Nominating Committee

Congratulations to our newly elected leaders, who will begin their term in January 2026!

• President: Tyler Shultz 
• Secretary: I. John Orta 
• Membership Director: Randall Lazicki 
• Delegates: Derek Clewley, Matt Harville, Mike Schmidt, Kyle Stapleton, Stacia Hall Thompson, Cathy Wright (Alternates: Lynnz Brewer, Nancy Clark)
• Nominating Committee: Melissa Burgemeister
• Capital Region Director: Angela Diaz; Asst Director: Joel Robert Thompson 

Thank you to our dedicated leaders who are finishing service on the Board of Directors at end of this year!

• Mary Kay Hannah (President, Vice President, Education Director)
• Christopher Green (Membership Director)
• Shannon Icenhour (Capital Regional Director)

Ready to get more involved with APTA NC? Sign up for APTA Engage to get emails when opportunities are posted or reach out to the Nominating Committee at any time.

Professional Advocacy & Advancement

State Advocacy

Physical therapists are now among the health professionals who can clear student-athletes to return to participation after a concussion. See Special Interest Group information below about a January webinar on concussion care.

In 2026, we will focus on the NC school system’s classification and pay scale of PTs as well as adding PTs to be included in the list of medical providers who can certify the need for a DMV disability placard.

Federal Advocacy

2025 APTA House of Delegates

The North Carolina delegation attended the 2025 APTA House of Delegates (HOD) in Washington, D.C., where the House acted on 31 motions shaping the future of the physical therapy profession. Read Chief Delegate Elizabeth Nixon's Update

Thank you to the North Carolina delegates for their service and leadership: Erik Carvalho, Deidra Charity, Derek Clewley, Ruby Dixon, Bridget Eubanks, Mary Kay Hannah, Calvin Hung, Sarah Johnson, Vrunda Kapadia, John Orta, Kyle Stapleton, Stacia Hall Thompson, and Cathy Wright.

DEI Committee



Congratulations to the 2025 Community Impact Challenge Winners!

• Brittany Burns (Central Carolina Community College) who created and launched CampMED, a week-long summer camp to introduce high school students to health science professions.
• Sixela Caballero and Sadie Thompson (Elon University) who added a food pantry to the Health Outreach Program of Elon (HOPE) Clinic, a student-managed pro bono clinic to reach underserved populations.
• Learn more about these amazing projects!

The APTA & You: Value in PTA Membership and Engagement presentation was developed as part of an initiative of the DEI committee to promote PTA inclusion and engagement and it has been presented at various PTA programs. A recording of this presentation and a resource document can be found on the DEI webpage. 

Awards

Congratulations to our 2025 Chapter award winners! These individuals have demonstrated dedication to the profession through their exceptional service:

• Founders' Lecturer Award: Dean McCall
• Olive V Wortman Service Award: Moyo Tillery
• Outstanding PT Award: Val Adams
• Outstanding PTA Award: Morgan Hrabovsky
• Outstanding PT Student Award: Said Mendez
• NC's APTA Emerging Leader Award: McKinley Pollock
• Ben F Massey, Jr Public Service Award: Rep Gregory Murphy, MD

Scholarships

Congratulations to our 2025 Scholarship winners

• Keskula Family Scholarship: Sixela Caballero, Elon
• Ben F. Massey Jr Scholarship: London McDaniel, High Point
• Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Scholarship: Naomi Lockamy, Elon
• Leadership Excellence Scholarship: Zariah Scales, Duke
• Advocacy Scholarship: Holly Brown, Duke
• Student Delegate Scholarship: Andrew Aronesty, Duke

We raised $2142 during the Annual Conference to fund future scholarships! You can learn more and donate online anytime.

Education

Annual Conference was held Oct 17-18 at Elon University

• Attendees: 402
• Educational sessions: 27
• Research posters: 79
• Save the date: Oct 9-10, 2026, at High Point University

Online Webinars: we hosted 9 webinars with > 900 total attendees. More great topics are coming in 2026!

Regions

Our 4 geographical regions support member-led local events. In 2025, more than $4000 was provided to our members to support their events.

Want our support for your 2026 community event? Learn more and make a request!

Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

We have 7, free Special Interest Groups to help members with a common interest to connect: Early Professionals, Geriatric, Neurologic, Orthopedic, Pediatric, PTA, and Students. Sign up to get notified about online meetings.

Several SIGs will be coming together to offer a free-for-members, online webinar and panel discussion on January 20 at 7:30 pm: "Heads Up on Concussion Care: Integrating Neuro, Ortho, Sports, and Advocacy Perspectives". Watch your email and our social media to register.

Save these 2026 Dates!

APTA NC Annual Conference: October 9-10 at High Point University

Board of Directors meeting dates: (all members welcome to attend)

• 1st Quarter Board Meeting – zoom on Sat, Jan 10, 9-11am
• 2nd Quarter Board meeting - in-person at Duke on Sat, April 18
• 3rd Quarter Board Meeting – zoom on Wed, July 8, 7-9 pm
• 4th Quarter Board Meeting - in-person at Annual Conference at HPU on Fri, Oct 9, 8-11am