ILOTA Communique 2020 Communique Issue 1 | Page 14

THE COMMUNIQUÉ 2 01 9 I L O TA AWA R D R E C I P I E N T S Continued from Page 13 profession for over 50 years. She was a graduate from the University of Illinois in the Beatrice Wade era and since then has been a clinician with a focus in geriatrics, a clinical faculty member at the Univer- sity of Illinois, an entrepreneur, a businesswoman, an advocate, and a mentor. She has been involved with various initiatives to promote OT in reimbursement, licensure, legislation, and clinical practice. She is a former president of ILOTA, past chairperson of the AOTA Administrative Special Interest Section, and past chairperson of the Illinois OT Licensure Board. She has been a member of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Technical Expert Panels for nursing facility payment and quality, including the STATS project, DOPTA project and Quality Measures for Nursing Facilities. She currently is a member of the Joint Commission PTAC for Nursing Care Centers and the OT representative on the National Govern- ment Services PO AEG. She is a resource and the go to person regarding legislation and clinical prac- tice that impacts our profession on the national and state level. She readily shares her knowledge to bet- ter the profession. The number of students and ther- apists she has influenced are too numerous to count. On receiving her awards, Richman reported, “To be recognized by one’s peers is a very special oppor- tunity. It is an opportunity to thank those that have been your friends and colleagues throughout the years. It is an opportunity to reflect on your values and how they have served you well. It is an oppor- tunity for me to remember those special colleagues that gave me a pat or a nudge or recognized a skill set that would serve our profession. And the best is the opportunity to continue having fun and being meaningfully involved with an organization that has been an essential part of my being for a long, long, very long time. We all need to know that we might have made a difference, these awards help me feel that maybe I have contributed.” Mae Brandon: Lifetime Achievement Honorary Member Honorary members are recognized for their long- standing contributions to ILOTA and the OT profes- sion. They have all the rights and privileges of the membership category for which they qualify and shall pay no dues. Mae Brandon has over 40 years in the profession. She completed the OTA program first then went on to the University of Illinois and received her Bachelor’s in OT. She has worked in all areas of OT, clinical, academia, adults, school-based therapy, and mental health. She has been involved in ILOTA through committees, the SIS, as a board member, and as a former president. She has had a lasting im- pact on the profession and influenced numerous stu- dents and therapists; in addition to all the lives she changed through her skill and compassion as a ther- apist. About the Author Kelsey Ranneklev is a first year student in Rush University’s OT Doctorate program. She graduated from Ham- line University in 2019 with a degree in both Exercise Science and Public Health Sciences. Page 14