Conexus recently honored Delegate Lee Ware with its prestigious ‘The Joseph Nichols Award’ in recognition of his ongoing efforts to remove poor vision as an obstacle to children’s success in school and in life. 

“Delegate Ware has made a significant difference in the lives of children throughout the Commonwealth, addressing both a public health and public education issue,” said Tim Gresham, CEO of Conexus.

In addition to serving two terms on the Conexus Board of Directors, Delegate Ware has worked to update and modernize the state law dealing with public school based vision screenings. This past year, Delegate Ware introduced a budget amendment to support a pilot program that provides for comprehensive vision programming in more than thirty school districts across Virginia, serving more than 55,000 children.

​Click HERE to read the full press release.

At a recent board meeting, Conexus elected Joe Bowman, former Commissioner of the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, to serve as Chairman of the Board of Conexus. Bowman follows former Virginia First Lady Roxane Gilmore as Chairman, a post she held for two years.

In addition, Terrence Kerner, President and CEO of Atlantic Constructors, was elected Vice Chairman; Steve Dickinson, retired Chief Financial Officer at Media General was elected Treasurer; and Brad Smith, Virginia Eye Institute CEO, was elected Board Secretary.

Conexus also welcomed John Locher, partner with Taylor & Parrish, and Dr. Bo Pegram, optometrist, each elected to serve as At-large members of the Conexus Executive Committee.
Three new members were also elected to the board: Clint Diers, Senior Vice President, Marsh & McLennan Agency (Rutherfoord); Tom Shockley, President, Technology Leasing Concepts (TLC); and Jay Swedenborg, Executive Director (ret.), Communities in Schools-Chesterfield.

To read the press release, click HERE.