2018 PPS Nominations

Candidate for Treasurer

Jennifer Lesko,
PT, DPT

Jennifer Lesko, PT, DPT, is the owner and director of Therapeutic Associates (TAI) West Seattle, treating a full caseload. She sits on the TAI Board, which has 83 physical therapist owned and operated clinics in the Pacific Northwest. She served on the APTA Public Policy and Advocacy Committee and was Washington’s chief delegate for nine years. She is a current delegate and is active legislatively. She has been a PPS Finance Committee member since 2014.

I want to thank the Nominating Committee for slating me to run for PPS Treasurer. In my 19-year career, I have been honored to serve my profession in many capacities at the state and national levels. I started my volunteerism on the state legislative committee and have engaged in many legislative and regulatory fights as a leader in the Physical Therapy Association of Washington (PTWA). I have served on APTA task forces, the Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, and at the House of Delegates. I have worked with physical therapists from all over the country with a wide range of backgrounds and talents to collaborate on creative and strategic ways to move the physical therapy profession forward. I understand the needs of the private practitioner, as an owner and a front line–treating therapist carrying a full caseload. I believe these skills and perspectives would be of value on the PPS board.

I have served on the PPS Finance Committee for four years, which has prepared me for the role of Treasurer. It has been an enriching experience and I have learned a lot from the leadership and my fellow committee members. During my tenure, I have been active in promoting and rewarding our members with grants for grassroots efforts to combat payment, regulatory, and practice issues unique to private practice owners. As one of the primary goals of the PPS strategic plan, advocacy has allowed private practitioners to be present in the health care arena and foster collaboration with key stakeholders on payment, regulatory, and business issues. These fights for appropriate payment, practicing at the highest level of our license, as well as achieving and maintaining the position as the musculoskeletal movement provider of choice are ever present. PPS is in a position to support members and the profession in multiple ways. As Treasurer, I will continue to be fiscally responsible with your money, yet be very thoughtful when it is necessary to spend for the good of our members and private practice physical therapy. As a member of the Executive Committee on the board, I will also work with my board colleagues to be creative in furthering the special needs of the private practitioner in the physical therapy profession today and for the future.

In addition to advocacy, the PPS strategic plan includes developing and delivering resources to promote business excellence and facilitate a community for members to engage and connect. It is the board’s responsibility to achieve these goals set by the strategic plan. As the Treasurer, I will help facilitate the discussion on how our members’ funds would most appropriately be used in advocacy, education, and connection to optimize the members’ individual operational excellence.

I am very proud to have worked my entire career for Therapeutic Associates, first as a staff therapist, then a clinic director, to a shareholder, and director on the board. I feel very lucky to be part of a company with a commitment to professional leadership, continued learning, and association involvement. I look forward to continuing my leadership in serving you as Treasurer of PPS. Thank you for your support and I ask for your vote.

Candidate for Treasurer

Chet Sternfels,
PT, DPT

Chet Sternfels, PT, DPT, has been co-owner of Advance Physical Therapy Thibodaux, Louisiana, since 2003. In 1998, he received a master’s in physical therapy from LSU Medical Center and a Series Seven license though the Financial Industry Regulation Authority, which allowed him to serve as a stockbroker and licensed financial planner. In 2012, he obtained a transitional Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Evidence in Motion, completing the Executive Program in Practice Management.

I would like to thank the nominating committee for slating me as a candidate for Treasurer. I am humbled at the thought of serving as a board member for a profession I believe in. I feel fortunate to have a family and coworkers who are willing to sacrifice as I pursue something I believe in.

I have been blessed to be around small business my entire life. My father’s family business was established 80 years ago and my individual practice in 2003. Lessons learned from my family and private practice prepare me to serve as Treasurer. Also, the knowledge and mentorship I received working as a financial planner for Ameriprise Financial gives me the confidence to continue to build on the accomplishments of our previous Treasurer. The financial industry taught me the importance of having sound financial strategies and principles and how to develop and apply them. I believe that the understanding of financial markets and the importance of budgeting qualify me to successfully serve our Section as Treasurer.

Although my experience with PPS on a national level has been short, I have always served in leadership roles at the local level for our profession and other civic organizations. Being civic-minded locally has given me great professional satisfaction. Helping our profession grow on a national level would be an extremely rewarding opportunity. I have had the good fortune of serving on the PPS Finance Committee the last three years. As an administrator, owner, and practicing clinician, I understand what is important and vital for our growth as a profession. Serving on the Finance Committee has been a great learning experience on how PPS is structured and what the goals of our Section are. Knowing how hard this organization works for and supports private practice specifically, I am now, more than ever, excited for our profession’s future.

