News

Each year, APTA Wisconsin recognizes members and partners who demonstrate exceptional dedication to the physical therapy profession, and 2025 was no exception. These awards celebrate individuals and organizations who embody leadership, mentorship, clinical excellence, and long-standing service to the profession and our association.

We are proud to recognize the following 2025 APTA Wisconsin Award Recipients:

Physical Therapist of the Year
Bryan Stuettgen, PT, MPT
Recognized for professionalism, compassion, and outstanding technical skill in the delivery of physical therapy care.

Mentor Award
Kate Bennett, PT, DPT, ATC, NCS
Honored for developing and guiding physical therapists in an exceptional and impactful manner.

Otto A. Cordero Lifetime Achievement Award
John Hendrickson, PT
Recognized for sustained and significant contributions to the physical therapy profession and to the association.

Otto A. Cordero Lifetime Achievement Award
Lynn Steffes, PT, DPT
Recognized for sustained and significant contributions to the physical therapy profession and to the association.

Rookie of the Year Award
Daniel Deuel, PT, DPT, MEd, MPH
Honored for significant contributions to clinical practice within the first three years of graduation.

Private Practice Award
New Life Physical Therapy
Recognized for outstanding and enduring contributions to the profession within the area of private practice.

APTA Wisconsin congratulates each of these recipients and thanks them for the leadership, dedication, and service they bring to the profession and the patients they serve!

The APTA Wisconsin 2026 Spring Conference brings together approximately 250 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, students, and clinic owners for a focused, one-day continuing education event. With no traditional exhibit hall, sponsors receive intentional visibility during shared meals, scheduled breaks, and conference-wide communications—without competing for attention.

What’s New for 2026

This year, APTA Wisconsin is moving fully digital. We are no longer distributing paper handouts or sponsor materials in attendee folders.

Instead, sponsor visibility, messaging, and resources will live inside our conference mobile app, which attendees will use throughout the day to access schedules, session details, handouts, surveys, announcements, and CE certificates.

That means:

• Your brand is seen repeatedly, not glanced at once
• Your materials are accessible before, during, and after the event
• Your message reaches every attendee, not just those who take the time to sort through the paperwork

Sponsorship Opportunities Include:

• Premier on-site sponsorships (breakfast, awards ceremony, and our Hot Topics luncheon presentation) with guaranteed attendee exposure
• Brand-new mobile app sponsorships, including:
• Exclusive splash screen branding
• Dashboard banner placement
• Push notifications delivered directly to attendees’ phones
• CE course sponsor listings with logo, description, and downloadable PDF options
• Targeted email advertising sent to all registered attendees
• Pre- and post-conference mailing list rentals (physical addresses only)

Many of these opportunities are exclusive and limited to one sponsor, ensuring your organization stands out rather than competing for attention. Sponsorships are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to secure your spot early to lock in maximum exposure.

Click here for details and to reserve your sponsorship opportunity!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the APTA Wisconsin Student Special Interest Group election and helped shape the leadership for the coming year.

We’re excited to share the results:

Chair: Maddi Schommer (previously Vice Chair)

Vice Chair: Bryce Herlache

Secretary: Kearyn Brennan

Nominating Committee Chair: Allie Anderson

We’re grateful to Alex Mendenhall for his leadership as Chair and for supporting a smooth transition. Congratulations to our new and returning student leaders—we look forward to another great year of advocacy, connection, and professional growth for student members across Wisconsin.

I am so excited to share with you the accomplishments WE have all helped to make happen in 2025. Yes, I said ‘WE’! A volunteer organization relies on the time, talent, and treasure of its members to be successful. If you are a dues-paying member, you have contributed your hard-earned ‘treasure’ to the work we have done. Thank you! If you have also contributed your time and talent, extra kudos to you!

We organize our Chapter priorities around four areas: practice, legislation and advocacy, membership engagement and association sustainability, and consumer outreach. While not an exhaustive list, here are some key accomplishments of 2025.

