Dr. Clayton Nathaniel Hicks is the founder and owner of Driving Park Vision Center. For 44 years, Dr. Hicks has provided vision care services to 30,000 patients on Columbus, Ohio’s eastside. In 2010, he was recognized by the Molina Healthcare of Ohio as a respected, community leader and advocate, receiving the Community Champions Award. Passionate about reducing health disparities especially in the Driving Park Community, Dr. Hicks founded the Driving Park Walking Club, which currently serves as a model walking club for the City of Columbus. Since 1976, Hicks has served as the vision care consultant for the Ohio Medicaid Department, using his experience and expertise to ensure those individuals in need of eyecare services receive them. Committed to ensuring that minorities are recruited and provided educational opportunities, Dr. Hicks has served as a Past President of the National Optometric Association and is the current Executive Director of the National Optometric Foundation.
Dr. Hicks is committed to serving others and has demonstrated this commitment through his lifetime service in the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., which recently celebrated his 50-year membership. He is also actively engaged in the Alpha Rho Lambda Education Foundation where he serves as Executive Director. He is a Life Member of the American Optometric Association and the Ohio Optometric Association, a member of Epsilon Psi Epsilon Professional Fraternity, and has served the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners in several capacities. From 1970-1986, Dr. Hicks served as a clinical instructor at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. He has also served on the Ohio Avenue Elementary School Parent/Community Advisory Board, the Near East Health Advisory Committee, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Task Force and was President of the Livingston Avenue Collaborative for Community Development.
Dr. Clayton Nathaniel Hicks has received numerous honors, awards, and recognitions for his service. Some of his recognitions include National Optometric Association’s “Optometrist of the Year (1982),” Who’s Who Among Black Americans (fourth edition), “Community Building Award” from Ohio Governor Bob Taft (2003), Political Leadership Award 29th District Caucus (1986), OSU Black Alumni Society’s “Outstanding Alumnus Award (1995)”, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s “Human Service Award (2002)”, Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday Commission “2003 Community Building Award”, Alpha Phi Alpha “Theodore Berry Community Service Award (2007)”, Cheryl Boyce Excellence in Healthcare Award (2008), and Esteemed Alumnus in 100 Years of African-American Achievement at The Ohio State University (2011).