Board of Directors
President
Treasurer
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.
Secretary
President-Elect
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.
Board Member
Patricia (Patti) Bahr, MSE, ATP, RET is Director of the Iowa Center for Assistive Technology Education and Research (ICATER) in the College of Education at the University of Iowa. ICATER’s primary purpose is to provide assistive technology (AT) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) training for pre-service and in-service teachers so that students with disabilities are engaged in the general education classroom. Patti also provides AT consultations for individuals of all ages with disabilities. Research collaboration is also underway. Before coming to ICATER, Patti worked at a Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul for 24 years as a rehabilitation engineer and supervisor of Mobile Outreach Clinic. Patti’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Biomechanics are from the University of Iowa. Patti served as treasurer on the board of directors of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). She is also an active participant on the Iowa Assistive Technology Leadership Team through the Iowa Department of Education. Patti presents at the university, throughout the state and the nation. Patti recently developed a graduate course on Universal Design and Accessibility for Online Learning. Selected titles of recent presentations include the following.
- The Double Robot: Telepresence Robots in Education
- Assistive Technology for Writing Across Platforms
- Text Readers: Helping Students Access Grade Level Text
- Build My Advocacy Projects with Technology
- Google Technology As Inclusive Practice for Universal Design
- Notetaking with Smart Pens and Notability
- “SETT” - Example for High School and College
- Technology to help you Organize
- Twice-Exceptionality: Actualizing Student Potential Through Assistive Technology
- iPad Access for the Marginal Touch User
- Captioned Videos for Content Presentation, Student Engagement and Student Expression in All Classrooms
Board Member
Board Member
Dan Cochrane is district-wide assistive technology specialist/coordinator for Community Unit School District 200 in Wheaton and Warrenville near Chicago, IL. He is a special education teacher who taught at the elementary level for seven years while also serving on the district’s assistive technology team one day a week. In 2006, his assistive technology position became full-time. He works with school teams and parents to implement and integrate assistive technology and accessible instructional materials for students with disabilities. He holds an MA in Special Education from National Louis University in Chicago and an MS in Disability and Human Development from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he developed a special interest in the intersection of disability theory and assistive technology
Board Member
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.
Board Member
Board Member
Rajesh Pagadala, MSBME, ATP, RET is the Director of Assistive Technology Services for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency where he manages a team of rehabilitation engineers, occupational therapists, rehabilitation technologists and rehabilitation technicians. He has over 22 years of experience in the field. Raj also serves on the boards of the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) and the Georgia Chapter of National Rehabilitation Association (NRA). He is the RESNA Special Interests Committee Chair and has also been the Chair of the Accommodations Special Interests Group. Raj was the recipient of the RESNA Distinguished Service Award in 2014. His current interests include ergonomics, vehicle modifications, worksite accommodations and assistive technology service delivery policy.
Board Member
Dr. Emma Smith is an Occupational Therapist, researcher, and educator with broad interest and expertise in the area of assistive technologies. Emma's research focuses on access to assistive technology among marginalized populations, including policies and processes which promote access to these devices. Within RESNA, Emma currently serves as Chair of the Canada Task Force, Co-Chair of the Student Design Competition, Co-Chair of the Emerging Technologies SIG, Co-Chair of the Developers' Showcase and as a Member of the Committee on Accreditation. Emma has previously served as Vice Chair of the Professional Standards Board, SIG Super Chair, Chair of the Student Scientific Competition, Member of the Governance Committee and as an item writer for the ATP Exam.
Board Member
Rita Stanley is the Vice President of Sunrise Medical. She brings in-depth knowledge resulting from 34 years of experience related to durable medical equipment and complex rehab technology (CRT). Her expertise includes strong knowledge of assistive technology, clinical application, federal and state funding legislation and regulation regarding CRT, coverage, coding and payment policy with federal and private payers, manufacturing requirements for translating research and new products to market, and lobbying/advocacy. She has detailed knowledge of the history, current challenges and opportunities, as well as a solid understanding of the perspectives of various stakeholder groups associated with CRT/AT and is a recognized thought leader by industry colleagues and influential policy makers.
Board Member
Board Member
Immediate Past President
Roger O. Smith, PhD, OT, FAOTA and RESNA Fellow is the Director of the R2D2 (Rehabilitation Research Design and Disability) Center at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and Professor of Occupational Science and Technology within the College of Health Sciences. Dr. Smith is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association as well as RESNA, with his major contributions to these fields primarily in the area of measurement and outcomes of assistive technology and accessibility interventions. Dr. Smith has been Principal Investigator or Director of more than 30 grant funded projects to develop and promote more effective measurement instruments to improve the documentation of outcomes in the field and to create new and better resource materials to support practice. He has led five national training projects to improve the skill level of assistive technology and universal design practitioners. Dr. Smith’s more than 25 years of active teaching in the field of assistive technology continues with a focus on interdisciplinary practice and with a major commitment on training the next generation of Assistive Technology Practitioners and Rehabilitation Engineers. Dr. Smith has authored many dozens of interdisciplinary publications on these topics and hundreds of national/international presentations and workshops to advance assistive technology and universal design. A key to Dr. Smith’s contributions to the field are his interdisciplinary backgrounds in psychology/communications, occupational therapy, and industrial engineering, which offer a broad perspective when tackling problems. In RESNA he has served as Chair of the Special Interest Group on outcomes and measurement, the Quality Assurance Committee during the early development phases of the RESNA certification processes, and the Ad Hoc Committee or Rehabilitation Engineering. He has also served on national level committees in the AOTA, including on the charter Special Interest Section standing committee on Technology and has been inducted into the American Occupational Therapy Foundation Academy of Research.