Board of Directors

Carmen P. DiGiovine, PhD, ATP/SMS, RET, has been working in the fields of rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology for over 20 years. Currently he is a Rehabilitation Engineer and Clinical Associate Professor in the Occupational Therapy Division-School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University. He is also the Program Director for the Assistive Technology Center at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where he is developing a state-of-the-art and comprehensive program to expand existing assistive technology and rehabilitation technology services. Dr. DiGiovine’s current research and development interests include assistive technology commercialization, manual wheelchair propulsion biomechanics, power wheelchair driving and pressure ulcer development. He is an active member of RESNA, where he has served as Chair of the RESNA Professional Standards Board (PSB), and holds RESNA certifications as an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP), Seating and Mobility Specialist (SMS) and Rehabilitation Engineering Technologist (RET). He is also a member of the IEEE Engineering and Medicine and Biology (EMB) Society and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). Dr. DiGiovine was recently recognized by RESNA with the 2015 Samuel McFarland Memorial Mentorship Award, for his past and continuing efforts to mentor emerging professionals and students.

James A. Lenker, PhD, OTR/L, ATP is an Associate Professor in the Rehabilitation Science Department, and the Program Director for the Advanced Graduate Certificate Program in Assistive & Rehabilitation Technology. Lenker earned his PhD in Industrial Engineering, with an emphasis in the area of Human Factors.

Daniel Cochrane, MA, MS, ATP, is a clinical instructor for the Assistive Technology Certificate Program at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and director of the QIAT-PS project for the Great Lakes ADA Center. He teaches courses related to assistive technology practice in the PreK12 educational context, the setting where he spent over 20 years as a special educator and district-wide assistive technology coordinator. For the QIAT-PS project, he is leading a team to develop a curriculum to train transition students to self-advocate for assistive technology. Dan has been involved in RESNA since 2009 and served as chair of RESNA’s Professional Standards Board from 2014-2017. His primary interest is the process of AT consideration and assessment in schools. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in disability studies at UIC.

Ed Giesbrecht PhD is an Associate Professor in the department of occupational therapy at the University of Manitoba, where he has been involved in teaching and research related to assistive technology since 2003. Prior to his academic appointment he had 10 years clinical experience working in SCI/neurological rehabilitation, including specialization in a wheelchair seating clinic and coordinating an assistive technology clinic. He is responsible for development and delivery of wheelchair and seating-related content in the Master of Occupational Therapy and the Master of Physical Therapy programs at the University of Manitoba. Ed is a member of the RESNA Board, Finance Committee, Conference Committee, was co-chair of the Student Scientific Paper Competition from 2015-2020 and received the RESNA Emerging Leader award in 2017. He also volunteers on the Board of Directors for ISPO Canada, is an associate editor for the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy and Assistive Technology journals, and is actively involved with the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals. His interests related to AT include wheeled mobility training (particularly telehealth), allied health education, and winter mobility issues.

Ana L. Allegretti, PhD, OTR, ATP, has been working in the field of assistive technology for over 20 years. Currently she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at UT Health Sciences in San Antonio, TX. She has presented in many national and international conferences and symposiums. Dr. Allegretti’s current research interests include the use of outcome measures in wheelchair service delivery in Latin America and the use of mobility equipment throughout the lifespan. She is an active member of RESNA, where she has been serving as a chair of the LATIN America Outcome measure project under the International Sig and holds RESNA certifications as an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP). She is also a member of the AOTA. She holds an Occupational Therapy degree from PUCCAMP (Brazil), and a PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Tara Chay is a Speech-Language Pathologist in the Outpatient Rehabilitation Center at Barrow Neurological Institute (Phoenix, Arizona) and the Rehabilitation Program Coordinator in the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center & Movement Disorders Clinic. She is responsible for the evaluation and treatment of swallowing, speech, voice, language, and cognition in individuals with Parkinson’s disease, movement disorders, and other progressive neurological diseases. Ms. Chay was awarded the Emerging Leader award through RESNA in 2018, is a judge for the Student Design Competition and presenter during the annual RESNA conference, is the Chair of the Speech-Language Pathology Professional Specialty Group (SLP PSG), sits on the Governance Committee at RESNA, and is a member of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Special Interest Group (SIG) for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). She is also a site visitor and former board member for the Committee on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Education (CoA RATE) and a member of the Barrow Adaptive Technologies (BAT) committee. Ms. Chay has been working in assistive technology for more than 15 years and an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) since 2006 with expertise in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), cognition, and computer access.

