Meet our Family

Dr. Russell D. Springer, O.D.

Dr. Russell Springer graduated with his Doctorate of Optometry from Southern College of Optometry, Memphis TN in 1997. Opening his own practice, Athens Family Vision Clinic, in 2001, he quickly earned a reputation for providing the most comprehensive eye exams, exceptional customer service, and the largest selection of frames and contact lenses in Athens.

Dr. Springer prides himself in staying abreast of all the latest technology and offers a plethora of ocular testing to diagnose and treat ocular diseases and conditions. His goal has always been to care for and treat his patients as though they were family; he built his practice on this standard and has continued it to this day.

As a UGA Alumni, Dr. Springer, his wife Mary Jill, and their 17 year old daughter Abigail, enjoy the eclectic environment of the Classic City, dining in the Bottleworks district, and cheering on the Dawgs between the hedges.

Dr. Elisabeth Lawson, O.D.

Dr. Elisabeth Lawson earned a Doctor of Optometry degree in 2010 with Cum Laude honors from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN. She has been highly trained to care for patients of all ages from simple visual needs to complex medical conditions.

She is a current member of the American Optometric Association, Georgia Optometric Association, Women of Vision, and Beta Sigma Kappa Honorary Optometric Fraternity. In addition, Dr. Lawson is a past recipient of grants from Hoya Vision Care, The Vision Care Institute and Allergan.

Dr. Lawson grew up on Lake Murray in Columbia, SC, and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from UCLA in California. She loves living in Athens, GA with her husband and daughters. In her spare time, Dr. Lawson enjoys spending time with family, swimming, traveling, and participating in church activities.

Dr. Marsha Beckham, O.D.

Athens Family Vision would like to officially welcome Dr. Marsha Beckham to our practice. Dr. Beckham recently moved to the Athens area with her family from St. Louis, Missouri where she spent sixteen years in private practice. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from The University of Missouri in 1996. She then completed her Doctor of Optometry degree form the Illinois College of Optometry in 2000. Dr. Beckham now resides in Colbert, Ga and enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.

Dr Beckham specializes in treating a wide variety of eye related issues including fitting of eyeglasses, contacts, management of ocular diseases, pediatrics, and integrating new technology into eye care. Dr. Beckham is committed to providing her patients with compassion and individual attention to give them the highest level of care they deserve. She looks forward to getting to know each patient as family and feels fortunate to work with such an outstanding team at Athens Family Vision.

Mrs. Mary Jill Springer

Mary Jill Springer is our billing and insurance coordinator. Mary Jill is always up to date on current insurance benefits, changes, and filling procedures. She works diligently to ensure that all claims are filed properly and all benefits are maximized. She is a graduate from the University of Georgia where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in 1993. She is the driving force to make the best even better and stays abreast of the constant changes with health insurance policies and procedures.

In her spare time, Mary Jill is an avid tennis player, loves the outdoors, boutique shopping in Downtown, and spending time at the lake with her husband and daughter.

Ansley Irvin, ABOC/NCLEc

Ansley joined our practice in 2006 and is our Office Manager and ABO/NCLE Certified Optician. She is a 2003 Cum Laude graduate from State University of West Georgia with a degree in Political Science. Possessing over 20 years of customer service experience and 11 years of optical experience, Ansley's role in our office is to ensure that every patients experience is beyond satisfactory and that all of your needs are met.

Whether its a question about insurance, frame selection, lenses or contacts, Ansley is your go-to girl. Ansley is married to Jack and they have two children - JT (6), and Andrew (4). In her spare time, Ansley enjoys cooking, baking, spending time with the boys at the ballfield, and glam-ping.

Mandi Roell

Mandi joined our practice in 2013 and is Dr. Springer's Optometric Technician. She has 10+ years of one on one customer service experience and loves getting to know our patients. She specializes in refracting, contact lens fit/care, hard to fit contact lenses and occular testing. Her main goal is to ensure all your questions are answered.

Mandi has a husband and a 4 year old son, Bryson, whom is her greatest achievement. She is a 9U boys travel baseball coach. She loves spending time with her family and friends, playing baseball, the holidays, and football season. Go Dawgs!!

Jennifer Wood, ABOC/NCLEC

Jennifer is our ABO/NCLE Certified Optician. Joining our family in 2011, Jenn strives to ensure every patient leaves with the perfect frame to suit their personality and lifestyle. From the overall fit of the frame to the correct lens selection, her job is to make sure your glasses fit you in every aspect.

She graduated from the University of Georgia Cum Laude in 2003 and is happily married to her husband of four years. They are the proud new parents of their son Wesley who is almost 2 yrs old. She loves spending time with her animals, friends and family, and being on the lake.

Elizabeth Mundo

Eli is our Optometric Technician. She specializes in refracting, contact lens fit/care, hard to fit contact lenses and occular testing. She works side by side with Dr. Beckham to ensure each patient has a pleasant experience. Her main goal is to ensure all your questions are answered. Eli is fluent in both English and Spanish. She has been in the medical field for over 9 years and feels as if she has found her home in optical and with us. Eli is a mother of 3 beautiful children and enjoys Zumba, running,photography and spending quality time with her kids.

Eli es nuestra Technica en Optometria. Se especializa en refacciónes, cordinacion de cuidado y adjuste de lentes de contacto y examenes oculares. Su meta es que toda sus preguntas se respondidas para su mayor beneficio. Eli es fluyente en ambos Español y Ingles. Ellas a estado en el campo medico por 9 años y siente que a encontrado su hogar en el campo óptico con nosotros.

