joined the Vistakon division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care as vice president of the worldwide franchise in 2006, leading the global launch of the world’s first daily replacement silicone hydrogel lens, 1-DAY ACUVUE TruEye Brand Contact Lenses. In 2009, Brown was appointed president of Vistakon – North America Region.
Dr. Feder will focus on developing the long-term strategy and critical path objectives that will keep IDOC on track to achieve its goals of “continued strong membership growth, ensuring our members are represented on state and nationwide insurance plans and providing the best business education on the emerging trends important to the success of independent optometrists.” Dr. Feder says that he will also continue solidifying key industry relationships that will further position IDOC as a leader in the optometric space. IDOC will continue to add staff as its growth dictates, says Dr. Feder. Over the past six months, IDOC has tripled its infrastructure, welcoming new staff members to its member development team, member services team, marketing team and data analytics team.
