RESNA > About > Leadership > Specialty Boards > Professional Standards Board

Professional Standards Board

Chair

Julie Piriano

Julie Piriano, PT, ATP/SMS
Term: 2020-2023
Email:jpiriano@pridemobility.com
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Julie Piriano has worked in the seating and wheeled mobility industry for the past 37 years. She is VP of Clinical Education, Rehab Industry Affairs and serves as Pride’s Compliance Officer. She presents nationally and internationally on seating and wheeled mobility with a focus on evaluation, documentation and clinical applications of available technologies. Julie served on the RESNA Board of Directors, currently serves as the Chair of the Professional Standards Board and is an active participant in the Wheeled Mobility and Seating SIG and the PT PSG. She is a Friend of NRRTS, member of the AAHomecare Complex Rehab and Mobility Council, the APTA and the Clinician Task Force. She serves on several NCART Committees, the DMEMAC Advisory Councils, the board of several State Associations and the Mobility Management Editorial Board. Julie is a highly proactive industry resource on legislative and regulatory issues that impact the complex rehab industry.

Vice Chair

Fiona Bessey-Bushnell photo

Kyle Walker, MHA, ATP
Term: 2020-2023
Email:
Kyle.Walker@vgm.com
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Kyle Walker, MHA, ATP is the VP of Rehabilitation Program Development with VGM Homelink where he works with stakeholders to develop service offerings and partnerships for rehabilitative services. Prior to this role Kyle led the operations and development of the assistive technology teams in workers comp and commercial business lines. He joined VGM Homelink in 2018, coming from a practicing ATP with UnityPoint Health. Kyle currently holds his ATP certificate, a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Iowa State University, and his master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Purdue University. Kyle is a RESNA Member, Vice-chair of the professional standards board (PSB), and member of the development board. He regularly reviews scientific papers in assistive technology and is an advisory board member for the University of Pittsburgh’s Masters of Rehabilitation Technology program. Kyle regularly presents on numerous assistive technology topics across the country and is an advocate for consumers and providers alike. Kyle volunteers his time by coaching youth sports, helping with adaptive sports, and is the soldier family readiness leader for his wife’s army national guard unit.

Secretary

Douglas Rakoski, OTD, OTR/L, ATP
Term: 2021-2024
Email: 
drakoski@llu.edu

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Douglas Rakoski is an assistant professor and manages the Therapeutic Technology Program at Loma Linda University Medical Center. He has served as clinical specialist in assistive technology for the University of Michigan Health System managing the Computer Assisted Therapy Program. Rakoski worked for six years at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center where he specialized in spinal cord injury and performed assistive technology evaluations at the Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology (CART).

 

 

Voting Member

Julie Piriano

Jennifer Border, MS
Term: 2020-2023
Email: 
j.m.border@gmail.com

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Jenny Border, M.S. is a Digital Coordinator at Community Conscious Consulting based in Dayton, Ohio. She helps facilitate and manage digital relationships and footprints for clients in the disability community. Jenny received her MS in human factors psychology from Wright State University in 2011 with a focus on bridging the gap between disability, assistive technology, and the contributing factors that leads to maximal function and real time use of assistive technology in an individual's life. Jenny is a passionate advocate for multi marginalized minorities in the disability community. Her current advocacy is primarily with Disability Empowher Network, a non profit organization focused on empowering young females with ALL disabilities to become strong, fearless leaders in society.

Voting Member

Julie Piriano

M. Claire Campbell, M.A., CCC-SLP, ATP
Term: 2021-2024
Email: 
claire.campbell@vumc.org
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M. Claire Campbell, M.A., CCC-SLP, ATP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist with over a decade of practice in the pediatric sector. Claire is a member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, the United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, the Tennessee Association for Assistive Technology, and the Tennessee Association of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists. In addition to the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence and RESNA Assistive Technology Professional certification, Claire is a LAMP certified provider through the Center for AAC and Autism. She is the US lead for the ISAAC BUILD committee aimed towards bringing AAC and communication access to additional countries around the world. Claire has presented over 100 professional development courses in the area of AAC at the state, national, and international level. She is currently engaged in research investigating caregiver education and coaching practices as it relates to AAC use and abandonment. Her daily practice is focused on children with a variety of diagnoses using AAC devices, with a particular interest in alternate access technologies. In addition, she is the liaison to the Movement Disorders and multidisciplinary Angelman Syndrome Clinics at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Claire is a firm believer that every child has potential to communicate and that family support is an integral part of the therapy process.