Julie Faieta, PhD, MOT, OTR/L, is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Université Laval where she continues to carry out clinical research focused on assistive technology for a variety of healthcare consumer populations. Her primary area of research is in the development and evaluation of assistive and pervasive technology-based interventions to address health span and quality of life in neurodegenerative and caregiver populations. With a specific interest in Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Faieta is working to develop interventions that can be effectively implemented with those at risk of disease development, and across each stage of the disease progression. During her doctoral studies in health and rehabilitation sciences, Dr. Faieta completed a minor in neuroscience to facilitate enhanced understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms and disease pathologies associated with neurodegenerative conditions in order to support her research goals. In addition to academic pursuits, she has also maintained active involvement in the American Congress of Rehabilitative Medicine’s Neurodegenerative Networking Group as the chair of the Alzheimer’s Disease Task Force and as the Social Media Officer. In addition, Dr. Faieta currently sit on the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America’s board of directors, serves as the Student Scientific Paper Competition chair, and as an associate editor of the Assistive Technology Journal. Dr. Faieta has worked in various aspects of assistive technology for over 4 years and remains highly interested in the evaluation of smart personal device applications to support community-based health.

Julie Piriano, PT, ATP/SMS is the Vice President of Clinical Education, Industry Affairs, and serves as the Compliance Officer for Pride Mobility Products Corporation/Quantum Rehab. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Illinois Medical Center in 1984, earned the certification of Assistive Technology Professional in 1997 and the Seating and Mobility Specialist certification in 2010. She has worked in the seating and wheeled mobility industry since 1984 as an evaluating clinician, complex rehab technology (CRT) supplier, and manufacturer. Julie was a co-author of the RESNA Wheelchair Service Provision Guide and the RESNA Position on the Application of Seat-Elevation Devices for Power Wheelchair Users Literature Update (2019). She also wrote the chapter on Documentation of the Seating and Mobility Assessment in the book Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Clinical Reference Guide. She presents nationally and internationally on seating and wheeled mobility with a focus on evaluation, documentation, and clinical applications of complex rehab technologies. Julie has been a member of RESNA since 1992, served as the Chair of the Professional Standards Board and is an active participant in the Wheeled Mobility and Seating special interest group and the Physical Therapy professional specialty group. She is a Friend of the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers (NRRTS), member of the AAHomecare Complex Rehab and Mobility Council, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and the Clinician Task Force. She serves on several committees within the National Coalition for Assistive and Rehabilitation Technology (NCART), the DMEMAC Advisory Councils, the board of the DMERT Group, several State Associations, and the Mobility Management Editorial Board. Julie is a highly proactive advocate and resource on legislative and regulatory issues that impact the complex rehab industry.

