Debbie Amini
Debbie Amini, M.Ed., OTR/L, CHT, received her occupational therapy degree in 1983 from Quinnipiac University and her master’s degree in education in 2001 from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D in adult education with a specialization in health professions education at North Carolina State University. She has been a certified hand therapist since 1991 and is employed as the Program Director of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, North Carolina. She has been the “Hands On” columnist for ADVANCE for occupational therapy practitioners since 1999, has authored on-line courses, quarterly articles for the PD-SIS and OT Practice magazine. She has presented numerous workshops pertaining to occupation-based hand therapy, splinting and various professional issues. Debbie is the current chair of AOTA's Physical Disabilities Special Interest Section.
Andrea Brachtesende
Andrea is AOTA’s communications manager. She has written extensively for OT Practice and currently coordinates storytelling efforts among AOTA’s many different publications. She has experience writing about diverse topics in science and health care for a variety of audiences.
Ann Burkhardt
Ann Burkhardt, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is an administrator, educator, advocate, researcher, occupational therapy clinician and author who has been actively involved in developing theory and practice models on the topics of wellness, well-being and the role occupational therapy can and does play to promote balance in the lives of those we serve. Ann currently is an Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Occupational Therapy at Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus in New York City. As one of the founders of the OT Network on Smoking and Wellness, Ann was instrumental in introducing a Representative Assembly motion that supported the Surgeon General’s Health Professionals’ Guidelines for Smoking Cessation.
In the past Ann has contributed articles on wellness (OT Practice) and Complementary Care (OT Week). She is a co-editor of the book: Complementary Therapies in Geriatric Practice: Selected Practice (2001). Her other wellness publications have centered on topics such as injury prevention for Native American traditional dancers and drummers (publications in tribal newsletters) to injury prevention for community dwelling older adults (American Society of Aging newsletters). Prior to her present position, she was the Director of Occupational Therapy at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia, where she also worked with the Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Ricardo C. Carrasco
Ricardo C. Carrasco, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA has over 35 years of occupational therapy, education, neuropsychology, and business experience. He is certified in the SCSIT, SIPT, NDT in Pediatrics, and is a TLP Provider. Dr. Carrasco is the Chairman of FiestaJoy Foundation, Inc. in Winter Park, Florida where he practices, consults, teaches, and conducts research studies in pediatrics and occupational wellness. He provides direct services at the Greater Orlando Therapy Clinic in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Prior to FiestaJoy, Dr. Carrasco was Chairman, had his pediatric practice, and is currently Emeritus Professor of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the Medical College of Georgia. He has lectured and published internationally, and has served as faculty of various universities, Sensory Integration International and now, Advanced Rehabilitation Services. His research interests include sensory processing and wellness of underserved minorities, gifted and talented children, as well as occupational wellness. Dr. Carrasco has an earned doctorate in Neuropsychology and Occupational Dysfunction and is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association. He is currently the Chair of the Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Section.
Bob Cunningham
Bob Cunningham is the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Assistant Professor in the Maryville University Occupational Therapy Program. He received his Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Dakota and his Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Kentucky University. Bob has been an occupational therapy educator since 1991. His clinical experience is in the areas of adult rehabilitation and assistive technology. He has presented at the local, state and national levels and authored and contributed to a number of publications and multimedia projects. He is Chair of the Reasonable Accommodations Committee for AOTA Conference.
Kathryn M. Eberhardt
Kathryn M. Kberhardt, MAEd, COTA/L, ROH, is currently Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at South Suburban College in the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. She received her Associate in Applied Science from South Suburban College (1980), BS from Governors State University and her Masters in Adult Education from National Louis University. She currently holds a director position on the Board of Directors for AOTA and Director of Advocacy for Illinois Occupational Therapy Association. She has been involved with the NBCOT as an item writer, Certification Examination Development Committee member and vice-chair. Her practice interests are adult rehabilitation, home modification and aging in place issue. As an OTA educator for 17 years, she has been committed to the quality of education and the role of the OTA within occupational therapy. She received the AOTA Recognition of Acheivement Award for exemplary dedication to the education and development of occupational therapy assistants, The AOTA Award of Excellence and the Roster of Honor for OTAadvocate in education, regulation, and clinical excellence and the AOTATerry Britelle OTR/COTA Partnership Award. She is listed in the “Who’s Who Among American Teachers” in the 1996, 1998, 2004, 2005 Editions.
