Doctors & Staff

Dr. Smiley grew up in Durand, Wisconsin, and completed her bachelor’s degree in Physiology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2013. She then graduated with honors from the Michigan College of Optometry in 2017 with her Doctor of Optometry degree. She practices full-scope, primary care optometry with a special interest in ocular disease.

Dr. Mike grew up in northwestern Wisconsin and decided on a career in Optometry while in high school. After completing high school, he enrolled at UW-Stevens Point to pursue his biology degree. He trained at the Michigan College of Optometry and was fortunate to serve as the Student Government President.

Dr. Schipper was raised in Richland, Michigan, where he attended Gull Lake High School. After finishing high school, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology at Western Michigan University. He then went on to graduate with honors from the Michigan College of Optometry in 2017 with his Doctor of Optometry degree.

Dr. Kocemba grew up in Stone Lake, Wisconsin, graduated from Hayward High School, and went to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for her Bachelor of Science degree. She moved on to the Illinois College of Optometry and graduated with a Doctor of Optometry degree in 1997.

Dr. Josh grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania and received his bachelor’s degree in biology at Grove City College in 2020. He then graduated from the Michigan College of Optometry in 2024. During his time in school, he served on two international optometry mission trips. In his final year of school, he completed a clinical internship at Northview Eye Associates.

Sally is the office manager at our Rice Lake location. She has been an optician for over 26 years. Her favorite part of being an optician is making a difference in the patient experience and touching our patients’ lives through their vision. Sally is married with 4 children and 7 grandchildren. Her passion is for the outdoors, especially in or on the water; swimming, fishing and kayaking.

Heather joined Northview Eye Associates in 2016 and is our office manager at the Hayward location. She also manages the billing department, has over 20 years of experience in medical admin and billing, and loves helping patients and working with her NVEA family!  When she's not at work, she enjoys family, friends, and being outdoors.

Angie is originally from Missouri, where she has been an ophthalmic assistant for 23 years. She moved to Wisconsin in 2022 and has been with Northview Eye since January 2025. Angie has two children, 23 and 16. She loves watching St Louis Blues hockey, St Louis Cardinals baseball, and Oklahoma Sooners football. You can catch her on the weekends hanging out with her partner, fishing, or doing paranormal investigations.

Melissa was born and raised in Spooner.  She has been employed with Northview Eye Associates since March 2022 as a receptionist/optician/technician.  Her favorite part of her job is working with patients to find their perfect pair of glasses. She has been married to her husband, Shane, for 27 years.  In her free time, she loves to spend time with her friends and family, traveling, shopping, fishing, and going to car races.

Ashley was born & raised in Osceola, and is married to her high school sweetheart. They have a little girl and a little boy, as well as two dogs. She has been here at Northview since 2024 and likes working at the front desk and being an optician. Outside of work, Ashley enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Melisa has been with Northview Eye Associates since 2013. She became an ABO certified optician in 2021 and loves putting a smile on patients' faces with their new eyeglasses, especially kids. She is also an asset to our billing department. She has been happily married to Bob for 26 years. She has 4 children, and her hobbies are watching her kids’ sports, fishing, hunting, and 4-wheeling.

Alyssa grew up in Mazeppa, MN, and moved to Hayward in 2020 to be with her husband, Andrew. She has over ten years of experience in reception work and joined the Northview team in 2021. She is the first smiling face you see when you walk in the door, and is also another asset to our billing department. Alyssa enjoys helping people to the best of her abilities. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her husband and kids, family, friends, and pets, which includes her cats and horses.

Kelsey was born and raised in Panama City, FL. She recently got married and moved to Hayward, WI, to be with her husband. She has worked in the medical field for about 6 years and has experience as a receptionist, medical assistant, and transcriptionist. She is delighted to be here and plans on pursuing her certification to become a licensed optician during her career here at NVEA.

Hannah joined Northview Eye Associates in 2025 as an optician and an optometric technician in the Spooner office. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family and being outdoors as much as she can.

Tina is an Optician, Ophthalmic Technician, and Inventory Specialist in our Hayward office. With 30 years of experience in the optical industry, she relocated from Illinois to raise her amazing son, Rocco, and to be closer to family. Tina enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite activities include pontooning, swimming, and catching muskies!

Lakota was born and raised in Hayward. She has over 15 years of customer service experience. She joined NVEA in 2022. She is ABO, NCLE, and MOONLens certified. She works as an optician, contact lens specialist, and technician. She loves spending her free time with her husband and kids outdoors, playing games, and learning new things.

Aaron was born and raised in the Cumberland area. After 8 years in the underground utilities industry, he's starting a new chapter of life, crafting lenses at Northview Eye Associates as our lab manager. Spending most of his life needing corrective glasses, he knows just how necessary they can be and is excited to be able to provide them to the community. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and 4 children.

Tara has been with Northview Eye Associates since 2023. She started her journey as an Optician and is currently working on becoming a Certified Optician, taking courses with the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) through the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, followed by the National Opticianry Competency Examination (NOCE). She has also dipped her toes into a new job title as a Technician. In her spare time, you can find Tara either at the hockey rink cheering on her son alongside her husband of 16 years, riding the trails on a side-by-side, or simply enjoying a nice book.