Andrew Amari, JD, is a specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit, advocating on regulatory policy issues affecting physical therapists in a variety of practice settings. Before joining the association in March 2022, Andrew was a regulatory analyst at the Association of American Medical Colleges, focusing on hospital payment and graduate medical education policy issues. Andrew received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University and a JD from the University of Wisconsin School of Law. He is a member of the Wisconsin Bar.

Alice is on staff as senior payment specialist in the Payment and Practice Management Department of the APTA. She received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and a doctor of physical therapy degree from the University of Montana. Her specialties include integrated care delivery models, post-acute care, and long-term care. A board-certified clinical specialist in geriatric physical therapy, she has lectured and written many articles on topics related to physical therapy and the older adult. She has spent the majority of her career in post-acute care and long-term care settings and has more than 36 years of experience as a physical therapist. Her professional activities include serving as a member of the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Steering Committee, co-leader of the NQF Opioid Stewardship Member Workgroup, APTA appointee to the NDHI Opioid Crisis Workgroup, APTA appointee to the National Quality Partnership Opioid Stewardship Action Team, Member of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Technical Expert Panel for Skilled Nursing Alternative Payment Systems, Appointee to the National Quality Forum (NQF) for Long Term Care Quality Measures, Member of the Steering Committee for NQF's National Voluntary Consensus Standards for Nursing Home Project, and representative of the Coalition of Rehab Therapy Organizations’ Joint Commission’s Long Term Care Professional and Technical Advisory Committee.

Wanda K. Evans, PT, DPT, MHS, is a senior payment specialist at APTA. Her responsibilities include communicating with members and insurers on inquiries regarding third-party, billing, CPT coding, and payment policies; providing resources in policy development; monitoring trends; and assisting in association efforts to advance payment policies. She remains a treating clinician in the outpatient setting. Before joining APTA, she was the clinical documentation and utilization review coordinator for Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital Network. Prior to that she was the supervisor of physical therapist and occupational therapist services for Kaiser Permanente Mid Atlantic. She has been an APTA member since she was a student. She received her bachelor of physical therapy and doctor of physical therapy degrees from Howard University, and a master of health science degree in orthopedic and sports physical therapy from the University of Indianapolis. She also is a certified kinesio taping practitioner. 

Chase Kuhn, PT, DPT, is a specialist in APTA’s Health Policy and Payment unit, advocating for the profession of physical therapy as it relates to commercial insurers. He received both his bachelor’s degree in health science and his DPT with research specialization from the Ohio State University and subsequently participated in their Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency. He joined APTA staff with prior work experience in financial loss mitigation and hospital-based revenue cycle administration.

Rachel Miller, MPH, is a health policy and payment specialist within APTA's Health Policy and Payment Unit as of August 2022. Rachel advocates to federal regulators on policy issues that affect the physical therapy profession. Before joining the association, she was working towards her master's degree in health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While continuing her education, Rachel showed community members how to obtain health insurance as Certified Application Counselor in a student-run clinic. Before that, she helped stop the spread of COVID-19 as a case investigator at a local health department. She obtained her bachelor's degree in public health from the University of South Florida.

Mary Daulong, PT, CHC, CHP, is the founder and CEO of Business & Compliance Management Systems, LLC (BCMS), established in 1985. For over 25 years, BCMS has specialized in supporting outpatient therapy practices and providers with federal and state regulatory compliance. 

Mary is a trailblazing physical therapist, distinguished as the first to earn Health Care Compliance certification, which she has maintained since 2002. She is also a certified HIPAA Professional through the HIPAA Academy. A dedicated member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Texas Physical Therapy Association for nearly five decades, Mary has held leadership roles at national and component levels, chairing influential committees, including Governmental Affairs, Payment Policy, Risk Management, and Quality Assurance. For over two decades, she has been a featured compliance columnist for APTA Private Practice IMPACT Magazine, sharing her expertise with the outpatient therapy community.

Mary may be contact via email at daulongm@bcmscomp.com

Alicia Mahoney has dedicated over a decade to Business & Clinical Management Services (BCMS), shaping its growth and evolution into a leading compliance solutions provider for outpatient therapy practices nationwide. She served nearly eight years as Chief Operating Officer before being appointed President in 2024, where she continues to drive innovation through the launch of the Compliance Bubble software platform. Alicia’s expertise is in compliance program implementation—including OSHA, HIPAA, business operations, human resources, risk mitigation, and risk management .

As Managing Executive, Jon is responsible for overseeing execution of the firm’s strategic vision and investment management strategies. He engages one-on-one with a wide range of individuals, organizations, and corporate committees to help them solve fundamental and complex financial challenges. His creative thinking style and strong analytical skills help drive Virtus Capital toward achieving its mission of delivering the highest level of trust and value to its investors.

Jon leads a team of professionals with a combined experience of more than 50 years in the financial services industry. As the firm’s lead advisor, Jon is responsible for ensuring that every Virtus Capital client receives a high level of individualized attention and a best-in-class service experience that exceeds expectations.

Jon has nearly two decades of entrepreneurial experience building client-centric, service-based businesses. His professional background provides him with unique insights into the specific challenges faced by business owners and entrepreneurs. Having resided in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for more than three decades, he has developed a vast personal and professional network that spans all types of industries and organizations.

In addition to his entrepreneurial and financial background, Jon is a former division I athlete and coach. He uses this experience to help young, aspiring athletes reach their collegiate sport and educational goals. He believes his experiences in finance, sports and wellness provide unique synergies that allow him to deliver insightful solutions to help his clients reach peak performance, both personally and professionally.

