Board of Directors

Reade Fahs led National Vision as CEO for 23 years from early 2002 until August 2025 when he transitioned to Executive Chairman. Under his leadership, National Vision became one of the largest and fastest growing optical retailers in the United States.

Before joining National Vision, Reade served as the Chief Executive Officer of the European internet start-up company, First Tuesday. Prior to First Tuesday, he was Managing Director of Vision Express U.K. Reade began his optical career at LensCrafters in 1986 and expanded his responsibilities over his decade with the firm leading advertising, strategy, and new product development.

Reade served for a decade as the Chairman of the Board of VisionSpring, a social enterprise that works to ensure affordable access to eyewear, everywhere and remains an active member today. For the past 2 decades Reade has also served on the Board of RestoringVision. During Reade’s tenure as a Board member, these two social enterprises have gotten eyeglasses to over 30 million low income people around the world. Reade is also active with The Coalition For Clear Vision, a group trying to ensure that everyone who needs near vision glasses throughout the world has access to them.

Reade’s other Board involvements include KKR owned PetVet Care Centers, The Atlanta Committee for Progress and Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre.

Reade holds a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard University.

Alex Wilkes joined National Vision as President in August 2024 and became Chief Executive Officer in August 2025. As CEO, he leads the company’s enterprise-wide strategy, growth, and transformation efforts, focused on delivering long-term shareholder value by enhancing the customer and patient experience. With more than a decade of leadership in the eye care industry, Alex brings a strong track record of accelerating performance, operational excellence, and developing strategies that position brands for sustained success.

Previously, Alex served as President, Americas at CooperVision, a global leader in contact lenses. Prior to this, he spent more than a decade at EssilorLuxottica, a leading global eyewear company, most recently as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Pearle Vision, where he spearheaded the expansion of one of the largest franchises in the vision care industry, and as Vice President of Vision Care for LensCrafters. Alex’s early career as a management consultant included roles with Accenture and Deloitte.

Alex holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Iowa.

D. Randolph Peeler has been a director since March 2014. Mr. Peeler is a Senior Advisor at Berkshire Partners LLC (“Berkshire”), a private equity firm. Mr. Peeler joined Berkshire in 1996 and became a Managing Director in 2000. Before joining Berkshire, Mr. Peeler co-founded a privately-owned healthcare services company and also served as Special Assistant for the Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Mr. Peeler previously worked as a consultant with Cannon Associates and Bain & Co. Mr. Peeler is or has been a director of several Berkshire portfolio companies, including Affordable Care, Inc., Husky International, Inc., Lightower Fiber Networks and Curriculum Associates, LLC. Currently, Mr. Peeler serves as a director on the board of DVx Ventures, a venture studio with a unique approach to building companies from concept to scale. He is also a director on the board of CPK Media, LLC d/b/a Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Kitchen, a multi-channel food media company. Mr. Peeler has an B.A. from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Jose Armario has been a director since February 2021. Mr. Armario is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Bojangles', Inc., a restaurant operator and franchisor, and has served in this role since January 2019. From January 2016 until January 2019, Mr. Armario was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Armario Enterprises, LLC and PowerC, LLC. He retired as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Supply Chain, Development, and Franchising of McDonald’s Corporation in October 2015, after having held that position since August 2011. Mr. Armario has over 38 years of experience turning around key markets and geographies. Currently, Mr. Armario serves as a director at Bojangles', Inc. and as a director for The Greg Olsen Foundation. He is also a member of the President’s Council of the University of Miami. He earned his Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration from Miami-Dade Community College. He holds a Master of Science degree in Management from the University of Miami and a CEO Perspective Course completion from Northwestern University.

Virginia A. Hepner has been a director since January 2018. Ms. Hepner most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Woodruff Arts Center, a nationally-esteemed visual and performing arts center in Atlanta, Georgia, having served in that position from July 2012 to July 2017. Ms. Hepner has over 25 years of corporate finance experience with Wachovia Bank and its predecessors, having held numerous positions in corporate banking and capital markets until retiring in 2005 as an Executive Vice President. Ms. Hepner has been a member of the board of directors of Cadence Bancorporation since January 2019, serving as chair of its audit committee, and had served as a director of State Bank Financial Corporation which merged with Cadence on January 1, 2019, serving on its audit committee and independent director committee, and as a director of its subsidiary bank, State Bank and Trust Company, from 2010 to 2019. Additionally, Ms. Hepner has been a member of the board of directors of Oxford Industries, Inc. since 2016, serving as chair of its nominating, compensation and governance committee. Ms. Hepner holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Susan Somersille Johnson has been a director since October 2020. Ms. Johnson most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer for Prudential Financial, Inc. From 2014 to 2020, Ms. Johnson previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Truist Financial, the bank holding company formed in 2019 following the merger of SunTrust Bank and BB&T. Ms. Johnson began her career as an engineer at Apple before taking on a series of high-profile global marketing leadership roles at organizations including NCR Corporation and Nokia. She served as the Vice President of Global Marketing at NCR Corp. from 2012 to 2014 and the Global Head of Operator Marketing at Nokia from 2007 to 2012. Ms. Johnson has a bachelor’s degree in engineering sciences from Harvard University and an M.B.A. in finance from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.

