Nomination Phase

During the nomination phase, APTA members may recommend themselves and other APTA members for national office by submitting a Recommendation for National Office Form which is typically open two months at the start of the year. Those who consent to be considered as an applicant for the slate will submit a CV and responses to several questions developed by the Nominating Committee. Responses to these questions and information contained within applicant CVs help the committee members understand applicants' backgrounds and experiences. Not all applicants for national office will be invited to interview with the Nominating Committee. Of those interviewed, not all will be selected for the slate of candidates.

Once the Nominating Committee has developed the slate of candidates for national office, the slate is distributed to APTA members marking the start of a 20-day period during which time the presidents of chapters, sections and academies, and the PTA Council leadership may nominate individuals by Group Petition to be added to the ballot. A form must be submitted by each group petitioner and nomination by group petition requires five form submissions. At the 20-day nomination by group petition deadline the ballot closes until the Nomination by Individual Petition process opens. More details on these processes may be obtained by contacting governancehouse@apta.org.

Candidacy Phase

Prior to elections, candidates share information that inform delegates and members about their expertise and background via resources posted to the APTA Candidate Webpage that could include candidate statements, CVs, and recorded interviews. The candidacy phase and all activities are developed and overseen by the APTA Elections Committee.

Elections

Elections are managed via an electronic process where the ballot for APTA National Elections opens for a specified period allowing voting delegates to cast their ballots. Ballots are open for no fewer than five calendar days. The elections process is facilitated and overseen by the APTA Elections Committee.

APTA National Elections Cycles Through 2032

The following table outlines changes to the APTA national election cycle that are necessary to align with revisions made to the APTA Bylaws in 2025 related to Board term and tenure.

New term lengths and limits will apply to Board members elected starting with the 2025 elections. Any individual elected in 2025 or later may serve no more than one complete term per office and no more than two complete terms in any Board office. However, the President may serve up to three consecutive terms. This applies regardless of any prior Board service before 2025. There are a few exceptions:

1. Individuals elected to their first term of office before 2025 will be eligible for reelection in 2025, 2026, and 2027, under the new bylaws, to serve a new four-year term.
2. Individuals serving a second term of office before 2025 will not be eligible to serve a third consecutive term in the same office.
3. The Speaker will be elected to a two-year term in the 2026 elections, which will not count as a complete term. The Speaker will then be elected in 2028 for a full four-year term.

Per APTA Bylaws, six officers of the association together with 10 directors, one of whom is the public member appointed by the Board, shall constitute the Board. The election cycles outlined in the table below illustrate how the Board will transition to four-year terms while ensuring nine elected directors serve throughout the transition.

*Directors elected in 2026 to a two-year term, and directors elected in 2027 to a one-year term are eligible for re-election in 2028 to serve a new four-year term.

Download APTA National Elections Cycles Through 2032

Board of Directors

The term of office of each member of the Board, except for the public member, shall be four years or until their successors assume office and shall start at the beginning of the calendar year following the year when they were elected. If a member vacates a current office to assume another office on the Board, the time served in the vacated office shall count as a full term for the purpose of term limits. No member shall serve more than one complete term on the Board in the same office consecutively. No member shall serve more than two complete consecutive terms in any office on the Board except for the President who may serve no more than three complete consecutive terms on the Board.

Nominating Committee

The term of office for members of the Nominating Committee shall be three years or until their successors assume office and shall start at the beginning of the calendar year following the year when they were elected. No member shall be elected to successive complete terms. Members of the committee may not serve concurrently as delegates to the House or be slated for national office during their term.

Board of Directors Roles and Responsibilities

APTA Board of Directors is APTA's governing authority, with the corporate duties of care, loyalty, and obedience. The Board is the fiduciary for the association and manages the association's affairs pursuant to law and APTA bylaws. The Board carries out all association policies, positions, the Code of Ethics, and motions adopted by the House that recommend the Board to act.

The 16-member Board includes six officer positions (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Speaker of the House of Delegates, and Vice Speaker of the House of Delegates) and nine director positions elected by the House of Delegates who shall be Physical Therapist or Physical Therapist Assistant members in good standing. Only Physical Therapist members may serve as officers of the association and on the APTA Executive Committee. The Board also includes one public member position, which is held by a non-APTA member who is not a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant and is appointed by the Board. More specific information about Board roles and responsibilities may be found in the Bylaws of the APTA, Article VI. Board of Directors.

APTA Nominating Committee Roles and Responsibilities

The Nominating Committee consisting of five Physical Therapist members in good standing and are elected by the House of Delegates, prepares the annual slate of candidates for APTA national elections, and fosters activities that maintain and promote a pool of qualified nominees. In doing so, the committee works to slate at least two qualified candidates, if possible, for each position from those consenting to serve if elected for officers, directors, and members of the Nominating Committee to meet the responsibilities of their positions. The slate of candidates is made available to APTA members no later than three months before the election. Should the initial election result in open vacancies for the Board of Directors, the Nominating Committee shares the subsequent slate as soon as possible following the first election.  More specific information about the Nominating Committee’s roles and responsibilities are outlined in the Bylaws of the American Physical Therapy Association, Article VII. Committees of the Association, Section 2.

APTA Board of Directors

Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant members in good standing are eligible to serve on the APTA Board of Directors. One public member who is a non-APTA member and is not a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant also serves. Only Physical Therapist members may serve as officers of the association and on the APTA Executive Committee.

APTA Nominating Committee

Physical Therapist members in good standing are eligible to serve on the APTA Nominating Committee.

Good Standing

An individual member in good standing as defined in the APTA bylaws, complies with the Code of Ethics, makes timely payments of Association and chapter dues, is not under current suspension or revocation of a license as a physical therapist or of a license or certificate as a physical therapist assistant.