Voting Member

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Eric Grieb
Term: 2020-2023
Email: 
Eric.Grieb@numotion.com
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Eric Grieb, OTR, ATP received his Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Colorado State University in 1992. He has worked in the clinical subspecialty of Seating and Wheeled Mobility for the last 28 years; both as an Occupational Therapist and as a supplier of Complex Rehabilitation Technology. Over the span of his 19 year career with Numotion Eric has filled the roles of ATP, Director of Clinical Education, Director of ATP Development Vice President of Sales and Vice President of Commercial Development.

 


Voting Member

Julie Piriano

Jason Kelln, ATP, CRTS
Term: 2019-2022
Email: 
jason@phmobility.com
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Jason Kelln is a sales manager and an Assistive Technology Professional with PrairieHeart Mobility, a Saskatchewan-owned mobility products company. Having Entered the industry in Feb 1999 he has had a varied career from complex rehab with SCI, MS, ALS and Pediatrics. Jason has a true passion for the industry and has presented papers at CSMC and ISS.

Voting Member

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Rob Oliver
Term: 2021-2024
Email: 
roboliver@outlook.com
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In August of 1993, Rob was paralyzed from the chest down as the result of a body surfing injury. At 21 years old, he was confronted with major life questions and decisions. How do the obstacles in my life affect me? Can I succeed in spite of personal limitations? What makes life meaningful? Rob took these questions to heart and began his work to develop a full and meaningful life.”

“You are responsible for your own life. The circumstances around you are things that may or may not change, it’s your job to find the positive and relish that.”

Since his injury, Rob has accomplished what he sees as “everyone’s goals”. He went on to to complete his education with a Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, followed by a Masters from Duquesne University. Rob married “the most wonderful woman in the world” and they have 16 year old triplets. (Everyone’s goal might not be triplets, but the goal of marriage and having a family is pretty universal.) Today he is working full time and shares his powerful message of positivity and maximizing your abilities with audiences across the country as a motivational speaker.

“We all have goals, we all have obstacles, we need to assess which will win in each of our lives. If you want to accomplish your goals, you’re going to have to deal with the obstacles, but not be overcome by them.”

 

 

 


Voting Member

Erin Michael photoMike Osborn, ATP, CRTS
Term: 2021-2024
Email: 
mosborn@alliancerehabmed.com
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Mike Osborn, ATP, CRTS is the managing parnter at Alliance Rehab & Medical Equipment LLC. Mike received his B.S. in Business Administration in 1991. He entered the healthcare industry in 1994 working for a small DME, Home Medical Supply in Southeast Missouri. Mike received his ATS (ATP) certification through RESNA in 1997 and obtained the CRTS credential throught NRRTS in 2001. Mike continued to work in the Rehab Technology Supplier role for Home Medical Supply through late 2006. Mike and his partners founded and opened Alliance Rehab & Medical Equipment in 2006 and now have 5 locations servicing all of Missouri and parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Illinois. Mike has also been very active with NRRTS for the past 20 years. He was a part of the NRRTS Board of Directors filling mulitple positions including the Presidents role. Mike was awarded the Simon Margolis Fellow Award in 2019. He has been apart of the Region D MAC committee as well as sitting on the Christain County Developmental Disabilities SB40 Board of Directors. Mike has been a proactive advoacate for the Complex Rehab Technology industry both on the Federal level as well as the State level. Mike has a passion for the Complex Rehab Technology and the many individuals that are impacted by CRT.

 

Voting Member

Diana PetschauerDavid Savage, ATP/SMS, RET
Term: 2020-2023
Email: 
dsavage@childrens-specialized.org
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David is a seasoned Assistive Technology Specialist at Children’s Specialized Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. With over 30 years of experience in the field, David provides seating, positioning, and mobility solutions for patients in the hospital’s acute inpatient rehabilitation unit through assessment and application of off the shelf components through the design and construction of custom systems.

