Following the retirement of three board members on November 30, the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics Inc. (ABC) will welcome three new members to its board of directors. Effective December 1, Curt A. Bertram, CO, and Charles H. Dankmeyer, Jr., CPO, will join the ABC board; Roy B. Davis, III, PhD, PE, will join the ABC board as its new public member. The board confirmed the appointment of Bertram and Dankmeyer at its board meeting in Seattle, Washington, on September 19 and bid farewell to Michael Allen, CPO, FAAOP; Michael Brncick, CPO; and Kristi Wilson-Hill, PhD.
Curt A. Bertram, CO
Bertram, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been volunteering with ABC as both an orthotics examiner and as a member of the exam team for many years. He is currently the area practice manager for Hanger Orthotics and Prosthetic in Wisconsin. According to ABC, Bertram, who played a large role in the examination process, is excited about the future of ABC and specifically the upcoming requirements surrounding the master’s program requirement for practitioners.
Charles H. Dankmeyer, Jr., CPO
“I’m looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead of us, including modifying the examination process to accommodate testing procedures for the new master’s program students,” he said.
Dankmeyer, of Lithicum Heights, Maryland, comes to ABC’s board with more than 40 years of experience in the O&P profession. He owns Dankmeyer Inc., which includes several facilities throughout the state of Maryland. Dankmeyer has a long history of service with ABC. After serving as ABC’s President in 1977, he served on the Character and Fitness and the Facility Accreditation committees.
Roy B. Davis, III, PhD, PE
Davis has been selected by the board of directors as a new public member of the board. Davis has spent his career researching and teaching in the engineering field and currently serves as the director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory for Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, South Carolina.
The public members of the board are full voting members and represent the interest of consumers, patients, and other public groups that have an interest in ABC affairs. As part of the public member’s role, Davis will speak at orthotic and prosthetic events, participate in amputee educational conferences, and serve as the contact for the general public.
In regard to the three retiring board members, ABC’s Executive Director, Catherine Carter, said, “I am grateful for the leadership and guidance [these three members] have provided throughout their board tenure.”
According to ABC, Allen began his service with the board in 1999 and has never shied away from his passion of orthotics and prosthetics. He served as a board director, and in 2008 he served as the president of ABC’s board of directors. “Mike Allen is one of the most dedicated O&P professionals I have ever met,” said Robert Lin, CPO, FAAOP, ABC’s president. “He brought an unparalleled clarity of thought, attention to detail, and impassioned style of communication to ABC board activities.”
Brncick joined ABC’s board of directors in 2005. He is currently the department head at the Northwestern University Prosthetic-Orthotic Center in Chicago and the program coordinator for the orthotics and prosthetics technology program at Joliet Junior College. “Mike Brncick is a true academician and accomplished educator,” Lin said. “His visionary perspective helped ABC see the long-term challenges that await us.”
Wilson-Hill joined the ABC board in 2005. As one of two public members of the ABC board of directors, she worked to ensure that the consumer had a voice, ABC noted in a press release. “Kristi represented the viewpoints and interests of the public we serve with great aplomb,” Lin said. “Her analytical ability and communication style helped many board discussions come to consensus and closure.”
The ABC board of directors is comprised of 10 certified practitioners from the orthotic, prosthetic, and pedorthic community and two public members, according to ABC. The members of the board volunteer their time to provide valuable input supporting the mission of ABC while continuing to demonstrate their dedication to the profession.
