Meet Your 2025 NomCom Endorsed Candidates

April 17, 2025

By Jeremy Nelson, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, Chair, AAPA Nominating Committee

The dedication and vision of AAPA’s volunteer leadership helps to drive the organization’s successes. Central to this effort is the Nominating Committee (NomCom), which is comprised of five elected and two appointed fellow members, each of whom brings an array of perspectives and experiences to the work of the committee. We are charged by AAPA’s Bylaws to recruit, evaluate, and endorse candidates to run for positions on the AAPA Board of Directors, and our work is crucial to ensuring transparency and excellence in the electoral process.

This year, the NomCom actively engaged with AAPA leadership, including commissions, committees, and Constituent Organization (CO) leadership, to inform and recruit qualified candidates. This proactive approach reflects our commitment to enhancing the recruitment process. All NomCom members are available year-round to answer questions and assist interested volunteers in discovering their AAPA volunteer leadership calling.

As chair of the Nominating Committee, it is my privilege to announce the slate of candidates the NomCom has endorsed to run in the 2025 AAPA Board of Directors and House of Delegates Officer elections:

President-elect

David J. Bunnell, MSHS, PA-C, DFAAPA

Eric Martinez, DMS, PA-C, CAQ-EM, DFAAPA

Director-at-Large

Sarah Adams, PA-C

Daniel Coll, MBA, MHS, PA-C, DFAAPA

Deepthi Krishna, MBBS, MSPAS, PA-C

Rebecca Loveless, MHS, PA-C, DFAAPA

Brittany Strelow, DMSc, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA

Vice President/Speaker of the House

Leslie Clayton, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA

Director/First Vice Speaker of the House

Peggy Walsh Sheryka, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA

Director/Second Vice Speaker of the House

Rachel Weinzimmer, DMSc, PA-C, CAQ-EM, CPAAPA

Endorsement is a complex, confidential process through which eligible candidates are evaluated to determine who is best suited to fulfill the duties of the position and serve the needs of AAPA during a given year. While the Nominating Committee was not committed to endorsing either a single or multiple slate, the final endorsed slate reflects the Committee’s support for having competitive elections.

The NomCom used the following process to conduct the endorsement evaluations:

• Adopted a competency framework and scoring rubric used to evaluate the following competencies:
  • Team orientation and interpersonal skills,
  • Personal leadership skills,
  • Knowledge of AAPA and the PA Profession,
  • Commitment and loyalty,
  • Integrity and capacity to serve,
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion,
  • And preparedness for an officer position (President-elect, and Vice President).
• Reviewed each candidate’s entire application packet.
• Conducted individual interviews utilizing a consistent format providing all pre-written questions to candidates in advance.
• Deliberated as a group to develop a slate that reflects the highest qualified candidates for each position.
• All candidates were notified of the competency criteria ahead of the interview process and were confidentially informed of the final slate.

This year, all candidates were found to meet the appropriate threshold to demonstrate they would be productive members of the AAPA Board of Directors.

It has been our honor to conduct this important component of AAPA’s elections and to do so in a rigorous, informed, and thoughtful manner. We encourage every AAPA member who is eligible to vote to take the time to learn about each candidate, understand their vision, and cast their ballot with confidence. Your vote is not just a choice; it is a voice for the future you envision for our profession.

To learn more about current election timelines and policies, please check out aapa.org/elections.