Naomi R Chavez

Naomi Chávez has been at OSA for over 30 years – almost all of her professional career. She started in 1990 as a manuscript assistant when the management of Applied Optics was transitioning to OSA headquarters. Eighteen months later, she transitioned to the meeting department as Grant Administrator and liaison to meeting governance bodies. She became a manager in 1994 and continued to progress in her career in various management roles. Since 2006, she has overseen the technical program team and built a strong partnership with meetings volunteers to lead the OSA Meetings Strategy.

Naomi received her BA from Mary Washington University in 1990 in International Affairs and Spanish Literature. Prior to starting at OSA, her experience was supporting reference librarians at both Mary Washington and George Washington universities. Most of her volunteer activities have been supporting her children’s sports activities—coaching soccer teams with her husband and serving as an official during swim meets.  She has also represented respective soccer and swim teams at the league level, including the swim league’s Board of Directors. As an OSA volunteer, she has served on the Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award Committee, in 2003 and most recently in 2020. She received the Treasurer's Award in 2018, "For outstanding and innovative leadership, on a continued and sustained basis, of the Optical Society’s meeting and conference portfolio."