Dr. Sarah Frye Heywood has built a career in recruiting at Walmart. Her current role focuses on teaching, training and developing associates working in nearly 600 Walmart vision centers across 20 states. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Sarah Frye Heywood)

Over the course of her nearly 30-year career in optometry, Dr. Sarah Frye Heywood has learned to embrace change and new opportunities.

Heywood didn’t wear a prescription growing up but knew she wanted to pursue a career in optometry after shadowing an optometrist through a program in high school. While studying at the College of Optometry at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, she was excited to learn from faculty members with different backgrounds in the field, from a professor with a long history in academia to another who filled in as an optometrist at a local Sam’s Club.

“I felt like my faculty were exhibiting that being an OD has endless possibilities,” Heywood said.

She still remembers coming back to campus during her fourth-year rotation for a senior seminar, in which she listened to a panel of UMSL optometry graduates share their experiences. Each had taken a slightly different path after graduating – one started their own private practice, for instance, while another worked at a large community practice and yet another worked at the local VA.

“There were all these opportunities that their OD degree granted them,” Heywood said. “Hearing their stories, it was comforting to hear they’ve done different things through their career journey.”

After graduating from optometry school in 2006, Heywood started working at a private ophthalmology practice in Monett, Missouri. It was a perfect steppingstone for starting out her career; she enjoyed the opportunity to have a little independence while also having the support of the team. But when she met her husband, who was seeking to move out west, she knew she was ready to make a professional change.

As she searched for a place to practice in Colorado, Heywood met with Walmart, thinking she might find an open lease agreement. Instead, she found out about the potential role of recruiting optometrists and pharmacists.

“It presented like the universe was telling me something,” Heywood said. “It doesn’t hurt to have a conversation to learn more. I had no idea, to be honest, when I accepted my first role at Walmart of what was going to come next, and it’s been an amazing ride since then.”

Heywood joined Walmart as a regional talent specialist, recruiting optometrists as well as pharmacists in 12 states in the Western US. Much of her work involved making connections through social media, direct outreach, and attending state, regional and national meetings. She enjoyed getting to connect with health care professionals to learn about what was on their mind about the profession and what they like/dislike about their current roles.

Heywood was also getting to know the Walmart culture, though she had a bit of a head start, as her father celebrated 40 years with the company prior to retirement. Her father shared many of the company’s core values and instilled them in Sarah from an early age. That helped her quickly find a home with the company.

“Walmart continues to be a perfect fit for me,” Heywood said. “I stand behind our company’s culture, core values and vision. When you align like that, it’s just very easy to be authentic and transparent to share your passion.”

Heywood’s career follows a pattern with Walmart: She continues to obtain new skills and experience to support new roles and teams. After four years working as a regional talent specialist, she moved into a senior manager position, in which she oversaw a team of six regional talent specialists in the western United States. Managing a team of direct reports was a transition but remains her favorite part of her work with Walmart today. She enjoys having an influence on her team members and facilitating all the pieces they need for their next opportunity, whether that’s a guided mentorship or exposure to different experiences.

“Through Walmart, I’ve had the influence on such journeys from those that have been mentees,” Heywood said. “And it’s just amazing to continue to watch them shine.”

After another couple of years, Heywood made another role switch – this time, to director over optometrist recruitment for the entire United States. In addition to expanding her number of direct reports on the talent acquisition team, Heywood began supporting more leadership in the larger territory. Throughout her work in recruitment, she enjoyed getting to know ODs (independent and associate), vision center managers and opticians in Walmart vison centers who were so passionate about access to eye care and health care equity. But after another couple of years, she knew she was ready for yet another new challenge.

Currently, Heywood serves as optical regional senior director in Walmart’s western business unit. In this role, which she’s held since 2023, her team focuses on teaching, training and developing associates working in nearly 600 Walmart vision centers across 20 states. Heywood has enjoyed learning optical business acumen and discovering more how scope of practice differs across various states. The role has allowed her to see optometry from a new perspective.

“In this part of my journey through Walmart, I asked myself, ‘How am I going to bring my past expertise to an optical business operational perspective?’” she said. “‘How can I lead through example and influence to show what’s possible?’”

Although Heywood’s role has changed over the course of her 14 years with Walmart, there have been a few throughlines, including her commitment to patient-centric care and her passion for optical and advocating for health care professionals. At Walmart, she said, change and new opportunities are always right around the corner, and she continues to enjoy exploring what’s next for her.

Heywood is the first to admit that she didn’t follow a traditional career path outside of optometry school and credits her experience in the College of Optometry with instilling the importance of broadening her horizons. Faculty members, including former Dean Larry Davis, constantly encouraged her to try new things, and she followed the example of faculty members who were heavily involved in different professional organizations. Heywood held various positions with the college’s chapter of the Missouri Optometric Student Association, which allowed her to network with optometrists across the region, and also participated in humanitarian work through UMSL’s chapter of Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity, which opened her eyes to issues of access to care.

“I feel like I was always encouraged to imagine what’s possible,” Heywood said. “They encouraged us to explore. The volunteer piece, the networking, clubs and organizations were really instilled in me, and still resonates. Looking back, I’m so lucky and fortunate to be selected to attend UMSL with my graduating class of 2006. My cohort spent four years together and we’re celebrating each other through all our successes in our optometry careers.

“A role like mine probably won’t come to mind for an optometry student who’s thinking about what’s next for them. My recommendation is to remain open and curious, choose the journey (even when unexpected) that is going to lead you to happiness in your professional and personal life balance. Optometrists have so many options in where and how they practice, whether that’s patient care or if they decide to utilize their expertise in something very different.”