Meet Our Staff
Melissa
Melissa started at Ridgedale Family Eye Care in May of 2017. Before joining our team, she was an administrative assistant at a fitness club for six years. She decided to become more involved in the medical field when her interest in Optometry peaked after having the LASIK procedure. Melissa enjoys expanding her optometric knowledge base, learning new skills, and finding new ways to run the day to day of our office in the most efficient way possible as Staff Manager. This most recently led her to becoming a Certified Paraoptometric with a record breaking examination score! Melissa enjoys visiting Florida and being near the ocean. In her spare time you can find her going to Yankees games, doing laundry, or petting all the dogs and cats she meets!
Heather
Heather joined Ridgedale Family Eye Care in June of 2017. Heather achieved her bachelor’s degree at Rider University, double majoring in Elementary Education and Psychology with a minor in Special Education. After graduation, she joined her father’s family run Optometry practice where she managed the office for 8 years before joining our practice. Heather is a Certified Paraoptometric and at the office you can find her in the Optical Department. Heather is our smiling face who is always ready to help each patient with their specific frame styling needs. Heather is very patient and makes the frame selection process easy and pleasant. She is very knowledgeable about lenses and helps educate patients on the different types of lenses and lens options. She will explain your vision insurance coverage and suggest the best lens options to fit each patient’s needs. Heather also helps patients with frame adjustments and repairs. In her free time, Heather loves spending time with her husband and 2 daughters.
Jennifer
Jenn joined the Optical field in 2013 and came to Ridgedale Family Eye Care in February 2018. As a Certified Paraoptometric and Optical Manager, she enjoys assisting patients in finding their perfect frame, frame adjustments, and repairs. You may occasionally catch a glimpse of Jenn around the office, but most of her time is spent behind the scenes in our Optical Lab making lenses, running quality control on each and every pair of glasses ordered in the office, communicating with insurance company labs, and troubleshooting issues. Together with the Optical Team, Jenn meets with brand representatives to hand pick every single frame you see in the office and is dedicated to making sure the glasses you buy at RFEC are of the highest quality. She is passionate about the optical industry and strives to learn all that she can about the latest and greatest lens technology and frame styles. When not at the office, Jenn enjoys checking National Parks off her bucket list, exploring new cities, getting lost in the woods, and taking too many pictures of her dog.
Robb
Robb joined Ridgedale Family Eye Care in March of 2019. Robb started his career at Ridgedale as the friendly face at the front desk. You can now find Robb in the Optical Department. Robb is very well versed at the office and can literally do it all from answering the phones, making appointments, pre-testing patients, and now addressing optical needs. Currently Robb is our charming face in the optical department where he helps patients with frame selections, lens options, eyeglass adjustments, and repairs. In his free time you can find him playing video games, watching anime, working out at the gym, and hanging out with his friends and family.
Kim
Kim joined Ridgedale Family Eye Care in January of 2023. She graduated from Bergen Community College with an Associate of Applied Science degree in veterinary technology. She worked as a veterinary technician assisting veterinarians and providing patient care in animal health facilities. Kim is very excited to have now joined this wonderful team, creating new relationships with patients and staff members! In her free time, she loves hanging out with her friends and family, spending time with her two dogs and two cats, and binge watching some of her favorite shows.
Arielle
Arielle joined Ridgedale Family Eye Care in August of 2023. She graduated from Rutgers State University with a Bachelor's degree in English. Arielle has previously worked as a preschool teacher, music teacher, and yearbook photographer, and she is very excited to learn and grow now as a member of the Optical Team! In her free time, Arielle loves to crochet, play video games, and spend time with friends and family.
