Meet Our Staff

Meet the experienced and friendly staff who make Dr. Hanlen and Associates the leading provider of vision care products and services in Boalsburg and surrounding communities.

Joan Morgan, BS

Joan is our front desk assistant. She has been an associate with us since 2013. Her responsibilities include greeting patients on the phone and in person and schedule management. She has extensive experience in the medical field and also multitasks as our ophthalmic technician when needed.

Joan’s educational background is in health policy and administration, with studies in long-term care, but she has had extensive patient care experience at other local optometric offices prior to joining our care team.

She enjoys meeting our patients and hearing about their eye and vision concerns. Joan says, “It makes me happy when patients are surprised to find the care they receive is so much more comprehensive than the care they’ve received elsewhere.”

Joan is a native of Howard, PA. She lives in Reedsville with her husband, Frank. She has three adult sons.

Debra Ponish

Debra is our optician. She joined our team in September, 2016 with extensive experience in optical, patient care and relations, customer service, retail design and stocking. For over 10 years she worked for Dr. Tinkelman in Bellefonte and gained experience in fitting and dispensing eyewear.

Debra attended Bald Eagle Area High School and was active in many activities. She is a graduate of Centre County Vo Tech School, now CPI, with training in data processing and dental assisting. She is the proud owner of a 1988 Firebird Formula that she has lovingly maintained and shown for over 25 years.

Debra is a real “people person” who gets to know our patients so she can better serve their needs. Her responsibilities include frame buying and inventory management. She is an expert at fitting the style to the person, recommending the right lens style and features and fitting and the repair and maintenance of eyewear.

Debra lives in Howard, where she grew up, with her husband Phil and three cats. She enjoys spending time with her adult children and grandchildren and attending her grandchildren’s sports activities.

Cindy Beard, LPN

Cindy is our Optometric Technician. Her responsibilities include conducting pre-testing measurements and taking scans and photos for the doctors. In addition, she manages our contact lens inventories with responsibilities for ordering and patient training in contact lens handling and care.

Cindy was graduated from Bellefonte High School and completed her LPN at Centre County Vo Tech School, now CPI. She assisted for Dr. John Fisher for 17 years and continued her education by attending workshops and seminars in the field. Following Dr. Fisher’s retirement, she assisted Dr. Fred Carlin at Nittany Eye Associates for eleven years.

Cindy likes working in eyecare. She explains, “meeting our patients and being part of a team that helps people see and nurture their eye health” is very rewarding. Cindy lives in Pleasant Gap and enjoys her family, including husband, Bill, her three children and two grandchildren. She likes to garden and exercise.