I believe the next term as Treasurer will be extremely important. I believe it will require tremendous energy and dedication for whoever has the honor of serving as Treasurer. Sound financial strategies will be needed as we continue to push toward the mainstream of health care. Increased utilization of our services, independence as autonomous clinicians and business owners, and positioning our Section within APTA are just a few obstacles and challenges we will need to address. Having financial resources available to address these and any others as a profession will be vital. Positioning ourselves with the proper resources will help grow PPS for the next three years and beyond.

I professionally or personally would not claim to have all the answers. I do, however, know I would devote the time and energy required to help our profession through any obstacle. I do believe my ability to understand the financial climate, my ability to work with people, and my background prepares me to help lead our Section. It would be an honor to serve PPS and our members. I feel professionally I have the ability and time to devote to this position. I humbly ask you to consider allowing me the opportunity to serve as Treasurer. Thank you.

Candidate for Secretary

Amy Snyder,
PT, DPT

Amy Snyder, PT, DPT is a second-generation practice owner. After several years of running a practice with her parents, this year she and her husband assumed full ownership. PT Plus Management operates seven clinic locations in southeastern Wisconsin. Amy is a founding member of the Wisconsin Private Practice (Special Interest Group) SIG and was a member of the PPS Annual Conference Program Work Group. PT Plus is a member of KinexCare, a network that champions early/direct access to physical therapy.

I would like to thank the Nominating Committee and membership for the opportunity to run for the office of Secretary for a second term. It has been an honor to serve in this role for the past three years. The experiences and knowledge I have gained during this time will strengthen my ability to continue in this role.

The physical therapy profession and private practice business model have seen numerous changes throughout the years. Who better to face such changes than members of a profession who are inherently trained to minimize pain and maximize function? When we apply sound business principles to these changes and challenges, we can embrace our entrepreneurial spirit to adapt to any new environment. Private practice physical therapy can go beyond merely surviving to thriving. I know that the Private Practice Section is here to help you in that journey, just as it has been there to support us through the years.

In our practice, we are embracing a second-generation practice scenario as my parents faced their succession plan. My husband and I have been challenged this year to condense our ownership responsibilities from four to two individuals. Our mantra has been, “Eliminate, Automate, Delegate.” This process has brought to light the administrative burden that faces our profession. Hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars are being wasted to fight for fair pay for services. While we use outcomes and can justify our treatments and results, we still face a multitude of regulations and rules. The PPS advocacy efforts and education from the Payment Policy Committee need to continue to address these challenges on a broader scale, while assisting practices to navigate the process in their own clinics.

As many baby boomer practices are facing ownership transitions, mergers and acquisitions are strong influences that are changing the face of private practices. In response, we have seen many therapists embracing the cash-based practice model. Technology and telehealth are additional forces that are challenging us to adapt. Regardless of the ownership and delivery model that your practice is working in or working toward, PPS has the unique role of being a unifying force that can embrace these models under our umbrella and provide guidance and support through educational and legislative efforts.

Physical therapy remains an underutilized health care service in our country. We have the research to support the cost savings of early and direct access to our services, yet we have not seen a paradigm shift in the health care system. Advocacy and education must continue to support these changes. Consumer-based marketing can help us to reach new patient populations. If we can change how the population views, understands, and accesses our profession, they will help us to drive the changes that we have been working toward.

During a year of change in our practice, it remains my desire to continue to treat patients. My professional commitment to our patients and our community is why I believe we must be successful in our business models. From niche practices that are fulfilling an unmet need, to rural practices that provide care to our underserved communities, to the practice that is meeting the need of exceptional customer service, manual therapy, or functional medicine . . . it is through private practice physical therapy that we as a Section unify our desire to serve others, elevate our communities, and advance the profession.

Lastly, I want my second term on this Board of Directors to be influential in not only serving today’s membership but to propel us into the future: a future that I believe offers tremendous opportunities. Innovative delivery of our educational resources, sound financial oversight, and engagement of our membership will help PPS to be successful for future generations.

