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Doctors & Staff

Meet the experienced and friendly doctors and staff who make Byron Eye Care the leading provider of vision care products and services in Byron.

Dr. Wendy A. Kennedy

Dr. Kennedy is originally from Fergus Falls, a small community in northwest Minnesota. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College, Moorhead MN, graduating with honors in 1998. Following her undergraduate graduation she headed east to attend the New England College of Optometry in Boston, Massachusetts. She received her Doctorate of Optometry degree and graduated Salutatorian of her class in 2004. Knowing Minnesota always would be home, she returned to be close to family and to start her optometric career. Since 2004, Dr. Kennedy has been in practice in the SE Minnesota area. March of 2015 marked a long time dream come true as she opened Byron Eye Care.
As a resident of Byron, the most rewarding part of practice for Dr. Kennedy is meeting families and people in the community and she looks forward to having the privilege of providing their eye care for years to come.
When not providing patient care, Dr. Kennedy enjoys spending time with her 3 girls; being outdoors, gardening, cooking, camping, fishing, hiking and going up north to the lakes are a few of activities enjoyed in her spare time.

Desiree – Patient Care Coordinator

Desiree has been with our office since December 2022, but had been a care coordinator for seven years before deciding to join our team! If you’ve called or been in the office since then, you have probably talked to Desiree. She loves the friendly atmosphere of our office and helping connect patients to the care they need, and as a former Byron Bear herself, has loved being part of the Byron community! In her free time, you can usually find her on a lake fishing, or spending as much time as she can outside in the sun with her pup Maddie!

Sarah – ABO Certified Optician/ Optical Manager

Sarah has been in the optical world for 28 years and joined the team here at Byron Eye Care in 2021. Sarah is passionate about all things optical, from purchasing the right frames to fit our patient’s styles, to training our staff on delivering cutting-edge products and services. Sarah thrives on finding the best frame and lens options for every patient’s unique visual needs along with their personal style preferences! Sarah is a plant lover! She will use any excuse she can to ‘play in the dirt’ and care for her plants. She enjoys spending quality time with her husband, son, and daughter and spending time in their pool (if the weather permits). Her dog Finn, also loves to lounge about.

Shannon – Operations Manager

Shannon has been working in the optical field since 2020 and started at Byron Eye Care in 2021. She is indispensable to keeping our day-to-day operations running smoothly! Shannon’s favorite parts of working here include being part of a small local business and helping our amazing patients! Most of Shannon’s free time is spent creating miniatures out of polymer clay, and playing with her dogs (Leonard & Jackie).

Melissa – Optometric Technician

Melissa has been an optometric technician since 2021, then started at Byron Eye Care in 2022. She loves working with Dr. Kennedy to provide an excellent and seamless experience for our patients while they are in our office. Melissa also loves continuing to learn and grow as we add new technology and provide the highest level of care to every patient! Melissa is a seasoned forager! She LOVES to spend time barefoot in nature and gather goodies to cook with. She is also on a mission to visit every national park in the U.S.!

Tara – ABO Certified Optician

Tara became an American Board of Opticianry Certified Optician in 1999, and has worked at Byron Eye Care since late 2023! After spending the last 16 years working in a large clinic optical setting, Tara is enjoying the smaller community-focused environment at Byron Eye Care, and is happy to be working with Dr. Kennedy again after many years! Tara loves to spend time with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs (Millee & Loona) at their cabin up on Mille Lacs Lake. When she isn’t relaxing there, she will go shopping or snuggle up with a good movie!

Von- ABO Certified Optician

Our resident optical wizard! Von has been in the optical world since 1982, and joined Byron Eye Care in 2019! He is the fourth generation of his family in the optical world, and he is extremely passionate about fixing frames. Von loves working to help every customer find the right frame for their unique style, and he is thrilled to be a member of Dr. Kennedy’s team! If Von isn’t working on your eyeglass frames, he is probably daydreaming about downhill skiing or one of the many woodworking projects he has running at home. He is also working on restoring a 1978 Firebird Formula!