OOTA Annual Conference ~ October 11-12, 2024

at the Hilton Polaris, Columbus, OH

We are excited to announce that the 2024 OOTA Annual Conference has successfully concluded, and we are already gearing up for 2025! A huge thank you to our dedicated conference committee! Their hard work and commitment were instrumental in making OOTA 2024 a success. This year, we explored the theme “Connecting for Change: Building Community Through Occupational Therapy,” embracing the power of collaboration, community engagement, and interdisciplinary connections. We sincerely thank everyone who participated and contributed to this transformative experience. 

Now, as we look ahead to 2025, we invite you to continue this journey with us. Together, we’ll bridge gaps, build stronger communities, and shape the future of occupational therapy. Stay tuned for more details about next year’s conference, and join us in making an even bigger impact!

If you are interested in helping plan the 2025 OOTA Annual Conference, please reach out to [email protected]. Whether you’d like to help with organizing, volunteering, or contributing ideas, let us know! Your involvement is crucial to creating another successful event.

Click HERE to Complete the 2024 Conference Survey!

**CE Certificates have been processed and shared with attendees. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

2024 OOTA Award Ceremony 

A special shout-out to all our award winners this year, who were recognized for their excellence, dedication, and leadership in occupational therapy. Congratulations to each of you! You can view the full list of award recipients here on our dedicated awards page. 

 Conference Highlights

• Keynote Session: We were thrilled to kick off the conference with an inspiring keynote by Dr. Victoria Wilburn titled “What If? Translating Your Occupational Therapy Practice & Research for Civic Engagement.” Dr. Wilburn’s talk encouraged us to think beyond traditional roles and engage more deeply with our communities.

• Pre-Conference Workshops:

  • Helping Refugees Build a Sense of Home and Enrich the Community Through Occupational Therapy explored the meaningful work OT professionals are doing with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) to support individuals in creating a sense of belonging.
  • Personal Responsibility when Engaging with Your Diverse Workforce provided an in-depth look at the RETAIN Process, offering attendees practical tools for fostering communication, trust, and retention in their workplaces. Through case studies, interactive discussions, and strategy-sharing, attendees gained new insights to take back to their teams.

• Annual Town Hall Meeting: Attendees joined an impactful Town Hall session featuring representatives from the OTPTAT Board, NBCOT, our advocacy representative, and current and past OOTA Presidents, Christie Tuttle and Becky Finni. Their presentations gave insights into updates in the profession, where OOTA is headed and the latest advocacy efforts.

• OEC Session: Leaders from the Office of Exceptional Children (OEC) shared recent updates on Special Education in Ohio, discussing the federally mandated oversight of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and several new statewide grants focused on workforce retention. Attendees left with valuable knowledge about the resources available and the state’s initiatives in special education.

• School Room: Four universities showcased their programs, merchandise, and educational resources, creating a lively space for attendees to connect with local OT/OTA schools and learn about their offerings.

• Whova App Fun: The Whova app was a hit, with attendees engaging in interactive contests and friendly networking. Congratulations to our contest winners, Katelyn Merzke (Icebreaker and Photo Contest) and Sara Casey (Leadership Board and Icebreaker Contest)! Thank you to everyone who participated and made it a fun, engaging experience.

• Volunteers: Heartfelt thanks to our incredible student and practitioner volunteers. Your support and hard work were essential to making this conference a success!

• Vendor Hall: This year’s Vendor Hall featured 20 sponsors and 18 exhibitors, offering attendees a great opportunity to connect with industry professionals, discover new products, and complete their Exhibitor Passport for a chance to win a raffle prize. A huge thank you to all our sponsors for their support!

  A Note about 2024 Conference Dates and Yom Kippur 

We wanted to take a moment to address concerns brought by several members regarding the dates of the 2024 conference falling during Yom Kippur. This was an unintentional oversight on the part of the conference planning committee and was due in part to a very limited number of weekends being available at the time in which we began our search for this year's venue. 

When the overlap in dates was brought to our attention, we contacted the hotel to see if there was a possibility of moving our conference dates, but other events prevented a move to a date that was not more than a month away from our original plans. As such, we made the decision to move forward with the current dates, with the assurance to all members that future conference planning will include careful consideration of holidays to every extent possible.

We know that collaboration and diversity are cornerstones of our profession and our association, and we continue to learn from our mistakes and work to be better.

Sincerely, 

OOTA Executive Board & Conference Planning Committee

2024 Conference Schedule 

 ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING 2023 - MEETING MINUTES

Annual Meeting Minutes 
State Conference
Toledo, OH
October 21, 2023

Annual meeting of members called to order at 12:52pm.

Establishment of quorum. Quorum present. 

Motion to approve 2022 minutes put forth by Mary Arnold. Kristin Roberts seconded. Motion passed by unanimous vote at 12:55pm.

 Kara Brogan provided the Treasurer’s report.

• Report notes OOTA finances continue to remain strong.
• Checking account and investments have increased during 2023.

 Becky Finni provided the following during the Presidential Report.

• Membership by the numbers
  • 2023 Membership = 1294

      740 OT (13 retired)

      200 OTA

      293 Student

      New practitioner level: 35 OT, 12 OTA

• Membership discussed continuously at board member meetings, including ways to encourage membership
• AOTF scholarships
  • 2022-2023 only one scholarship recipient awarded
    • Carolina Walker, OTA student at Marion Technical College, awarded $2309
  • Scholarship for upcoming year closed Oct 2, 2023
  • School-Based Leadership Team

o Continue to work on advocating for school-based practitioners.

• 2023 year in review
  • Strategic planning
  • Continuing education presentations
    • 33 live events, 28 on-demand webinars available on learning platform
  • Policies updated, finalized, published to OOTA
  • Retreat planned for final meeting of the year.
  • Student Conclave occurring January 8-9, 2024 for both student members & non-members
  • AOTA Pilot Collaborative selection
    • Ohio selected to participate in program with 3 other states
    • Hoped for benefits include: consistent value for members, membership growth, increased volunteer pool & improved leadership experience, shared system for membership including billing for membership, data management, sustained independent accounts, accounting management, event management
  • Advocacy
    • Executive board member joined SAPEC Ohio this year.
    • State house day – canceled
    • HB 68
      • Passed in June. Combined 2 bills: limiting access to gender-affirming care + Save Women’s Sports Act (HB 6)
      • HB 183 (Bathroom Usage) & HB 8 (Parental Notification)
      • Note: AOTA policy supports gender-affirming care
      • HB 33
        • State operating budget, work requirements waiver required for Ohio Medicaid, policy to cover children on Medicaid under age 4, art & music therapy licensure, est. Ohio Dept of Children & Youth
        • HB 83
          • Makes several reforms to policies at Ohio’s public universities, restricts teaching of divisive concepts, policies related to DEI, & tenure of professors. There is concern regarding accreditation impact.
  • On-going advocacy
    • HB141 copay fairness
    • OTAs & school-based practice
    • Medicaid rates & reform / behavioral health
    • Looking Ahead to 2024
      • Christie Tuttle new president July 1, 2024
      • Transition to AMC via collaborative 1st quarter of 2024
      • Continue to revise policies as needed
      • National advocacy MHSIS & peds school-based task force groups
      • State affiliation task force to revise state affiliation agreement with AOTA

Stacy Schumacher motioned to adjourn. Kristin Roberts seconded. Motion passed by unanimous vote at 1:32pm