Cara Smith serves as the vice president of training and development for Bridgeview Eye Partners. An essential Bridgeview team member, Cara is charged with staff retention, engagement, and professional growth. She's motivated by the idea of taking care of patients and meeting their lifestyle needs. She defines success on the job by seeing goals to fruition and maintaining a fun and engaging environment where people are passionate about their work. Nothing excites her more than elevating, empowering, and seeing staff grow through training. Cara earned her Certified Paraoptometric Technician certification through the AOA, and completed Course level 1 for Paraoptometric Personnel through Indiana University School of Optometry. Her career in the eyecare industry has lasted over 20 years. She served as Director of Primary Care for Midwest Eye Consultants prior to becoming VP of training and development for Bridgeview. During her time as Director of Primary Care, she aided the company in establishing a culture of providing the "Total Patient Experience" which helped support company growth year after year.