Candidate for Director

Stacey Alberts,
PT, MS

Stacey Alberts, PT, MS, is a current director in PPS seeking reelection. Stacey has served as a PPS committee chair for three years prior and is owner of Total Rehab with three locations in Iowa. Stacey has been active in legislative and payment policy initiatives for Iowa, regionally, and nationally, and has held several leadership roles with the Iowa Physical Therapy Association (IPTA) and PPS. Stacey brings with her experience from other leadership opportunities in the areas of finance.

My name is Stacey Alberts and I am running for a Director position on the Board of the Private Practice Section. I am the owner of Total Rehab, which has three clinic locations in central Iowa. Total Rehab primarily deals with an outpatient orthopedic population in which my main role is 60 percent administrative and 40 percent clinical. Our clinic vitality has come from decisions early in my practices to withhold from signing substandard contracts. Our clinics have utilized direct access to market to the public, which has been critical in withstanding the changes with health care reform and health care consolidation. About 70 percent of our clinic referrals now come from word of mouth. Our clinics have been very specific with the services we offer as a way to maintain our quality while being extremely cost efficient.

Annual Conference 2014 was my third year as chairperson for the conference and fourth year as part of the Annual Conference Committee. Attendance for the conference during this time rose by 10 percent each year. As a director, I have served under two presidents and a rotating board, all of whom have demonstrated passion and vision for the Private Practice Section (PPS). During my terms, I have had the opportunity to interact with PPS staff, the PPS committees, most of the PPS chairs, and numerous members and nonmembers. I have been active on the state and national level, which includes being past president for our state Special Interest Group, organization of the Midwest Therapy Network where I am a director, several APTA and PPS Capitol Hill visits, previous State Policy and Payment Reform Forums, state reimbursement committee and government affairs committee, as well as serving the Chapter as Iowa Physical Therapy Association Treasurer. Other leadership positions outside of PPS and APTA include: Church Foundation President, Board of Directors for First State Bank, and Head Varsity Softball Coach at Lynnville Sully High School.

In my opinion, the most critical issues affecting the Private Practice Section are operational. Over the past two years, PPS has been moving toward a more streamlined structure for committees: a structure to enhance our internal collaboration and efficiency in providing information to our membership. Streamlining the process moves the association to increasing our efficiency, which all of us do in our practices daily. I believe we as an association will need to make decisions on who our membership will be in the next 10 years and have the systems to help us make those decisions. Through health care consolidation, there has been a changing face to who our members actually are. PPS may serve not only owners of practices, but managers, executive staff, and office administrators.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I would greatly appreciate your vote this fall for Director on the Board of the Private Practice Section.

Candidate for Director

Brian Hartz,
PT, DPT

Brian Hartz, PT, DPT, started his independent private practice, HARTZ Physical Therapy, in 2000 and has grown the business to include four locations in central Pennsylvania and almost 30 employees. During that time, Brian has maintained remarkably low employee turnover and has spoken nationally on the topic of employee engagement and retention. Brian is passionate about private practice physical therapy (PT), employee engagement, and giving back to the community.

I would like to thank the Nominating Committee for slating me as a candidate for Director of the Private Practice Section (PPS). I am honored to be considered for the position.

I started my private practice, HARTZ Physical Therapy, in 2000 with just one employee. Despite an extremely competitive market landscape, I have grown my practice to include four locations in central Pennsylvania and 30 employees. I have been very fortunate to have remarkably low employee turnover over the past 18 years. I am most proud of the fact that I have never lost a physical therapist to one of my competitors. Recently, I have been afforded the opportunity to speak at several conferences, including last year’s PPS Conference in Chicago, about employee engagement and retention.

In addition to managing my practice, I am also the chair of the board of directors for Schreiber Pediatric Rehab Center, a local nonprofit offering outpatient therapy to children. My involvement in a leadership position has provided invaluable experience working with a board of 25 to oversee the operations of the center as well as achieve full engagement of each board member.

As a private practitioner, we must wear many hats. It is not enough to have a PT degree and the knowledge to make patients better. You must have the business acumen to analyze financial statements, manage employees, and make sound business decisions about the future of your clinic(s). When I was very young, my parents introduced me to the business world by giving me an opportunity to oversee the finances and management of an apartment. This sparked an interest in business, which I fostered through continued business courses in college and beyond. This background is invaluable each day as I continue to manage and grow my business and is an asset should I have the opportunity to serve you as Director on the PPS Board of Directors.

