Applying to Become a Professional Appointee

Get Involved as a Professional Appointee on COO Committees 

If you are a Registered Optician interested in contributing to public protection, consider getting involved with the COO as a Professional Appointee. Professional Appointees are Registered Opticians selected by the Board to serve on COO committees. In this role, they use their professional knowledge and judgment to help the COO make decisions in the public interest and support safe, high-quality vision care for Ontario patients. 
Appointments are for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2027, ending December 31, 2028. Compensation, including reasonable expenses, is provided.

Professional Appointees serve on COO Committees 

As members of COO committees, Professional Appointees act in the public interest to make decisions on cases relating to registration, quality assurance, professional conduct and disciplinary matters. Appointed members also make recommendations to the Board on policies relating to various areas of professional practice and governance. 

More on What's Involved

Professional Appointees commit to attending one to two virtual committee meetings each month. Committee meetings take place during regular business hours and typically run from one to three hours. Appointees should also expect to spend one to four hours preparing for each meeting.

Professional Appointees are also invited to attend and observe four Board meetings each year. Two of these meetings take place in-person at the COO offices in Toronto, and two are held virtually.

Professional Appointees also attend three to five days of training throughout the year. 

Professional Appointees receive an honorarium for time spent preparing for and attending meetings, and are reimbursed for reasonable expenses, including travel.

Eligibility Requirements, Values, and Attributes of Professional Appointees

To be eligible for appointment, Professional Appointees must be registered and in good standing with the COO and meet the eligibility requirements for Appointees as set out in Article 12.2 of the COO By-laws and the Appointed Committee Member Policy.
In addition to the eligibility requirements, Professional Appointees must possess the following core competencies: 
 

• Passion – Public Service Oriented: Demonstrates outstanding initiative and commitment towards the practice of opticianry. Committed to serving the College’s mandate to regulate the profession of opticianry in the public interest. 
• Exemplified Integrity: Demonstrates a conviction to do what’s right and to reject what’s wrong, regardless of the consequences.
• Unbiased and Open Minded: Demonstrates the ability to self identify and set aside conscious biases. Proactively reflects on the impact of unconscious biases in all situations. Actively listens and absorbs all information to make an informed and open-minded decision.  
• Critical Judgment and Decision Making: Makes good decisions based upon a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience, and sound judgment. Comfortably deals with concepts and complexity and looks beyond the obvious to avoid ‘group think’ and/or the status quo.
• Collaboration and Inclusion: Demonstrates an open mindset, listens without judgment, and embraces the diversity of others and of thought. Seeks to understand and build on the strengths of others. 

The following skills, experience and knowledge are also considered assets for Professional Appointees. Candidates may already have some of them, or may develop them through training and committee experience:

• Cultural Safety and Humility: Appreciation and respect for unique perspectives, cultural contexts, power imbalances, and biases in deliberation and decision-making.
• Diplomacy: Clearly articulate a perspective, engage in respectful and sometimes difficult discussions with the committee, while consistently reinforcing a culture of trust.
• Health Professions Regulation: Understand the role of health profession regulators, the mandate to protect the public, applicable legislation, and the core work of the College.
• System Thinking: Knowledge of the complex system in which the College works, the stakeholders within that system, and the potential impacts of College decisions. 
• Technological Competence: Use technology to work effectively and uphold security and privacy.
• Governance: Understand the role of appointed members and good governance principles. 
• Organizational Decision Making: Understand the policy development and decision-making process. Base decisions on objective principles informed by evidence and best practices.
• Risk management/oversight: Identify, communicate, and mitigate safety, operational, financial, and strategic risks potentially arising from committee decision making.

Training and Skill Development

Professional Appointees participate in a variety of training opportunities throughout their term. Training may cover areas such as:
•    Communication skills
•    Meeting facilitation 
•    Governance 
•    Diversity, equity, and inclusion 
•    Board/committee member duties
•    Serving on a panel of the Discipline Committee

Watch our information session to learn more

If you still have questions about becoming a Professional Appointee, watch our information session or reach out to us at [email protected] 

How to Apply
 
The COO typically recruits Professional Appointees in the Fall for terms beginning the following January. Details and the application deadline for the 2027-2028 term will be posted on this page in September/October 2026.
To apply for a position as a Professional Appointee, please submit the following:
•    A completed Eligibility Checklist*
•    A resume, and 
•    A letter of interest
Please note that due to time constraints it maybe not be possible to interview all candidates that apply. 

*Note re eligibility and potential conflicts of interest: The eligibility checklist you are asked to fill out helps us determine your eligibility to serve as a Professional Appointee under the by-laws. The form will also ask you to declare any existing positions you hold with the COO or NACOR including as an Examinder or Peer Assessor. If you currently hold one of these roles you will be required to resign that position before accepting a position as a Professional Appointee. If you have questions, please reach out to us by email at [email protected]