Prior to working in the Assistive Technology Field, he worked in technical theater and screen for organizations including Gateway Playhouse, Showman Fabricators, The Roundabout Theater, and Macy’s Parade Studio. David worked on such projects as building the sets for Nickelodeon’s “Double Dare” and MTV’s “Remote Control.” In fact, he still participates annually to set up and dismantle the floats for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. David holds a Bachelor of English degree from Wagner College and served as editor for the college’s literary magazine and built scenery for the college theater.

David began working in the field of Assistive Technology in 1991 working with organizations such as The Matheny School and Special Hospital and The Center for Rehabilitation Technology at Helen Hayes Hospital. In these roles he provided seating and mobility for the residents and outpatients by customizing seating products and by interfacing with augmentative communication and computer access. He provided services for inpatient rehabilitation patients and outpatient seating clinics as well as designing and fabricating custom fixtures for research projects. David has also worked at Quantum Rehab as a Project Manager in the development of new products and served as an RTS for National Seating and Mobility serving clients in Eastern Pennsylvania and Northern New Jersey.

David joined Fondacion Manos al la Ayuda for a medical mission in Ecuador where he led a team assessing and setting up seating and mobility systems for the students at two specialized schools. David has also participated in an NYU medical mission to Haiti, providing services at Ruth’s Home for Thrown Away Children and Wings of Hope in Port-au-Prince. David is a RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Professional (1998), Rehabilitation Engineering Technologist (2003), and Seating and Mobility Specialist (2012). He is a member of the RESNA ATSC Emergency Stair Travel Devices Standards Committee. David co-authored the RESNA Position on the Application of Wheelchairs, Seating Systems, and Secondary Supports for Positioning vs Restraint. He has participated in item writing for the original RET and SMS examinations, and participated in an item writing workshop for a revision of the ATP examination. In his current role, David calls Children’s Specialized Hospital “home”, where he is part of a team serving the nation’s leading provider of inpatient and outpatient care for children from birth to 21 years of age facing special health challenges. There, he has partnered with other hospitals within the heath system on special projects to customize post-surgical equipment for exceptional children. In his spare time, David can be found at the Blue Mountain Antique Gas and Steam Engine Association cutting shingles on a vintage Oliver shingle mill from 1896 or working in his barn shop or garden. He lives in an early 19th century farmhouse in Lower Nazareth Township, Pennsylvania with his wife, youngest daughter, a cocker spaniel, three guinea fowl, and too many cats.

Voting Member

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Marcia J. Scherer, PhD, MPH
Term: 2021-2024
Email: 
impt97@aol.com

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Marcia J. Scherer is a rehabilitation psychologist and founding President of the Institute for Matching Person & Technology She is also Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Rochester Medical Center where she received both her Ph.D. and MPH degrees. She is a past member of the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research, National Institutes of Health, and is Editor of the journal Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. She is Co-Editor of the book series for CRC Press, Rehabilitation Science in Practice Series. Dr. Scherer is Fellow of the American Psychological Association, American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, and the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). Dr. Scherer has authored, edited, or co-edited twelve book titles and has published over 90 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 55 published proceedings papers, and 35 book chapters on disability and technology. Her research has been cited 7500 times by others. She has received numerous awards for her work in assistive technology.

 

 

 

Voting Member

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Cheryl Sheffield, OTD, OTR/L, ATP
Term: 2019-2022
Email: 
cheryl1ot@gmail.com

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Cheryl has been practicing as an occupational therapist for over 25 years in both Canada and the USA. She has a post-professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. Cheryl has experience working with all ages and diagnositic groups providing assistive technology solutions to help maximize communication, mobility, and functional independence. She currently works as a travel occupational therapist and as an adjunct faculty member for the University of St. Augustine. She is also an independent contractor providing care for clients who have complex seating and mobility needs and/or home accessibility issues.