Today’s health care landscape is anything but simple. I firmly believe that small businesses have a competitive advantage in this market, as more and more patients take ownership of their medical options and begin to research where to receive the best care. Our patients are the best testament to the quality of service we provide. When utilized properly, they can help us spread the word about how we are different (and better) than our (often larger) competitors.

I think there are three main facets of each private practice that must be present in order to compete in this crowded market:

1. Clinical and support staff who are engaged and motivated to embrace the company’s mission and go above and beyond to ensure the success of the business. Treat your staff as #1 and they will treat your patients that way too.

2. Identify and emphasize how we are different than our competitors: Private practitioners will face ongoing challenges as consolidation occurs with private equity firms and hospital-based systems. This continued mass consolidation should be viewed as an opportunity for private practitioners to identify gaps in customer service or clinic management that can undoubtedly occur in such a large setting.

3. Clinical outcomes data in the top tier of the market: We can claim to be the best, but without market data to back that up, it is just another gimmick. Tracking real outcomes achieved can be the tricky part, but it is an essential part of validating our worth in the health care arena.

As Director, I plan to bring not only my experience starting a business from scratch and propelling it to a period of sustained growth, but also my unique perspective on employee engagement and retention to better the PPS member’s experience. Although this would be my first term on the board, I feel my past experiences have prepared me well for this challenge. I will bring a combination of new ideas and tried and true methods that will help me serve the membership of the PPS. I would be honored to serve you on the board of the PPS and I humbly ask for your vote.

Candidate for Director

Erica Meloe,
PT, MBA

Erica Meloe, PT, MBA, is a board-certified orthopedic physical therapist in private practice in New York City. She is co-owner of Velocity Physiotherapy and specializes in treating patients with persistent unsolved pain. After a decade solving financial puzzles for an international investment bank on Wall Street, Erica took her MBA and her problem-solving skills into the clinic. Erica is also fluent in Spanish and loves genealogy and golf.

First and foremost, I want to thank Karen Litzy, David Qualls, and Jerry Durham for nominating me to run for the PPS Board.

Physical therapy is a second career choice for me. After receiving my MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business, I worked on an international sales and trading desk in New York City. After 10 years, I decided I wanted a change. Three years later, I graduated from SUNY Stony Brook with my degree in physical therapy and embarked on my new career.

Although I was not an owner of a practice when I started, I became a member of the Private Practice Section early on as I found the benefits of early membership valuable—so much so, that I applied to be a member of the PPS Marketing and PR Committee when I opened up my practice. I served on this committee for six years where I was constantly motivated to increase the visibility of our profession.

As a member of this committee, I was an advocate for increasing public awareness of our profession, as reflected in showcasing physical therapy in specialized and generalized media stories such as by the BBC and Forbes, as examples.

Treating patients on a full-time basis in my practice and seeing firsthand the difficulties they face in navigating the health care system has caused me to focus my efforts on raising awareness of the profession. As business owners, how do we make the consumer think of physical therapists in private practice as their first “go to” when it comes to treating movement dysfunction?

How do we advocate for ourselves in the face of third-party payer indifference? How do we adapt, monetize, and capitalize on digital innovation as practice owners? How do we leverage our relationships with others to adapt to a changing health care environment? These are just a few of the issues that we face in the years ahead.

As members of the Private Practice Section, we want to have leaders who will represent our interests, be proactive, and think out of the box when it comes to articulating our position in the health care system.

To this end, I believe collaborative business models and leveraging the power of relationships to be an integral step in this process to gain true influence. We all know the value of good public relations—trust, influence, and crisis management. Because without solid relationships there will be no business.

Developing and fostering relationships with the media, other non–physical therapy industries/associations, as well as government, will increase this awareness. It will also move us one step further ahead in getting a seat at the table when it comes to negotiation, whether it is with payers, government, other associations, or even consumers.

With this opportunity we will be able to provide our expertise, prove our value, and gain insight from other professions as to how to protect our members’ interests going forward.

My 10 years in institutional sales on Wall Street taught me how to take risks, be a team player, and above all run a business. Running a business is not just about metrics, managing employees, or having the right strategy, it is also about mindset and having the right psychology. The test of a business owner and an organization is when things get tough. It is the tough times that test us. This is when we need a forward-thinking business model. Everyone has a role in health care delivery and in order to bring about the necessary innovations that are needed to increase our members’ visibility and be invited to play a part, we must combine our strengths and use our relationships through collaboration.

