Skip to main content

The APTA Association Leadership Scholars Program, an innovative project that aims to develop future leaders of the association, announced this year's cohort of members selected to participate in a curriculum designed to hone their skills. The 25 PTs, PTAs, and students come from 18 states and represent diverse backgrounds, practice settings, and experience levels.

This year's scholars are:

  • Taylor Adkins, PT, DPT (Georgia).
  • Fretche Blair, PT, DPT (Colorado).
  • Jasmine Blocker, PT, DPT (Hawaii).
  • Alyssa Bush, PT, DPT (North Carolina).
  • Lindsay Clark, PT, DPT (California).
  • Kaitlyn Cutler, PTA (North Carolina).
  • Allison Daly, PT, DPT (Louisiana).
  • Noah DeHart, PT, DPT (Alabama).
  • Ruby Dixon, PT, DPT (North Carolina).
  • Jon Duellman, PT, DPT (Minnesota).
  • Kelley Farley, PT, DPT (Wyoming).
  • Ebony Jackson Clark, PT, DPT (Maryland).
  • Riley Luetkenhaus, SPT (North Carolina).
  • Tyler Luke, PT, DPT (Colorado).
  • Maria Elena Luna Espinoza, SPT (Texas).
  • Carolina Marrero Rodriguez, PT, DPT (Pennsylvania).
  • Silke Mildenberger, PTA (Arizona).
  • Kassidy Pehrson, PTA (Alaska).
  • Samantha Pietrzak, PT, DPT (Illinois).
  • Glen Saldanha, PT, DPT (North Carolina).
  • Shannon Scanlan, PT, DPT (Pennsylvania).
  • Rachel Seals, PT, DPT (Georgia).
  • Laura Siviter, PT, DPT, BS (Florida).
  • Noah Watson, PT, DPT (Missouri).
  • Christopher Wilson, PT, DPT (South Carolina).

During the one-year program scholars participate in a curriculum that covers association leadership and management topics, with activities that can include group projects and engagement opportunities. Throughout the program, scholars are connected with experienced leader-mentors who enrich their understanding of the profession and the association's role. This year's mentors are Amber Gadow, PT, DPT; Nancy Kirsch, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA; Karen McCulloch, PT, BSPT, MS, FAPTA; Lori Pearlmutter, PT, MPH; and Kristen Vick, PT, DPT.

Now in its fourth year as the APTA Association Leadership Scholars Program, the initiative has its origins in the APTA Centennial Scholars program offered in 2021 in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the association. That program earned an American Society of Association Executives Gold Circle award for its excellence in member engagement. Many of the elements of the Centennial Scholars program have been adopted in the current curriculum.


You Might Also Like...

Article

APTA Launches Mollie, an AI-Powered Search Assistant

APTA has launched Mollie, an AI-powered search assistant that helps users find relevant APTA information by asking questions in everyday language. Available

Column

President's Note | Choosing What Matters

How we apply evidence, build partnerships, and invest in one another will shape the future of physical therapy.

Column

Defining Moment | The Ten Yards to Hope

A short walk with a patient in a skilled nursing facility taught this PT that recovery is about more than simple movement.