BOC Elects New Board Members, Officers

Certificants of the Board for Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC) recently elected two fellow certificants to seats on the board of directors during the annual general election: Sharon Nichelson, COF, CMF, and James (Jim) Newberry, BOCPO.

Members of the board also elected the following five officers from among the board to serve one-year terms:

Chair, Preston Madler, BOCO. Vice Chair, Sharon Nichelson, COR, CMF. Secretary, John Kenney, BOCO. Treasurer, Joe Lawson, BOCO. Member-at-Large, James Hewlett, BOCO. Preston Madler, BOCO The officers, in addition to BOC's immediate past chair Teresa Alpert-Leibman, BOCO, BOC Pedorthist, form BOC's executive committee.

"It's both humbling and terrific to be able to tap the wealth of experience that all these practitioners bring to BOC," said BOC President Greg Safko in announcing the election results, "and I look forward to our staff working closely with them and the other distinguished members of our board, over the coming year."

Preston Madler was first elected chairman of BOC's board of directors in 2008. His areas of special interest have included state licensure, facility accreditation, and forming alliances with other practitioner groups to advance BOC's certificants. He served 23 years with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) before retiring as a senior master sergeant in 2007. A disabled veteran, he served his entire USAF career in the field of orthotics. He studied at Northern Michigan University, Marquette, for two years before joining the Air Force, and began his orthotic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Madler ended his military service at the same base as 4J0X1 course supervisor in the 59th Medical Wing, Wilford Hall Medical Center, managing the largest orthotic laboratory in the USAF; he also saw more than 800 patients per month and oversaw the USAF's orthotic program worldwide. In addition, he was responsible for the Air Force's Orthotic Apprentice course, which he developed and helped teach.

Sharon Nichelson, COR, CMF As chairman of BOC's Board of Directors, Madler says he's had "a year's worth of wonderful opportunities. It has been a great pleasure to work with the dedicated people on our board and staff, and I've also had many opportunities to meet with our certificants and represent them at trade shows, conferences, and meetings with allied health groups. In forging a stronger and more strategic organization, I am honored to be elected to the chairmanship for a second term, and I pledge to do everything I can to enhance BOC's focus and professional reputation."

Sharon Nichelson was first elected to the BOC Board in 2006, after more than 15 years in the durable medical equipment (DME) business. Employed by Westfield Pharmacy, North Platte, Nebraska, she chairs the Item Writers Committee for the Certified Orthotic Fitters examination, and has served on several other committees. In addition, she has been a member of BOC's executive committee, serving a term as secretary before being elected vice chair. She is also active as chair for the Region D Durable Medical Equipment Regional Carrier (DMERC) Advisory Committee, which represents 17 states and provides information flow between the states' practitioners and the DMERC. Also, as a member of the Midwest Association for Medical Equipment Services, Nichelson is actively involved in regulatory, legislative, education, and ethical issues affecting Midwest equipment supplier.

John Kenney, BOCO "I'm proud to have been a part of the accomplishments of BOC over the past three years," Nichelson says, "and I would like to thank my fellow practitioners for their confidence that I can continue to help guide the organization strategically and efficiently. BOC is essential in providing the allied healthcare industry with practitioners qualified in a variety of healthcare to help patients throughout the nation. I look forward to this opportunity to work closely with BOC's directors and officers to the benefit of practitioners and their patients."

John Kenney is president of NeuroFlex Orthotics, Laguna Hills, California. He specializes in the treatment of contractures due to immobility and neurological dysfunction, and is the inventor of Neuroflex Orthotics, a line of static braces with dynamic features that effectively reverse contractures complicated by abnormal tone and spasticity. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology, as well as seven U.S. and multiple international patents for orthotic-device design. He is also a partner in OCSI/NeuroFlex, Tampa Bay, Florida.

Joe Lawson, BOCO Joe Lawson is a managing partner in Lawson Medical, LLC, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with additional locations spanning the Mid-Atlantic region and employing several certified practitioners. After earning certification in orthotics, Lawson founded the company as a single-owner operation. He first became a registered fitter in 1998 after several years in sales and marketing, first with a health insurance company and later with a DME company. He has served on BOC's Item Writers Committees for both COF and BOCO examinations.

Jim Hewlett oversees the operation of Consultants PRN as a senior consultant. His 36 years of experience include marketing, merchandizing, and ownership of a DME company and a wholesale oxygen business, as well as owning an O&P practice. Though semi-retired, he offers an array of services related to providing O&P care within governmental regulations, accreditation preparation, and to successfully managing a practice. His certifications are from both BOC and ABC, and he is an associate member of the Orthotic & Prosthetic Group of America (OPGA). He serves on BOC's Item Writing Committee for Orthotics and as an accreditation on-site surveyor.

Jim Hewlett, BOCO Jim Newberry , re-elected to the board, is certified and licensed in both prosthetics and orthotics, and has been in practice in Florida for 32 years with Mahnke's Orthotics/Prosthetics and as a clinical team member for Children's Medical Services. He has served BOC for the past 25 years, on the Board of Directors, as chair, and, at BOC's request, became Interim Executive Director when BOC's founding executive retired after 20 years. Newberry has been deeply involved in the creation of new certifications and of BOC's facility accreditation program, as well as working with BOC's strategic planning committees and the Exam, New Projects, CEO Selection and Item Writers Committees. In addition, he teaches a diabetic shoe course, negative casting, and various aspects of anatomy and gait at various schools in the United States.

"I've been privileged to experience BOC as a certificant, a practitioner, a board chair, and a staff member. This has given me a well-rounded perspective on BOC's strengths and challenges, and I continue to put that experience to work for our profession," Newberry said. "BOC is important to our future as providers of healthcare, and I will do whatever I can to help enhance BOC's programs and future initiatives."

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