My previous career helped develop a strong sense of camaraderie, teamwork, along with an emphasis on good PR and fostering positive relationships with clients. This experience, along with six years on the PR and Marketing Committee, while running a successful practice in New York City, will all serve to enhance the PPS Board’s effectiveness for our members as we move forward.

Candidate for Director

Rob Worth,
PT, DPT, MS, ATC/L

Rob Worth, PT, DPT, MS, ATC/L, is the president/CEO and co-owner of Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine in Appleton, Wisconsin. He is the current chief delegate from Wisconsin to the APTA House of Delegates, past president of the Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association, and past Federal Affairs Liaison. He has been actively involved in PPS for many years, most recently serving on the PPS Nominating Committee.

Let me start by expressing my sincere gratitude to the PPS Nominating Committee for selecting me to run for the position of Director, and thank you to all of the individual PPS members who have been enthusiastically supportive of me running for this position. After 25 years of service to the APTA in a variety of positions and 20 years as a PPS member, I am very excited to potentially have the opportunity to serve as a PPS Director.

I am the president/CEO and co-owner of Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine. Established in 1998, we have grown to 21 clinics in Wisconsin, as well as providing onsite direct access PT services at several industrial companies, YMCAs, universities, and a local free clinic for the underserved. Though we have been blessed with steady growth, we continue to prioritize staying grounded in the same values and culture we have had since we were a single-location practice. My role in our practice is daily clinical patient care, program development, and administrative leadership, in addition to teaching at three universities and being actively involved in our clinic’s orthopedic clinical residency program, which was established in 2010 in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin. Recently, our practice implemented an innovative and inclusive progressive ownership model that has provided an ownership opportunity track for all eligible physical therapists within our practice designed to foster and grow the private practice mentality for the benefit of our practice and our profession.

My PPS background and involvement includes membership since 1998 and attendance of nearly every PPS Annual Conference since then, past University Initiative Task Force member, Board of Directors Strategic Planning 2012 Education Committee 2012–2016, Awards Committee 2013–2015, PPS regional Media Corp Spokesperson 2012–present, Graham Sessions invited speaker in 2012 and participant 2012–2018, member of the Innovation Task Force in 2014, PPS Nominating Committee 2014–2017, and current participant in the PPS Peer2Peer network.

National-level APTA activities include current Wisconsin chief delegate to the APTA House of Delegates; member of Private Practice, Research, Education, Health Policy and Administration, and Orthopedic sections, and Occupational Health SIG member; as well as invited speaker/panelist at the 2013 nationally broadcasted APTA Innovation Summit on Collaborative Care.

State-level APTA activities include past president of the Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association and past Federal Government Affairs Liaison, current Legislative Key Contact, and other positions held within our state PT association.

Awards for professional involvement include 2014 Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association Outstanding Service, 2014 Small Business of the Year (Fox Valley region Chamber of Commerce), 2013 PPS Jayne L. Snyder Practice Award, 2005 IndUS International Award for cross cultural contributions in health care, 2004 Fox Cities Community Clinic Volunteer of the Year Award, and 2000 Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association Physical Therapist of the Year Honorable Mention.

What are the most critical issues that PPS will deal with over the next three years and how would I address these if elected?

Reimbursement–Payment is the lifeblood of our practices. We need to have a multipronged approach to improve payment for our services that optimizes reimbursement under the current model but also moves us forward by showing what physical therapists can offer within the emerging model of value-based health care.

Innovation and collaboration–Within PPS we need to facilitate innovation in practice as well as innovation in informing the public and legislators of the value that PT brings to this new era of health care. Collaboration with other health care professionals, health care systems, insurers, and the business world will be key.

The next generation–It is incumbent on us to identify, mentor, and grow the next generation of private practitioners within our own practices and in the leadership of our association.

It is for all of these reasons and more that I am running for PPS Director and I ask for your vote!

Candidate for Nominating Committee

Sturdy McKee,
PT

Sturdy McKee, PT, has been in private practice since 1999. He has served the APTA and PPS in multiple positions and is now on the Editorial Board of Impact magazine. Sturdy runs San Francisco Sport and Spine Physical Therapy and helps private practice and business owners achieve their goals through business coaching and advising. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and three children.

