Leadership

Academy Officers/Executive Committee

Angela Campbell, PT, DPT, CCS

President, 2022-2025

Bio: Angela has served APTA and the Academy in many roles over the past 20+ years -- Nominating Committee Chair, Advocacy/ Legislative Chair, ABPTS Clinical Content Expert, Specialty Council & Item writer; ABPTRFE Residency Site Reviewer, Federal Affairs Liaison. Worked on the past 2 DSP revalidations and currently working on entry-level CVP competencies. Co-developer/producer of the Post-Acute Covid Exercise & Rehabilitation (PACER) Project. Clinically has worked with critical care, CF, heart/lung transplant, and outpatient pulmonary rehab populations.

Morgan Johanson, PT, MSPT, CCS

Vice President, 2024-2027

Bio: Morgan Johanson, PT, MSPT, CCS Morgan is the President of Good Heart Education. She w a Level 3 Acute Care PT at the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) and the Coordinator for the Inpatient and Outpatient Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS). In addition, she was a Co-Director of the VAAAHS CVP PT Residency Program. She received the Service Star for excellence in patient care from CPMC. In 2022, she received the Merit Award from the Academy of CVP PT. She is a contributing author to the 4th and 5th Edition of the Essentials of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy. She was the lead investigator for the Entry-Level Physical Therapist Competencies in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy.

Michael A. Tevald, PT, PhD

Treasurer, 2023-2026

Bio: Mike is serving his second term as the Academy's Treasurer. He is an associate professor at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, where he teaches content related to cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy and serves as the Director of Post-Professional Programs. Mike is also an active researcher who is currently studying the acute impact of lung transplantation on skeletal muscle structure and function.

Mike is the Chair of the Finance Committee.

Sagan Everett, PT, DPT, CCS

Secretary 2023-2026

Bio: Sagan Everett is a board-certified cardiovascular and pulmonary clinical specialist and senior acute care physical therapist at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene, Texas. During her 10 years at Hendrick, she has served on multiple committees, held various leadership positions within the therapy department, and has been heavily involved in clinical education. She was on the Task Force that completed the update for the CVP DPT Entry-Level Competencies from 2016-2022. She is an item writer for SACE. Sagan has presented nationally at CSM on Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs in 2016 and on the Update for the CVP DPT Entry-Level Competencies in 2021.

Rich Severin, PT, DPT, PhD, CCS

Chief Delegate 2024-2027

Bio: Rich Severin PT, DPT, PhD is a board-certified cardiovascular and pulmonary clinical specialist. Dr. Severin serves as DPT program coordinator and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has served the academy in various roles since 2013 including chair of both the visibility/awareness and nominating committees. In addition to serving as Chief Delegate for the academy, he is an associate editor of Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal and is a member of the APTA Science and Practice Affairs Committee.

Rich is also Chair of the Advocacy Committee.

Academy Officers/Board of Directors

John W. Connell PT, MSBS, CCS

Education Committee Chair 2022-2025

Bio: John William Connell, PT, MSBS, CCS has been a practicing Physical Therapist for more than 20 years across various practice settings. He became board-certified in 2018 and became the Coordinator of Pulmonary Rehabilitation at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) the same year. He now coordinates both facility-based and home-based Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and COVID-19 rehabilitation for CVAMC. In 2019, he organized and presented at the 1st Annual Marci Moreno Pulmonary Rehab Conference at CVAMC that offers CEU’s from 11 differing accrediting bodies. Now in its fifth year, the conference has more than doubled in attendance and increased the scope to include Cardiac Rehab. In 2022, he became Program Coordinator for the first accredited Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy Residency in the state of Ohio. In 2024, he was named the Chair of a national Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine Field Advisory Board for Cardiac and Pulmonary rehabilitation within VHA.

John was the Federal Affairs Liaison for the Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary PT in 2021 and was appointed as the Chair of the Education committee in 2022. In April of 2022, he was awarded the Physical Therapist of the year award for 2021 by the Ohio Physical Therapy Association. He was awarded the Merit Award by the APTA Academy of CVP PT in 2024. In 2023, he led the team that organized and facilitated the first Academy of CVP PT fall conference.

Aaron Thrush, PT, DPT, MPH, CCS

Evidence Based Practice/Research Committee Chair 2024-2027

Bio: Aaron Thrush earned board certified specialization in 2016, and has contributed to the Academy though service on the Specialty Council (2016-2020) and as a Clinical Content Expert (2020 to present). He has multiple roles at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he is the rehabilitation department Education Specialist, a clinical researcher, and a senior clinician working within the 84-bed critical care units. He is a graduate of Arcadia University (DPT) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (MPH).

Jenny Sharp, PT, DPT, CCS

Member Engagement Committee Chair 2022-2025

Bio: Dr. Jennifer Sharp PT, DPT, Ed.D. is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physical Therapy. She is a full-time faculty member at Emory University School of Medicine Division of Physical Therapy in Atlanta, Georgia. She teaches and coordinates a variety of different courses within the Emory DPT curriculum including General Medical Condition, Advanced Acute Care, and Fundamentals of Clinical Measures, and serves as the Division's Associated Director of Outreach and Engagement. Dr. Sharp continues to practice as a critical care PT within Emory Healthcare. Her research interests include critical care rehabilitation, simulation-based learning, interprofessional education and collaboration, DEI&B in education.

Talia Pollok, PT, DPT, CCS

Nominating Committee Chair 2024-2025

Bio: Talia M. Pollok PT, DPT is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy working as a senior clinician in various roles within UVA Health. Dr. Pollok’s clinical practice is focused on the unique needs of critically ill patients with complex cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions. Most recently she restructured the UVA Health Pulmonary Rehabilitation program and created a new role for physical therapists within the Post ICU/Post COVID clinic. She is on the teaching faculty for the Bradcliff Breathing Method, an article reviewer for the CVPT Journal, and serves on the Education Committee of the international patient advocacy group, LongCOVID Physio.

Melissa Lessor PT, DPT, CCS

Professional Development Committee Chair 2024-2027

Bio: Melissa Lesser, PT, DPT, is an Assistant Professor and co-Director of Clinical Education at Saint Joseph's University. She earned her BS in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University and her DPT at Drexel University. She is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy. She continues to practice patient care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Melissa is a member of the Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary, Academy of Education and Academy of Acute Care.

Julie M. Skrzat, PT, DPT, PhD, CCS

Section Program Committee Chair 2023-2026

Bio: Julie M. Skrzat, PT, DPT PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Arcadia University. She earned her BS, MS, and DPT degrees from Ithaca College. Julie pursued a PhD from Temple University, where she studied muscle fatigue and recovery in patients who were critically ill. During this time, she became an APTA board certified Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Specialist. Julie continues to practice at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA. Her primary research agenda focuses on optimizing functional outcomes in patients who are critically ill, specifically patients with heart failure. Julie is a member of the Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary and Academy of Acute Care.

Deborah Slay, PT, DPT, CCS

Visibility/Awareness Committee Chair 2022-2025

Bio: Deb Slay is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy practicing in the Critical Care Environment at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. She received her Bachelor of Science from Bowling Green State University (2015), her DPT degree from University of Miami (2018), and is a graduate of the University of Utah’s Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Residency Program (2022). Deb’s interest include those with end stage heart and lung disease, and during her time in residency she worked to redefine clamshell precautions and designed a new exercise protocol for those post lung transplantation. She serves as the Visibility and Awareness Chair for the Academy of CVP, has presented nationally and is adjunct faculty for several hybrid programs, and is the Hybrid Lead Instructor at University of Utah for their Cardiopulmonary Course.