Prior to founding Virtus Capital, Jon was an investment advisor representative (IAR) at Royal Alliance Associates, where he oversaw the investment management process, client engagement, and financial planning solutions. He also served as a financial advisor at MassMutual Greater Washington, where he was responsible for investment portfolio design, asset allocation, model creation, and overseeing the team’s investment management philosophy. Jon’s financial career started with Capital Financial Group in Reston, Virginia, where he served as a registered representative, responsible for financial analysis, client engagement, and various support services.

Jon holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Science in Finance from Georgetown University. He is a board member on FuturePlan’s Key Advisor board (Acensus) and has passed the FINRA Series 7 and 66 exams. He is insurance licensed in the state of Virginia.

In his free time, Jon coaches local youth baseball. He enjoys hiking, skiing, and exercising outdoors.

Therese Johnston is a Professor of Physical Therapy at Arcadia University and a per-diem Physical Therapist at Jefferson/Moss/Magee Rehabilitation Hospital. Dr. Johnston’s research has included interventions to improve the health, fitness, and function of children and adults, with a special focus on the use of functional electrical stimulation. Dr. Johnston was the co-lead author on the clinical practice guideline on the use of ankle foot orthoses and functional electrical stimulation post stroke. She has published over 60 articles in peer reviewed journals and has presented nationally and internationally. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and currently the chair of the EDGE task force within the Academy of Physical Therapy Research.

Jeanine Kolman is currently a Practice Specialist at the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), where she manages evidence-based practice resources and other practice-related content. Jeanine has completed two levels of Guidelines International Network’s International Guideline Development Credentialing and Certification Program (INGUIDE) and has provided support for several clinical practice guidelines.

Heidi Kosakowski PT, DPT, PhD is currently the Head of Membership and Policy at World Physiotherapy, where she provides strategic leadership for membership activities and oversees education initiatives. Prior to this role, Heidi served as a Senior Practice Specialist at the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). She has contributed her expertise as a panelist and methodologist for several Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs).

Dr. Angel Holland is the Department Chair, Program Director and Associate Professor for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She was hired by UAMS in 2014 to assist in developing the physical therapy academic program, which was created based on educational theories and learning styles for the current generation of students.  

Dr. Holland completed her undergraduate Biology degree from Oklahoma Christian University, followed by her Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. She later completed her Clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Arcadia University and earned a Doctorate in Education from the University of Arkansas with a focus on Adult and Lifelong Learning. She has been a physical therapist for 26 years and is an ABPTS Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatrics.  

She is a graduate of the APTA Academy of Education Fellowship in Higher Education Leadership. Dr. Holland’s research areas include generational learning styles, interprofessional learning activities, and faculty development to enhance student success. She is a national speaker on the subject of today’s student and has served as a consultant for clinical and academic team development for a variety of universities and healthcare systems. 

Gabe opened River Valley Therapy & Sports Medicine in September of 2001. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Health Science in 1996 and his Master of Science in Physical Therapy in 1998 from the University of Central Arkansas. He completed his Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2010 through the EIM Institute of Health Professions. Gabe has attended many courses such as the McKenzie Method, Paris Techniques in Spinal Rehab, MedX Spinal Rehab and numerous orthopedic classes with an emphasis on knee, hand, and shoulder rehabilitation. He achieved his certification in Manual Therapy in 2015 as well.

Gabe has lectured on topics pertaining to physical therapy at the University of Central Arkansas, Arkansas State University, as well as worked with students at Russellville High School. Gabe is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, Arkansas Physical Therapy Association, and RehabNet of Arkansas, where he is currently President of the Board of Directors. He also serves as team physical therapist for the Pottsville High School football team and during basketball tournaments, and provides physical therapists for the Hector Wildcats.

Berni Willis, based in Clarksville, OH, US, is currently a Executive Director at Mid American Rehabilitation Network. Berni Willis brings experience from previous roles at Ohio Physical Therapy Association, OptimistPT, Mid American Rehab (previously OPTN) and Comprehensive Physical Therapy Center. With a robust skill set that includes Management, CPT, Revenue Cycle Management, Practice Management, Healthcare Management and more.

Kelly serves as the president of Movement for Life, an employee-owned company that operates outpatient clinics in Arizona, California, North Carolina, and Virginia. She started her career as a certified athletic trainer. She entered PT school at the University of Southern California while also working in their outreach program as a high school athletic trainer. Kelly has also had the opportunity to be active in the APTA Private Practice Section, currently serving on the Board of Directors with past membership on the Editorial Board, as well as payment policy, value-based care, telehealth, and COVID-19 task forces and committees.

RICK GAWENDA, PT, is a licensed physical therapist with over 30 years of experience and currently serves as the founder and President of Gawenda Seminars & Consulting, Inc. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, in 1991.

He has provided valuable education and consulting to hospitals, private practices, skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation agencies in the areas of CPT coding, ICD-10 coding, billing, documentation compliance, revenue enhancement, practice management, and denial management as they relate to outpatient therapy services. Mr. Gawenda has presented nationally since 2004 and has provided over 1000 on-site seminars and webinars.

In addition, Mr. Gawenda is retained by attorneys to serve as an expert in regard to legal or physical therapy state board issues regarding documentation, billing, supervision, and utilization of support personnel and compliance with insurance rules and regulations as well as physical therapy state board requirements.

Mr. Gawenda is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Michigan Physical Therapy Association (MPTA). Mr. Gawenda is a Past President of the Section on Health Policy & Administration of the APTA. He is the current Chair of the APTA Private Practice Payment Policy

Mr. Gawenda is also the author of “The How-To Manual for Rehab Documentation: A Complete Guide to Increasing Reimbursement and Reducing Denials” and “Coding and Billing for Outpatient Rehab Made Easy: Proper Use of CPT Codes, ICD-9 Codes, and Modifiers”.