Susan Pietz Coats, OD grew up in Mitchell, SD. After graduating Mitchell Senior High, she attended the University of South Dakota where she earned her bachelor’s degree in both mathematics and business management with a minor in biology. She then obtained her Doctor of Optometry degree at the New England College of Optometry in Boston, MA. She completed her clinic rotations at the VA in Lowell, MA, the Colorado Optometric Center in Denver, CO, the Indian Health Service in Santa Fe, NM, and the North End Community Health Center in Boston, MA. Dr. Coats practiced in Watertown at Meier Visual Clinic for nearly five years before purchasing The Optical Shop in Brookings, SD in 2008. In her free time, Dr. Susan enjoys singing (she was Mrs. Bucket in the Brookings Community Theater’s 2010 production of Willy Wonka Jr. and Yente in the 2012 presentation of Fiddler on the Roof), walking, bicycling, traveling, doting on her daughter Ashley, supporting her step-daughter Kimberly’s activities, enabling John’s golf habit, cheering on the Jackrabbits and spending time with family and friends. Susan is a member of the Brookings Optimist Club as well as Chamber Ambassadors.