 

 

 

 

Voting Member

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Beth Speaker-Christensen, MA/CCC-SLP/L, ATP
Term: 2020-2023
Email: 
easc.slp@gmail.com

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Beth Speaker-Christensen earned both her undergraduate (communicative disorders) and graduate degrees (speech/language pathology) at Northern Illinois University. She has worked in a variety of settings in her 27 years of practice, including skilled nursing facilities, special education cooperatives, Shriners' Hospitals for Children-Chicago, and non-profit clinics. She now owns her own private practice focused on AAC support and interventions. While working at Shriners Hospital, Beth began to explore her passion for assistive technology and Augmentative/Alternate Communication. Beth completed the Assistive Technology Certificate at the University of Illinois at Chicago and went on to obtain the ATP (Assistive Technology Professional) Certification through RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America). Currently, Beth sits on the Professional Standards Board of RESNA. She is a member of ASHA Sig 12, a member of RESNA, and a member and Chair of the Membership Committee of USSAAC (United States Society of Augmentative/Alternate Communication- the US chapter of ISAAC- the International Society of Augmentative/Alternate Communication). Beth enjoys presenting at local, state, national and international conferences to help share an overall understanding of AAC and AT. Beth has a passion for providing comprehensive services for those needing AAC to improve their communication, relationships, their independence and overall quality of life.

 

 

 

 

Voting Member

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Antoinette Verdone, MSBME, ATP, RET
Term: 2019-2022
Email: 
antoinette@improveability.com

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Antoinette Verdone has been in the AT industry for over 20 years. She has a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering, with a focus on Rehabilitation Engineering. Antoinette has worked in government, non-profit, and private settings providing a wide range of assistive technologies for people with a wide range of disabilities. Antoinette is the Founder and Lead Consultant for ImproveAbility, based in Austin, TX.

 


Voting Member

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Michael S. Dueñas, ATP
Term: 2023-2026
Email: 
msduenas@reliamed.com 

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Michael is actively involved with pediatric and adult wheelchair clinics. He has worked within the CRT industry for over 35 years. Michael specializes in “passive & active” custom manual wheelchairs, powered mobility, specialty drive controls, powered seating systems and custom molded seating. Michael is inspired by the “team” approach when working with physicians and therapists that will bring patients the "Best quality of life" while using custom mobility equipment. Born and raised in Northwest Ohio, Michael applied for a new opportunity to start as a wheelchair repair technician for one of the area’s largest Oxygen – DME provider. Soon afterwards he knew what his career path would be. Michael relied on his training in automotive repair and his love of mechanical engineering and motorized devices to learn everything he could about wheelchairs! Michael has attended several clinics within the last 15 years here in the Houston, Texas Medical Center. Rehab facilities like TIRR - Memorial Hermann, Methodist, Baylor ALS, Texas Children’s Hospital, Encompass and MD Anderson. Michael has had the honor to be part of the rehab mobility team for a past U.S. President (GHWB “41”) and for a U.S. House Representative. Michael volunteers with a local Houston based, non-profit, Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Project (RSVP) mobility equipment loan closet. Michael is married to Dana, his bride of 37 years. They have 4 children, currently 6 grandchildren and when he's able, loves road trips to Gulf Shores AL, Astros baseball games and motorcycle riding in the "Hill Country" area of San Antonio, TX.

 

Board Liasion

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Alisa Brownlee, ATP, CLIPP, CAPS, WPS
Term: 2020-2023
Email: 
abrownlee@alsa-national.org

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Alisa Brownlee, ATP, CLIPP, CAPS, WPS, is the Manager of Assistive Technology Services for the ALS Association, Greater Philadelphia Chapter and is also a Consultant to the National ALS Association. She has been in the field of assistive technology for over 20 years. Alisa speaks, blogs, writes articles and uses social media to increase awareness of ALS and the use of assistive technology. Her specialty areas are communication, computer access, electronic aids for daily living and home modifications. Alisa is a Board Member and Faculty Member for RESNA and is an instructor for RESNA’s two day Fundamentals of Assistive Technology course. She was honored to be selected to teach this class in August of 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This was the first ever AT course taught in Eastern Africa. Professionals from around the country attend the class and for her, this was a life altering experience. Alisa has always been passionate about assistive technology and the impact it has on quality of life for people with disabilities but traveling to Africa changed her entire perspective and made her want to focus more of her energy on international AT services.

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