NEW YORK—Long-time optician and optical trainer Rene Soltis received the Optical Women’s Association’s (OWA) 10th annual Pleiades Award Friday night at a packed OWA cocktail reception and award presentation held at the Marchon Eyewear showroom here.

Soltis is director of training and education for The Vision Council. The Pleiades Award—named for the star cluster Pleiades, also known as the “Seven Sisters” in the Taurus constellation—spotlights an individual who has shown a commitment to the mission of the OWA by fostering the growth of women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. Pleiades Award winners have a star named after them, and receive a star map and certificate as part of their recognition by the organization’s members.