The Board of Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC) approved both the expansion of its membership and the nominations of four new board members-Mark L. Parris, Robbin Wright, Jeff Hedges, and William J. Powers-at its July 26 meeting.
All four seats were filled as appointment, according to BOC Board of Directors Chairwoman Sharon Nichelson, CMF, COF. BOC board members are typically selected by direct vote of BOC certificants. However, BOC’s bylaws call for directors to be appointed if a vacancy occurs during a standard term. Parris and Wright were appointed to fill vacancies, and Hedges and Powers were appointed to newly created seats. Because neither Hedges nor Powers are O&P practitioners, the bylaws provide for them to serve by appointment as ex officio voting members.
“Our board of directors is expanding in both size and diversity,” Nichelson says. “In fact, an additional slate of candidates will be presented to our certificants this fall. It’s a pleasure to welcome Mark, Robbin, Jeff, and Bill to the board. The expertise they bring will make us a stronger deliberative body, expanding our perspective on O&P and our certified practitioners’, accredited facilities’, and patients’ needs.”
Mark L. Parris
Parris, PharmD, COF, is president and CEO of Parris Pharmacy and Parris Medical Services, both located in Blue Ridge, Georgia. After earning his bachelor’s degree in biology, he studied at Mercer University Southern School of Pharmacy, Atlanta, Georgia. His concentrations include working with patients who have asthma, diabetes, and/or high blood pressure, as well as patients who need orthotics. Parris is a member of the Georgia Pharmacy Association and the National Community Pharmacists Association. He is a past board member of the Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Suppliers, and currently serves on the board of directors of the Academy of Independent Pharmacies, the Academy of Compounding Pharmacies, and Fannin Regional Hospital, Blue Ridge.
Robbin WrightWright, BOCP, is chief prosthetist at Mid State Artificial Limb, Jackson, Mississippi. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at Jackson State University, Mississippi, before starting with Mid State in 1991. Later, she joined Pathway Prosthetics, Brandon, Mississippi, as a prosthetist specializing in patient management. For seven years, Wright was owner and president of J RAPHA Medical Group Prosthetic Facility in Yazoo City, Mississippi, returning to Mid State in 2008. Since 2005 she has served on BOC’s prosthetics examination item writers committee.
Jeff Hedges
Hedges is president of R.J. Hedges & Associates, New Florence, Pennsylvania, a company that offers comprehensive healthcare compliance services for independent pharmacies, home health care facilities, medical supply companies, physicians, and other small practices throughout the United States. He is co-author of the National Community Pharmacists Association’s HIPAA Security Handbook, and has written numerous articles on HIPAA compliance, Medicare accreditation, and other federal compliance topics, and travels nationally to deliver continuing-education presentations. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2002, after 27 years of service.
William J. Powers
Powers, of Midlothian, Virginia, earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, before being commissioned in the U.S. Air Force Medical Service Corp. After a nearly 30-year career, he retired from the Air Force as a colonel serving as chief executive officer of the Wright Patterson Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. While in the Air Force, Powers earned his master’s in business administration and attained fellowship in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Chicago, Illinois. Powers’ civilian career included an executive-consulting position with the non-profit Joint Commission Resources, a subsidiary of the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations, and a director-level position within the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association’s Educational Consortium, Ohio. Powers concluded his civilian career by serving more than six years as the chief operating officer of the American Nurses Association.
“Part of the board’s reason for expanding is to refine the balance among the five specialties represented on our Board,” said BOC president Claudia Zacharias, MBA, CAE. “We also wanted to even out the rotation of how many Board members’ terms expire each year…. Making sure there’s a good mix of new and continuing board members every year keeps the board strong. I join Sharon in welcoming our newest board members.”
Include Image: Mark Parris
Image caption: Mark Parris
Include Image: Robbin Wright
Image caption: Robbin Wright
Include Image: Jeff Hedges
Image caption: Jeff Hedges
Include Image: William Powers
Image caption: William Powers
