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American Academy of PAs Announces 2025-26 Board of Directors

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (July 1, 2025) – The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) Board of Directors began its 2025-26 leadership year on July 1. The board will be led by President and Chair Todd A. Pickard, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, FASCO, a longtime AAPA leader and nationally recognized expert in oncology care.

Pickard, now in his tenth term on the Board, previously served three terms as AAPA Speaker of the House and represented the Association of PAs in Oncology (APAO) and the Texas Academy of PAs in the House of Delegates.

As a practicing PA, Pickard specializes in oncology and has spent the last three decades at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he serves as the executive director of advanced practice.

“AAPA is a strong and forward-looking organization, and our profession is making a powerful impact in healthcare every day,” Pickard said. “I’ve always believed in the responsibility to leave things better than you found them, not because they were broken, but because progress is our responsibility. As president, I hope to help strengthen our foundation even further by working to modernize PA practice laws, expand patient access to care, advance title change, and operationalize the PA Licensure Compact. We have the opportunity to shape a future where PAs are fully empowered to deliver excellent patient care.”

Members of AAPA’s 2025-26 Board of Directors are:

President and Chair of the Board: Todd A. Pickard, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, FASCO (Houston, Texas)

  • President-elect: David Bunnell, MSHS, PA-C, DFAAPA (Ellicott City, Maryland)
  • Immediate Past President: Jason Prevelige, DMSc, MBA, PA-C, DFAAPA (Fairfield, Connecticut)
  • Vice President and Speaker of the House: Leslie Clayton, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA (Maple Grove, Minnesota)
  • Secretary-Treasurer: Kris Pyles-Sweet DMSc, PA-C (Delray Beach, Florida)
  • Student Director: Yasmine Affes, PA-C (Northville, Michigan)
  • Director-at-Large: Daniel Coll, MBA, MHS, PA-C, DFAAPA (Truckee, California)
  • Director-at-Large: Katherine GeeBah Footracer, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA (Altadena, California)
  • Director-at-Large: Paola Gonzalez, MPAS, PA-C (Missouri City, Texas)
  • Director-at-Large: Rebecca Loveless, MHS, PA-C, DFAAPA (Kirkwood, Missouri)
  • Director-at-Large: Brittany Strelow, DMSc, PA-C, MS, DFAAPA (Rochester, Minnesota)
  • Director/First Vice Speaker of the House: Peggy Walsh Sheryka, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA (Centennial, Colorado)
  • Director/Second Vice Speaker of the House: Rachel Weinzimmer, DMSc, PA-C, CAQ-EM, CPAAPA (Grand Junction, Colorado)
  • Chief Executive Officer: Lisa Gables, CPA (Clifton, Virginia)

To learn more about AAPA’s leadership team, visit aapa.org/bod.

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Media Contact:  Annie Mattix, 414.551.1738

About the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)
AAPA is the national membership organization for all physician associates/assistants (PAs). PAs are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. Trusted, rigorously educated and trained healthcare professionals, PAs are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medical practice. Learn more about the profession at aapa.org and engage through Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.

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