As CEO at San Francisco Sport and Spine Physical Therapy, and through my business coaching and advising business, I help private practice and business owners increase their cash and get control of their time and their businesses. My involvement with the Private Practice Section (PPS), in my own businesses, and with hundreds of private practice owners gives me a broad perspective on physical therapist private practice.

We are facing a world that is changing at an increasingly rapid pace, be it technology, payers, health care laws and regulations, awareness and demands by the public, or other external environmental factors. We are in a period of unprecedented change. The next three years will see even more changes in how the world sees physical therapists and our impacts on society.

As a member of the Nominating Committee for PPS, I aim to bring more people into leadership in the Private Practice Section who have varied and informed perspectives in these, and other, areas facing us in the coming years.

Physical therapists make up the third largest health care profession in the United States behind nurses and medical doctors. This changing environment, though daunting, offers us a unique window of opportunity to grow our influence, enhance our perceived value, thrive as a profession, and take our rightful place in the health care ecosystem. The people we select as leaders to help take us there will be a critical factor in our success in bringing our expertise and value to more people in more ways than ever before.

Candidate for Nominating Committee

Stephanie Weyrauch,
PT, DPT, MSci

Stephanie Weyrauch, PT, DPT, MSCI, is a PT at Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center in Orange, Connecticut. She received her DPT and MSci from Washington University in St. Louis. She frequently speaks on the topics of social media, generational issues, and organizational membership. She has performed research through grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. Her research examining movement patterns and low back pain has been published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

I remember the day I decided to become a member of PPS. I was a physical therapy (PT) student and had just returned from Graham Sessions, where I had the distinct honor of being selected as one of the very first students invited to attend that scintillating conference. The innovation and futuristic visions demonstrated by numerous attendees established in my mind a high standard for the PT profession. I was inspired to join PPS. Now, I am again honored, this time by being considered for PPS Nominating Committee.

I am a private practice PT at Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center (PTSMC) in Connecticut and cohost of the Healthcare Education Transformation Podcast. I started my career as a generalist at RehabAuthority, a private practice in rural Minnesota. In my time there I was fortunate to have mentors who eagerly shared their knowledge on private practice ownership, building workplace culture, and developing leadership skills. I influenced my colleagues to become APTA and PPS members, to attend and present at professional conferences, and participate in patient advocacy.

As I have developed as both a PT and leader, my involvement in PPS and APTA continues to expand. I have served on multiple national task forces for APTA, including the Retention and Recruitment for Early Career Members Task Force and the PPS Leadership Development Task Force. I have also served on the PPS Membership Development Committee. As a member of these groups, I created recommendations for improving young professionals’ involvement. I also performed demographic data analysis and advised the Board of Directors on which groups PPS could target for membership growth.

Health care payment and access to our services is of paramount importance in private practice. Payment models continue to evolve as health care changes. For PPS to achieve its mission, we must engage policymakers and show our value to payers, lawmakers, and the public. One of my passions is advocacy. I actively advocate on health care policy issues at all levels of government, serving as a PPS Key Contact for representatives in North Dakota, Minnesota, and now Connecticut. I have testified before state legislature on PT access issues important to private practice PTs, and I attend Federal Advocacy Forum annually. I also continually invite congressional delegation and local politicians to my practice and serve on APTA’s Awards Committee – Subcommittee on Advocacy. As a Nominating Committee member, I would pursue candidates who prioritize advocacy efforts that improve payment and access to private practices.

We need to inspire and mentor younger members to be the next generation of leaders for PPS. For PPS to thrive in this era, we must recruit those with the skills needed to accomplish the Section’s mission and those who are proficient in generational leadership to further grow our membership. I have had many Section leaders come to me seeking advice on generational leadership. This sparked a series of speaking events where I was consulted by private practices, educational organizations, and organizational leaders on understanding and managing the Millennial employee. As a member of Nominating Committee, I would recruit established PTs as well as younger members, ensuring all demographics are represented.

Our identity as physical therapists is, increasingly, as movement system experts. We must unite under this identity to communicate the value of our services. Currently, I manage social media for APTA Academy of Physical Therapy Education, the Healthcare Education Transformation Podcast, and PT Day of Service. I served as social media and digital marketing consultant for leadership firms and private practices, so I understand the importance of branding and representing an organization. If elected, I will identify leadership potential in those who can clearly articulate and demonstrate our value as movement system experts.

I am committed to using my skills to recognize candidates who will advance the PPS mission.