Committee Information
Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine (ICSM) – Rhiannon Vandegrift
The ICSM, formerly known as the College/University Athletic Trainers’ Committee (CUATC), will address issues affecting the student athlete and athletic trainers at the collegiate level. The ICSM will identify relevant, timely issues in the field of athletic training and collaborate with various organizing bodies of collegiate and intercollegiate athletics to improve student athlete safety, well being and healthcare by influencing policy and providing resources.
Secondary Schools – Tabitha Muncy
The Secondary School Athletic Trainers’ Committee (SSATC) is dedicated to recognizing the unique concerns and responsibilities associated with the secondary school athletic training practice setting, and to developing and providing materials and information that may enhance the effectiveness and marketability of athletic trainers working in this setting.
Council on Practice Advancement (COPA) – Lark Welch
This settings based council is comprised of members who represent a variety of settings within our ten committees housed in the Council on Practice Advancement. These ten committees include: Armed Forces, Rehabilitation Clinic, Health Care Administration, Occupational, Performing Arts, Physician Practice, Private and Emerging Practice, Public Safety, Community Outreach and Analytics and Outcomes. The mission of COPA is to represent the professional practice settings of athletic training by increasing awareness, demonstrating value and assisting in efforts to expand and advance the profession.
Nominations – Rachel Johnson Krug
Track, promote, and tally all open positions and set up calls for nominations.
The Early Professionals Committee – Tyler Prasnicki
The Early Professionals’ Committee (EPC) was created to support athletic trainers in the early stages of their career by fostering leadership, developing educational initiatives and promoting professional and ethical values. The committee addresses issues around transition to practice, creates opportunities to develop career skills and leadership development opportunities and foster professional networking and mentorship for athletic trainers in the first six years of initial certification.
The Connection and Engagement Committee – Paul LaDuke
The charge given to the Connection and Engagement Committee by the NATA BOD is to be membership ambassadors by engaging and linking ATs with the resources, information, and support available from the national office. Additionally, they will facilitate information flow and feedback across the state, district, and national levels.
Career Advancement Committee – Tyler Prasnicki
The NATA Career Advancement Committee (CAC) was created to address issues affecting athletic trainers as they advance in their careers from early professionals. The committee focuses on work-life balance, career satisfaction, career growth and professional retention for athletic trainers within 7-12 years of initial certification.
Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee – Demetrius Hospidales
The mission of the Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee (EDAC) is to serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors of the NATA. Its aim is to identify and address issues relevant to the ethnically diverse populations to better serve the needs of our patients, as well as members of the profession. EDAC advocates sensitivity toward cultural diversity, development of cultural competence within the profession and promotion of athletic trainers as leaders in issues related to cultural competence and professional diversity within the health care professions.
Student Leadership Committee – Sophia Wentz
Student Representatives – Paige Erhardt
The mission of the Student Leadership Committee (SLC), is to represent and advocate for students, create and promote professional development opportunities, and encourage student engagement in the athletic training community.
Governmental Affairs – Matt Moreau
The Government Affairs Committee (GAC) is comprised of members with interest or expertise in state legislative or regulatory affairs and includes liaisons from the BOC and the COPA. The group oversees the association’s governmental relations and regulatory efforts and advocates for regulation favorable to athletic training.
Honors and Awards – Steven Westereng
The Honors and Awards Committee (H&A) develops, supervises, and administers the awards process for national association awards. The awards program is in place to annually recognize professional excellence of NATA members and associates.
ATs Care – Alyssa Albrecht
The ATs Care Commission (ATs Care) is comprised of one member from each district with up to an additional 3 at-large members from a variety of practice settings and preferably those with experience in group or individual crisis intervention. The purpose of the ATs Care is to provide educational resources and organizational methods relative to Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) at the district and state level, designed to help assist athletic trainers following a critical incident such as a fatality or catastrophic injury of an athlete. If you or a colleague need help – please contact us: https://forms.nata.org/ats-care-contact
LGBTQ+ Committee – OPEN
The mission of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee (LGBTQAC) is to advocate for an environment of inclusion, respect, equity and appreciation of differences in both athletic trainers and their diverse patient populations. The committee will identify, explore, address and provide educational resources regarding emerging topics and concerns relevant to diverse sexualities, gender identities and gender expressions within the profession and health care topics affecting patients in the LGBTQ+ community.