Practice

• Presented a six-episode practice webinar series with 78 participants
• Released a fully updated Direct Access Toolkit
• Created a musculoskeletal ultrasound subgroup
• Gathered resources on fall prevention in the elderly to share with providers
• Presented two state conferences with over 440 participants

Legislation and Advocacy

• Introduced prior authorization legislation with testimony before Assembly Health and Senate Insurance Committees; secured a unanimous vote out of assembly health committee
• Hosted Legislative Day with 275 PT/PTA/students, 100 OTs, and two state government affairs staff from APTA. We secured six new co-sponsors after legislative visits, bringing our bill’s support to nearly one-third of the Assembly
• Created three WPT-Political Action Committee trustee positions to assist PAC chair in creating and implementing fundraising activities
• Raised over $21K in PAC donations

Member Engagement and Association Sustainability

• NO increase in membership dues for 2026
• Created the Leadership Development Committee (LDC) -- Co-chairs Bill Boissonnault and Kevin Wilkens
• Four individuals chosen for LDC's Rising Leader Program: Lindsay Dolan; mentor Connie Kittleson, Makayla Figueroa; mentor Kip Schick, Peter McManus; mentor Kristy Hallisy, and Julia Nameth; mentor Jill Boissonnault
• Established an Early Career SIG to support clinicians in their first 5 years of practice; Emily Ziegler, Chair
• Student SIG presented the annual APTA WI Student Conclave at Bellin College with over 100 participants. (Click here for 2026 Registration!)
• Supported student engagement and professional development through the Graduating Student Scholarship that recognizes outstanding leadership and service during professional education, the House of Delegates Student Scholarship that enables students to experience the APTA governance process, and the Fall Conference Mentorship Program which pairs students with experienced clinicians for networking and professional guidance
• Hosted two virtual town halls for Chapter members to discuss APTA House of Delegates motions with 103 participants
• Transitioned to a new payment specialist, Kelly Ashbeck from retiring specialist, Lynn Steffes
• WPT Fund distributed $36,500 in scholarship awards to DPT and PTA students

Consumer Outreach

• Partnered with UW Madison to organize involvement in the HOSA 2025 WI Regional Leadership Competitions
• Chose Avlo Solutions as communications specialist to begin 2026
• Gathered resources on fall prevention in the elderly to share with the public

Member Recognitions

• Jamie Vander Houten, PTA: APTA WI Physical Therapist Assistant of the Year:
• Katie Lamprey, PT, DPT: APTA WI Clinical Instructor of the Year
• Abby Inman, PT, DPT: APTA WI Clinical Excellence Award
• Matthew Kuik, PT, DPT: APTA WI Rookie of the Year
• Emily Ziegler, SPT: APTA WI Student Emerging Leader Award
• Joe Kucksdorf, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT: AAOMPT Excellence in Innovation Award
• Amy Snyder, PT, DPT: APTA Private Practice Robert G. Dicus Award
• McKayla Figueroa, PT, DPT, ATC, WCS: APTA Emerging Leader
• Megan Berezowitz, PT, DPT: Southeast District Mary Pat Murray Award
• Daniel Deuel, PT, DPT, M.Ed, MPH, Lisa Vanwiel, DPT, PhD, and Bringa Johnson, DPT, OCS, GCS: 2026 APTA Association Leadership Scholars
• Jill Thein-Nissenbaum, PT, PhD was featured on television during National Physical Therapy Month as part of APTA’s PT for Future Me campaign.
• Michele Thorman, PT, DPT re-elected as Vice Chair of FSBPT
• Connie Kittleson, PT, DPT elected to APTA’s Nominating Committee
• Kip Schick, PT, DPT, MBA ending service as APTA Secretary after 9 years on the APTA Board of Directors -- thank you!

WE should ALL be very proud of these accomplishments! I hope it inspires you to be even more involved in 2026!

My very best to you all,

Sue Griffin, PT, DPT

President

APTA Wisconsin

Effective December 1, 2025, ForwardHealth and Managed Care Organizations will support and reimburse for direct access to physical therapy services. These changes reflect updates to our practice act, including the ability to order x-rays. This is a significant win for our profession and will reduce unnecessary barriers to care for our patients. Please see this ForwardHealth Update for details on this exciting news. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact aptawi@aptawi.org.