Meet Our Team
Meet our experienced team members!
Office Manager
Ange began her career in optometry in 1998. She worked at the Eye Care Center as an Optician from 2002-2007 and came back in 2012. In June 2024 she became ECCN Office Manager. She is American Board of Opticianry (ABO) certified and a Certified Paraoptometric (CPO). She serves on the Iowa Optometric Assistants Association board and is current Past President.
Ange and her husband Scott have 3 kids—Blake, Haley and Jana. They enjoy attending all of their kids events and supporting Newton music and athletics. You can often find Ange on their deck making a meal while watching football games, Chicago Blackhawks hockey and sprint car racing! She has a great eyeglass collection, loves to decorate and enjoys travelling!
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Patient Care Coordinators
Miranda joined ECCN in 2017 serving patients at our front desk until 2021 when she transitioned into being the insurance administrator. She was born and raised in Newton and has also been a patient of ECCN since 1984. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends and family whether its traveling, camping, listening to live music or relaxing with a good movie.
Paige joined the team in October 2021. She enjoys meeting new people each year and making our patients feel welcome and comfortable at each visit. Paige is a Baxter native and resides there with her Fiancé Kyle and their 2 cats, Max and Butters. In her free time, Paige enjoys spending time with her friends and family.
Katie Chisholm joined the ECCN team in March 2023. Katie is a Newton native and still lives in town with her boyfriend, Gabe. In her free time, you can find her building her next lego set, reading on her kindle or listening to music (especially John Mayer). She also enjoys spending time with her family!
Tricia joined the ECCN team in January 2023. She resides in Newton with her husband, Mark, and their three sons, Alex, Nick and Harrison. She loves attending her boy’s activities, watching sports and being outdoors.
Shaphen joined the team as a patient care coordinator in July 2024. She has lived in Newton since 1996 and currently resides here with her boyfriend Derick. She is the proud mom of three children: MaKenna, Jadin and Blaine. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out and spending time with friends and family. She has always been avid swimmer who can’t get enough of the water and has recently discovered that she really enjoys traveling.
Opticians
Mara joined the ECCN team in September of 2012. Although she started at the front desk, she soon found her niche in optical when she transitioned to that area a few months later. She has since enjoyed learning the skills of an optician, interacting with and building relationships with patients and assisting them as they select the perfect frame. Mara has continued to build her optical knowledge, and earned her Paraoptometric certification in 2014. Mara and her husband, Brian, have lived in Newton since 1993 and raised their two children here, Brenna and Breyton. Outside of work, Mara enjoys taking pictures with a real camera, then organizing them on her computer. She also loves spending time with her family and supporting her kids any way she can, and camping with her husband, Brian, and their dog Luna.
Logan joined the ECCN team in 2018 as an optician. She grew up in a small town north of Marshalltown, but now resides in Newton with her husband Noah. They have a dog named Gunner and 2 farm cats—Pancake and Graysha. When Logan is not at work she enjoys being active either at the gym or playing sports with friends. She also enjoys baking, reading, listening to crime podcasts and spending time with friends and family!
Karie Gilchrist joined the Eye Care Center in November of 2020. As an optician she enoys making connections with patients and helping them find the best eyewear to meet their needs. She is Newton native and has spent most of her life here. She resides in Newton with her husband Nick and son Lucas. They both enjoy going to his soccer games and wrestling meets. In her free time she likes to go thrifting with friends, loving on their lab puppy Kimmie and watching movies.
Taryn Wickliff joined our team in June 2020 initially as a Patient Care Coordinator but is now part of our optical team. Taryn is a Newton native and currently resides here with her husband, Cameron. They have two children, Xavier and Quinn. She enjoys spending time with her friends & family, going to live music events and anything outdoors!
Patient Care Technicians
Theresa Shafer has been a member of the team since September 2000. Theresa has been CPO certified since 2000. She resides in Newton with her husband, Lance, twin boys Ben & Nick plus their two dogs, Blitzen & Chestnut. In her spare time she enjoys nature hikes and bird watching.
Sarah Davidson joined the ECCN team in May 2011 and became CPO certified in 2014. She has worked at the front desk briefly and does some behind the scene work on this website & facebook. She loves interacting with patients and building relationships with them. Sarah is a Newton native and resides here with her husband, Dave, and they have three children, Riley, Trey and Quincy. In her free time she enjoys cheering her kids on in all of their activities, reading and being outdoors.
Michele has worked for the Eye Care Center since 2013 and became CPO certified in 2014. Michele has lived in Newton since 2003. She has a significant other, Terry, as well as two grown sons; Eric and Alex. When not at work, Michele loves to spend time with family traveling, camping and hiking. She also enjoys running. Favorite things: She has an extensive M&M’s memorabilia collection!
Angie joined the ECCN team in 2014 as patient care technician. She is a Newton native and still resides in Newton with her husband Chris. They have two daughters Kennedy and Claire. When she is not not helping you with your eye care needs, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and traveling.
Amy Coady joined the ECCN team in October 2018 and became CPO certified in 2023. Amy is a Newton native. She is married to her husband, Luke, and they have three children, Sophia, Liam and Ava. In her free time Amy enjoys spending time with her family and attending her children’s sporting events and activities. Amy’s favorite things about her job are seeing families each year and helping our patients feel comfortable for their visit.