AAPA’s House of Delegates (HOD) has three open officer positions for the 2025-2026 term:
- AAPA Vice President/Speaker of the House
- Director/First Vice Speaker
- Director/Second Vice Speaker.
Each of these positions also serve on the AAPA Board of Directors.
Learn about the House of Delegates officer positions and eligibility criteria below and consider submitting your application today.
Prospective candidates should carefully review the AAPA Elections Manual and deadline information provided below. Initial candidate applications are due Feb. 21, 2025.
What is the House of Delegates?
The AAPA Bylaws, Article VI, Section 1 provide for the House of Delegates as follows:
Duties and Responsibilities. The Academy shall have a House of Delegates, which shall represent the interests of the membership. The House of Delegates shall exercise the sole authority on behalf of the Academy to enact policies establishing the collective values, philosophies, and principles of the PA profession. The House of Delegates may make recommendations to the Board for granting charters to Chapters and for granting official recognition to specialty organizations. The House of Delegates may make recommendations to the Board for the establishment of Academy commissions and work groups and shall establish such committees of the House of Delegates as necessary to fulfill its duties. The House of Delegates shall be entitled to vote on amendments to these Bylaws on behalf of the four members in accordance with Article XIV of these Bylaws. The House of Delegates shall be solely responsible for establishing such rules of procedure, which are not inconsistent with these Bylaws, the Articles of Incorporation, or existing law, as may be necessary for carrying out the activities of the House (i.e., House of Delegates Standing Rules).
Open Positions, Terms, & Descriptions
There are three (3) House Officer positions with terms starting July 1, 2025:
- AAPA Vice President/Speaker of the House: one-year term
- Director/First Vice Speaker: one-year term
- Director/Second Vice Speaker: one-year term
House of Delegates Officers also serve on AAPA’s Board of Directors in addition to their duties in the House of Delegates. See the Board of Directors General Election page for information on additional duties/responsibilities.
Position Descriptions
Please refer to the House Officer Position Descriptions document, linked here, to learn more about the duties and expectations of board and HOD service.
Eligibility and Qualifications
In accordance with AAPA Bylaws, Article XIII, Section 3, candidates for board director and officer positions must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- A candidate must be a fellow member of AAPA.
- A candidate must be a member of an AAPA constituent organization.
- A candidate must have been an AAPA fellow and/or student member for the last three years.
- A candidate must have served in at least two leadership roles in the Academy, Student Academy, a constituent organization or related PA organization (as defined in section (i) below) in the past five years. This experience requirement will be waived for currently sitting AAPA Board members who choose to run for a subsequent term of office.
- Related PA organizations include the PA Foundation, PA History Society, AAPA’S Political Action Committee, PA Education Association, ARC-PA, or National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.
- Up to one leadership role as delineated in Section d may be obtained by serving in an executive or equivalent role in a healthcare professional organization or healthcare regulatory agency.
- A candidate for House Officer must have been a seated delegate for a minimum of two years in the past five years.
For purposes of verifying eligibility, the Governance Committee interprets these criteria as follows:
- ‘Leadership Role’ is defined as an elected or appointed position on a board, committee, commission, work group or task force, service as an AAPA HOD delegate, or service as an external representative for AAPA.
- A distinct leadership role would include a position that has inherited succession (e.g. president-elect/president/immediate past president or vice chair/chair) or positions with concurrent roles (e.g. member and chair of a commission).
- ‘Healthcare Professional Organization’ may include a hospital, health system, professional association for health providers, medical society, licensing or public health board.
- ‘Executive or equivalent role’ may include a C-suite position (e.g. CEO, CMO), a director of ‘APPs,’ corporate medical director, or board member.
House Officer candidates must also be credentialed delegates to the 2025 HOD meeting.
House Officer candidates will be evaluated by the Nominating Committee for possible endorsement. An endorsement from the NomCom is an indication that a candidate possesses the skills and competencies that will be needed on the AAPA Board of Directors in the coming leadership year. Individuals who meet the eligibility requirements but who are not selected by the NomCom may opt to run as a “self-declared” candidate.
2025 House of Delegates Election Timeline
DATE(s) | ACTION(s) |
---|---|
Jan. 31 | BOD General and House Officer candidate applications open |
February 21 | Deadline to file initial BOD General and House Officer candidate applications |
February 10-March 14 | Nominating Committee (NomCom) evaluates candidates and selects endorsed slate |
March 26 | Deadline for candidates to submit official declaration forms with materials to be included on candidate web pages |
April 17 | Announcement of the 2025 HOD Election slate of candidates (endorsed and self-declared) |
May 1-3 | Date eligible voters (delegates) in the HOD Election need to be current fellow/student members and credentialed (Actual date depends upon final House agenda approval.) |
May 16-18 | Meet the Candidates Session for contested positions in the HOD Elections (Actual date depends upon final House agenda approval.) |
May 16-18 | HOD votes for House Officers and NomCom. (Actual date depends upon final House agenda approval.) |
July 1 | 2025-26 AAPA leadership year begins |
BOD/HOD Meetings Schedule
For planning purposes, candidates should be available for the following meetings:
MEETING | DATE | LOCATION |
---|---|---|
BOD Orientation & Summer Meeting | July 17-19, 2025 | AAPA Headquarters: Alexandria, VA |
Fall BOD Meeting | Sept. 17, 2025, 12 – 6 p.m. ET | TBD |
Leadership & Advocacy Summit | Sept. 18-20, 2025 | Ritz Carlton Pentagon City, Arlington, VA |
BOD Meeting (Budget Approval) | Dec. 4, 2025; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET | Virtual |
BOD Meeting (tent.) | Jan. 8, 2026; 7:30 p.m. ET | Virtual |
Winter BOD Meeting | March TBD, 2026 | Alexandria, VA |
BOD Meeting (Resolution Review) | May 1, 2026; 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET Virtual | Virtual |
AAPA Conference BOD Meeting | May 14, 2026; 1 – 5 p.m. | New Orleans, LA |
House of Delegates Meeting | May 15-17, 2026 | New Orleans, LA |
AAPA 2025 Annual Conference | May 15-19, 2026 | New Orleans, LA |
BOD Meeting | June 12, 2026; 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET | Virtual |
The above dates are tentative and subject to change. Dates and times of House Officer meetings will be set at a later time. House Officers also organize and participate in House-related conference calls throughout the leadership year.
Who is Eligible to Vote?
HOD delegates who have current fellow or student membership and are credentialed delegates fifteen days in advance of voting; and who are present at the time of voting will be eligible to vote for in House elections. The precise date of eligibility will depend on the final HOD meeting agenda.
If you have questions, please contact [email protected].