Administrative Team

Kim Southmayd, COE

Administrator

Kim Southmayd, our Administrator for our clinics and surgery center, has been with The Eye Center since 1999. In 2006, she earned the title of Certified Ophthalmic Executive after passing the Ophthalmic Executive Exam through the National Board for the Certification of Ophthalmic Executives of the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators. She continues to meet the certification requirements set by the National Board. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee in 1995. Kim has over 30 years of experience in Practice Management including family practice, internal medicine, and general vascular surgery. She lives in Oak Ridge with her husband, Dick, and two cats, Ruthie B and Jack Sprat.

Patti Patterson, BSN, RN

Director of Nursing

Patti Patterson, our Director of Nursing has been with The Eye Surgery Center since 2011. She was first hired as a charge nurse in 2011 and then promoted to Director of Nursing in 2012. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Belmont University in 1997. Patti has many years of experience as a Registered Nurse in a variety of settings including both inpatient and outpatient. As our Director of Nursing, she is responsible for maintaining regulatory compliance with the state and our accreditation company, AAAHC. Patti lives in Knoxville with her husband John and her son Jonathan. She enjoys reading, boating on Norris Lake and Tennessee Baseball.

Becky West

Assistant Administrator

Becky has been with The Eye Center since 1996. She started in our call center and continued to grow in our company by working at our front desk, scribing for Dr. Powers, and working in the Business Office. Her love for our patients and our practice, combined with her motivation to take on additional roles, made her the best candidate for the role of Assistant Administrator in 2023. Outside of work, Becky loves boating on Norris Lake, the mountains and reading. She resides in Rocky Top with her husband Scotty and their 2 dogs and 3 cats.