Naomi Kelman has been a director since September 2020. Ms. Kelman most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Willow, a revolutionary new women’s health company, having served in that role from 2014 to 2019. From 2011 to 2012, Ms. Kelman served as the Global Division Head of Novartis OTC. Prior to that, Ms. Kelman served in a number of executive roles during her time at Johnson & Johnson from 2000 to 2011, including as President of Vistakon Americas (Acuvue contact lenses) from 2004 to 2009 and as President of LifeScan (OneTouch diabetes monitor) from 2009 to 2011. Before joining J&J, Ms. Kelman worked at Clairol, where she worked on a broad range of CPG personal care categories and was based in Europe for five years. Ms. Kelman started her career in finance at American Express. Ms. Kelman is a member of the board of directors of Mirvie, a biotechnology company. She also is on the board of directors and serves as chair of the board of Blue River PetCare, a leading operator of veterinary hospitals. Ms. Kelman has a Bachelor of Arts degree and an M.B.A. from Cornell University.

Jim McGrann has been a director since March 2025. Mr. McGrann is an eye care industry veteran with nearly 30 years of experience across the industry serving in Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Officer roles throughout his career. Mr. McGrann currently serves as CEO of Advancing Eyecare, a leading provider of ophthalmic instruments, and previously led Professional Eye Care Associates of America (PECAA), VSP Global and VSP Vision Care, among other positions. He began his career as a management consultant for 15 years and was a senior executive at Accenture and IBM and a partner at Ernst & Young. He serves on the board of directors of the private optical software company, Ocuco, and previously served on the board of directors of the private optical company, Keplr. He is the current chairman of the board for Prevent Blindness.

Mr. McGrann holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Columbia University.

Mike Nicholson has been a director since March 2025. Mr. Nicholson is a seasoned retail executive with extensive expertise in business transformation, operations, and finance. He currently serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer of J.Crew Group, an internationally recognized omnichannel retailer and family of legacy American brands: J Crew, J. Crew Factory and Madewell, where he has held multiple leadership roles, including Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining J.Crew, Mr. Nicholson was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at ANN INC. and Victoria’s Secret Beauty. His career also includes senior leadership positions at Colgate-Palmolive, Altria, and PwC, where he played key roles in developing financial strategy and implementing operational excellence. Mr. Nicholson currently serves on the board of directors of The Container Store, a national, multi-channel retailer dedicated to helping people improve their lives through the power of organization, and is the chair of the audit committee. Mr. Nicholson also serves on the Niagara University board of trustees.

Mr. Nicholson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Niagara University and a Master of Business Administration from St. John’s University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Susan O’Farrell has been a director since February 2024. Ms. O’Farrell previously served as Chief Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer at BlueLinx Holdings, Inc., a wholesale distributor of building and industrial products from 2014 to 2020. She was a senior financial executive holding several roles with The Home Depot from 1999 to 2014. Ms. O’Farrell began her career with Andersen Consulting, LLP (now Accenture), leaving as an Associate Partner in 1996 for a strategic information systems role with AGL Resources (now Southern Company Gas). Ms. O’Farrell served as a director of BlueLinx Corporation, a subsidiary of BlueLinx Holdings. She is currently on the board of directors and serves as the audit committee Chair of Leslie’s, Inc., a specialty retailer of pool supplies that completed its initial public offering in 2020. Ms. O’Farrell also serves on the board of directors and as a member of the audit committee for Savers Value Village, Inc., the largest for-profit thrift operator in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, she serves on the board of directors of International Women’s Forum – Georgia Chapter. Ms. O’Farrell is qualified financial expert and a holder of the CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from Carnegie Mellon. Ms. O’Farrell has a B.S. in business administration from Auburn University and completed the Emory Goizueta Executive Leadership Program.

Caitlin Zulla has been a director since August 2024. Ms. Zulla serves as Chief Executive Officer and a director of Lumexa Imaging, formerly US Radiology Specialists, one of the nation’s premier providers of diagnostic imaging services, where she leads teams committed to clinical and operational excellence and delivering the highest quality of imaging care. Ms. Zulla previously served as CEO of Optum Health East from March 2023 to January 2025, where she oversaw health care delivery in 10 states from Maine to Delaware and was responsible for the experience of over 5.4 million patients and more than 15,000 team members. Prior to joining Optum Health East, Ms. Zulla served as Chief Executive Officer of SCA Health, a specialist alignment organization and leader in the ambulatory surgery center industry. Her tenure with SCA Health included serving as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President of Revenue Cycle.

Ms. Zulla was named a Top Woman to Watch as part of Modern Healthcare’s 2022 Top Women Leaders in Healthcare and serves on the Board of Directors for One World Surgery, a nonprofit aimed at delivering quality, accessible surgical care in developing countries.

Ms. Zulla earned a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University, a Master of Public Health and Health Management from Columbia University and a Master of Healthcare Delivery Science from Dartmouth College.