Kristen S. Lindeman
Kristen Lindeman, MSOT, OTR/L, devotes her professional career as an occupational therapist advising older adults on how to age successfully. After graduating in 2006 from Washington University in St. Louis, Program in Occupational Therapy, Kristen accepted her first job this past October at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, MD. For the past three years Kristen has been an active AOTA member by serving leadership positions with Assembly Student Delegates, participating in AOTA committees focusing on AOTA membership, and attending national AOTA conferences. Kristen spends her quality time traveling around the world, cooking new recipes, and walking her dog, Ella.
Ashley Opp
Ashley Opp is the Production Editor for the SIS Quarterlies at AOTA. In the past several years, she has worked in book acquisitions and has and written for and edited various publications. She attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, majoring in Women's Studies/Gender Studies, and she earned her master's degree in English from the University of Virginia.
Audrey Rothstein
Audrey Rothstein, CAE, is the director of Marketing and Communications at AOTA. Before that, she was the associate executive director at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. She also has worked for the American Iron and Steel Institute and McGraw-Hill.
Melissa Tilton
Melissa Tilton, COTA/L, has been practicing OT for almost 12 years in New England. Her passion is geriatrics, with a strong interest in all aspects of dining. She has worked as a clinician, clinical consultant and a multi-state manager. She is involved in her state organization, first in Maine and now in Massachusetts. In the past, Melissa has served as OTA representative to the state board; conference chair, vendor coordinator for conference and now as reimbursement representative to state board. She recently completed her training with ACOTE as RAE member and is looking forward to beginning new challenges and continuing to grow.
Christine Urish
Christine Urish, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH is a professor of occupational therapy at St. Ambrose University. She’s been an OT for 18 years and has attended AOTA conference (or meetings at conference) for 14 of those years. Christine’s most recent clinical experience has been filling in for the OT at a local partial hospitalization program for holiday breaks and vacations. She also enjoys working with students who lead OT groups in the community. Christine works collaboratively with OT students on research in mental health OT practice. Her most favorite conference memory dates back to 1996, when the AOTA conference was held in Chicago, IL. Being raised in central Illinois, a trip to Chicago was always enjoyable. This trip more so due to the fact that conference was held at “new” Navy Pier. The keynote speaker that year was Gene Siskel who discussed the disability as depicted in feature films. As a movie buff, she loved his presentation and uses feature films to teach many content areas within her courses at St. Ambrose. Christine is the President of the Iowa Occupational Therapy Association and a member of the Commission on Continuing Competence and Professional Development (CCCPD) for AOTA.
Natalie Wiatrowski
Natalie Leland Wiatrowski, MS, OTR/L is currently practicing in the area of gerontology as an Occupational Therapist and is working on her PhD in gerontology at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She is a member of the AOTA Gerontology Special Interest Section Advisory Board and is the Health Science Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization Representative for the Gerontological Society of America.
Tim Wolf
Tim Wolf completed coursework for his OTD at Washington University in St. Louis in May 2006. He was awarded a one-year T32 NIH fellowship to do clinical research training at Washington University School of Medicine. During the time that has followed, he has worked in the department of psychiatry and occupational therapy researching occupational performance deficits in siblings of individuals with schizophrenia. He also is taking additional coursework working toward a Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI). Currently, he serves as the chairperson of the Assembly of Student Delegates Steering Committee. Previously, he served as the vice-chairperson and in the upcoming year will serve as the student representative to the Representative Assembly. In addition, Tim currently serves on the Centennial Commission, an ad hoc committee examining degree outcomes among OT/OTA graduates, and an ad hoc committee to increase new practitioner involvement in AOTA.
Nathan Yeager
Nathan graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2005 with an entry-level Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. He is currently employed in Springfield, IL by Memorial Health System at Memorial Industrial Rehabilitation. Here he is actively engaged in the work conditioning program, upper extremity rehabilitation, ergonomic job-site assessment, post-offer testing, as well as functional capacity evaluations.