Eli es mama de 3 hermosos niños, April, Analiz y Emmanuel. Eli disfruta Zumba, correr, photografia y pasar tiempo de calidad con sus hijos.

Kristen Whitmire, ABOC/ NCLEc

Kristen is our Contact Lens Specialist at Athens Family Vision. She has been working in the field for over eight years as a Optician and Contact Lens Specialist. Her extensive knowledge in patient care includes: specializing in hard to fit contacts, fitting RGP's, mono vision, multifocal contacts, insertion & removal, refracting patients, and optical testing.

She has been married for 9 years to a movie star! They have two daughters who are 8 and 4 years old. They love rapping Run DMC while cooking dinner as a family.

Danielle Roller

Danielle is our Optometric Tech here at Athens Family Vision. She works side by side with Dr. Lawson to ensure you have the best experience. She specializes in refracting, contact lens fit/care, hard to fit contact lenses and occular testing. Her main goal is to ensure all your questions are answered.

She has 9 years of medical field experience. She is a huge football and softball fan and is a sucker for reality TV. Danielle has been happily married to her husband Jason and they have a beautiful newborn baby girl; Lillian.

Kristen Sexton

Kristen is an Optician here at Athens Family Vision. She has 10 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from Gainesville State University with a associates degree in healthcare with a certification in medical assisting. She specializes in sales, proper lens insertion, frame adjustments, and optometric testing. Kristen is an expert at finding the perfect style frame for your personality.

Kristen has two children, Addison (8), Marshall (6) and a step daughter Kiley (8). Kristen is married to Michael. They loving visiting NASCAR tracks around the country. She loves spending time with her family, cookouts, and football season.

Kellie Green

Kellie is our Check-Out Coordinator and is responsible for ensuring that every patients' insurance is utilized to the fullest extent and that each patient has a full understanding of how their insurance works and how it is being applied. In addition to her duties as Check-out Coordinator, Kellie oversees our VIP program to ensure our patients are rewarded for their dedication, loyalty, and referrals.

Although Kellie was born in Brooklyn with a Jamaican descent, she loves country music, Bojangles and is addicted to Empire.

Ivey Summer

Ivey is our insurance coordinator here at Athens Family Vision. Ivey is always up to date on current insurance benefits, changes, and filling procedures. She works diligently to ensure that all claims are filed properly and all benefits are maximized.

Ivey has been in the customer service industry for 7 + years. She loves listening to pod casts and taking uber everywhere she goes. Ivey is also in love with her cat; Dexter.

Brittany Shelnutt

Brittany is one of our Check-In Coordinators here at Athens Family Vision. She checks in for our 3 Optometrists, answers phones, and is available to answer any insurance question you may have. She also specializes in edging lenses, frame adjustments, lens insertion, and secondary sales.

Brittany has 7 years of medical field experience. She attended Athens Technical College for a degree in Medical Assisting. She has two beautiful children and has been married for 13 years.

Katherine Rosen

Katherine is the newest edition to our rapidly growing practice and recently joined us as a Check-In Coordinator. She checks in for our 3 Optometrists, answers phones, and is available to answer any insurance question you may have.

Prior to joining our practice, Kat was a stay at home mom of 3 beautiful children ages 12, 9, and 3yrs old. She also spent her time coaching gymnastics and competition cheer. She is newly married to her husband John and enjoys woodworking, spending time at the lake, and family outings.

blanca barrientos

Blanca is an Optician at Athens Family Vision. She is fluent in Spanish and specializes in sales, proper lens insertion, frame adjustments, and edging. She is a proud mom of a handsome 2 year old boy. She enjoys playing soccer and spending time with her son. Blanca is an animal lover and has 4 beautiful dogs.

Blanca es parte de nuestro departamento Optico. Es fluyente en Español y Ingles. Se especializa en ventas, inserción adecuada de lentes, adjustes de armazón, y examenes en optometría. Es mama de un precioso niño de 2 años. Disfruta jugar soccer y pasar tiempo con su hijo. Le gustan muchos los animales y le a dado hogar a 4 hermosos perritos.

Jenny hill

Jenny is our newest optician. Please help us welcome her to the family. She has been in the medical field for 10 years. Jenny works diligently to ensure every patient leaves with the perfect frame to suit their personality and lifestyle. From the overall fit of the frame to the correct lens selection, her job is to make sure your glasses fit you in every aspect. She has the sweetest personality and is always willing to help others.

She and her husband Ben have been married for 7 years and they are very active in the church. They are hoping to build a family soon. She has a dog named Commander and Ben has a falcon named Katniss. They enjoy falconry and spending them with their animals.

jailee Murray

Jai is our Contact Lens Technician and works side by side with our Contact Lens Specialist to insure that our patients are properly trained in new contact lens fits, contact lens wear and care, as well as in selecting the correct lens brand and modality specific to the patients' needs and lifestyle. Coupling her vast knowledge of insurance benefits with manufacturer rebates, Jai works diligently to ensure that every patient receives the largest supply of contacts available to them.

Jailee graduated with honors with a degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University. She then worked with adults with autism for 4 years in North Carolina. She is also a conversationalist in American sign language. She is married to her husband Andy who is a Phd student at UGA studying genetics. They are big UGA fans!

AFVC FAMILY