Susan Redepenning is an Occupational Therapist and Assistive Technology Professional who owns her own assistive technology company serving all of Minnesota. Susan has over 25 years’ experience in the field of assistive technology. Susan worked in driver’s rehabilitation both in private practice and in a non-profit for 8 years. Susan wrote a book for AOTA on driver’s rehabilitation called Driver’s Rehabilitation Across Age and Disability: An Occupational Therapy Guide in 2006. Susan worked in a non-profit as the assistive technology lead for 8 years. Susan’s assistive technology areas of interest are in new emerging ideas for smart home technologies, adaptive gaming, and prevention of assistive technology abandonment. Susan holds additional certifications as a Minnesota Accessibility Specialist and Executive Certification in Home Modification from the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology online course. Susan owns LiveLife Therapy Solutions in Minnesota. She heads a team of advanced professionals working throughout MN. They are occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, engineers, and assistive technology professionals. LiveLife Therapy Solutions has seen over 2400 people in Minnesota for assistive technology assessments over the past 10 years. Susan has received several state grants through the Minnesota Department of Human Services and is a billable service provider for Home and Community Services in Minnesota. Susan has assisted in writing several recent articles related to assistive technology. AOTA OT Practice Article: 20210901 Assistive Technology in Residential Facilities: A Strategy for Supporting Adults with Complex Needs and Closing the GAP article: 2021 June/July edition: AAC Abandonment: Contributing Factors and Possible Solutions.

Allison Sevillano, PT, DPT, ATP, PCS completed her master's degree in physical therapy at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, and her doctorate in physical therapy from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Sciences at the University of South Dakota, where she is interested in investigating the intersection of assistive technology and public health. In addition to being a RESNA-certified assistive technology professional, Allison is a certified ergonomic assessment specialist (CEAS) and an ABPTS Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy. Earlier in her career, Allison worked in acute rehab at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the past 15 years, she has worked for the Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU) in Broomall, PA, as a school-based pediatric physical therapist. Through the DCIU, she participates as a consultant for BrainSTEPS, which provides school-based educational consulting for students recovering from brain injury and concussion. Additionally, she is the founder and owner of an ergonomic consulting practice, Select Ergonomics, LLC. Allison’s interests in assistive technology range from mobility, positioning, and adaptive sport applications for pediatric populations to ergonomic equipment and workplace accommodations for adults. She enjoys discovering innovative solutions to help her clients, whether at school or in the workplace. Dr. Sevillano has served as the chair of RESNA’s Physical Therapist Professional Specialty Group, where she is leading the writing of a position paper on the applications and benefits of adaptive cycling. She has also participated as a member of RESNA’s Membership and Marketing Committee. Additionally, she is an instructor for RESNA’s Assistive Technology Fundamentals course. In 2022, she received RESNA’s Emerging Leader Award. She currently sits on RESNA’s board of directors and is enthusiastic about continuing to serve the assistive technology community.

Seong-Hee Yoon, BS ATP is the Senior Rehabilitation Engineer at the Rehabilitation Engineering Program at Michigan Medicine, the Director of Technology & Innovation of an adaptive sports program UMAISE (University of Michigan Adaptive & Inclusive Sports Experience), and the founder & owner of an inclusive education and play company braillebot, LLC. She received her Biomedical Engineering degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has spent 9 years in the world of AT as of 2021. Seong-Hee was first introduced to RESNA through the Student Design Competition in 2012, at which her team was the 1st place winner as well as the winning team for the award “Technology Most Likely to be Commercialized” sponsored by TREAT (Center for Translation of Rehabilitation Engineering Advances and Technology). With this award, Seong-Hee started her commercialization of brailleblox, the flagship product of her company braillebot, LLC. Seong-Hee’s involvement within RESNA also include the Professional Specialty Group for Rehabilitation Engineers & Technologists and the Board of Directors. Additionally, in 2018, she received the “Emerging Leader Award” from RESNA. Some of Seong-Hee’s special interests include adaptive sports, adaptive gaming, smart technology, and dispelling the divide between universal design and aesthetic design. Seong-Hee is currently based out of Ann Arbor, MI.

Maureen Linden is a research engineer at the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA) at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). She received a Master of Science in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia in 1993, and has since managed clinical programs and research projects both in seating and wheeled mobility within the medical model, and job accommodations through the vocational rehabilitation model. Her current research interests include job accommodation use and related employment barriers, seating support surface development and characterization, mobility device use characterization, and facilitators for post-secondary education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for students with disabilities. Within RESNA, Linden has served on the Meetings committee and Standards board, and has chaired the Student Design Competition committee. In 2012, she received of the RESNA Distinguished Service Award.