Board Celebrates Departing Members for ‘Exemplary Service’

On their last Zoom call of an unusual virtual year, the PAEA Board of Directors bid farewell to four departing Board members and passed a commendation motion thanking them for their “exemplary service.” The four Board members are Directors at Large Dipu Patel, MPAS, PA-C; Michael Roscoe, PhD, PA-C; and Kevin Schuer, DrPH, PA-C; and Past President Jon Bowser, MS, PA-C. 

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Patel leaves the Board after four years of service in which she served in a number of capacities, including on committees selecting ARC-PA nominees and other organizations and, most recently, chairing the Board’s Student Engagement Task Force. PAEA President Howard Straker said, “She has really focused attention on policy and been willing to step up and do whatever is needed.”

Roscoe served on the Board for two years, including on several committees, and brought a keen interest in policy and procedure to the group. Straker thanked him for his “commitment and energy … [you] really challenged us to think about how we do things and to keep our eye on the ball.”

Schuer served on the Board for an unusual five years, with his second term extended by a year to more effectively stagger Board terms, when director at large terms were extended from two to three years. Straker thanked him for his “thoughtful, contemplative input” and for entertaining PAEA volunteers with his guitar and vocal talents at the annual Leadership Summit each April.

Also leaving the Board is Immediate Past President Jonathan Bowser, MS, PA-C, who served as a director at large prior to his three-year presidential cycle. Bowser has been active in the Association for many years, including as a PACKRAT item writer, and will continue his service as a member of the Presidents Commission, a group of the past six past presidents that provide thought leadership on current topics in PA education. Straker thanked him for his energy, time, and humor. “He made us smile and think at the same time,” Straker said. He also noted that Bowser helped usher in a new era for PAEA, serving as president in the year in which PAEA’s first PA and PA educator CEO was selected – Mary Jo Bondy, DHEd, MHS, PA-C.

“We are so grateful for the service of all departing Board members, and indeed the whole Board,” Bondy said. “The wisdom, insight, and energy that our Board members bring to their Association service is inspiring and has helped position us for success in a time of great challenge and uncertainty.” 

Departing Board members will rotate off the Board at the end of this year, with newly elected members taking their seats on January 1. Elected to the Board in October were Kara Caruthers, MS, PA-C, as president elect, and Directors at Large Shalon Buchs, MHS, PA-C; Robert Hadley, PhD, PA-C; and Shaun Grammer, DMSc, PA-C. Janie McDaniel, MS, was also re-elected to a second term as secretary. Michel Statler, MLA, PA-C, will take over the reins as PAEA president in the new year, with Straker moving to the role of immediate past president.