Adam Ibrahim, RRT, is currently providing patient care at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He is committed to offering advice to new graduates and to working at the top of his scope of practice to improve the quality of care. 

Amanda Nickel, MSc, RRT-NPS, RRT-ACCS, FAARC, is the AARC 2025-2026 Program Chair. She is also a research clinical expert at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 

Ashley Stetler, RRT is a recent respiratory therapy graduate of the  YTI Career Institute in York, Pennsylvania. She accepted a position at the University of Maryland Medical Center Downtown Campus as a Registered Respiratory Therapist earlier this year while attending clinical rotations. 

When not at work, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, and her hobbies include kayaking, crocheting, painting pottery, and reading books. 

Benjamin White, MD, MA, currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Critical Care and works in the pediatric ICUs at Primary Children’s Hospital and Utah Valley Hospital. Dr. White is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric critical care medicine.

Dr. White’s clinical interests center on respiratory failure in children, especially in those with severe disease requiring mechanical ventilation. His current research focuses on Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and he is an active participant in the PALISI research network.

CMSgt James Woods, RRT, USAF, is the Chief, Medical Enlisted Force and Air Force Medical Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Office of the Air Force Surgeon General.

Dana Evans, MHA, RRT, RRT-NPS, FACHE, FAARC, FNAP is the AARC President and a board-certified healthcare leader with 15+ years in progressive respiratory and leadership roles. 

Doug Gardenhire, EdD, RRT, is the Assistant Dean, International Initiatives, The Lewis College, and Chair, Department of Respiratory Therapy at Georgia State University. 

Ellen Becker, PhD, RRT-NPS, RPFT, AE-C, FAARC , is a Emerita Professor in the Department of Cardiopulmonary Sciences at Rush University in Chicago, IL.

Garry Kauffman, MPA, FACHE, RRT, FAARC, has more than 30 years of experience and success as a leader of clinical services within the health care industry, including acute care, ambulatory care, long-term acute care, and physician practice management. 

Jefferson Mixtell, MBA, RRT, RRT-ACCS, serves on the the AARC Government Affairs Committee. 

Jerin Juby, DMgt, RRT, currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Sciences and the Program Director of the Entry and Degree Advancement Respiratory Therapy programs at Thomas Jefferson University. He is the co-chair of the AARC Legislation and Policy Taskforce and the PSRC President-Elect. He has been a respiratory therapist for more than 17 years. 

Joel M. Brown II MSM-HCA, RRT, FAARC, is CEO / Founder of Arrived Leadership, and AARC Board Member and 2026-2027 AARC President-Elect. 

Joyce Baker, , MBA, RRT, RRT-NPS, AEC, FAARC is the NBRC President and the Asthma Program Clinical Coordinator at Children's Hospital Colorado. 

Katlyn Burr, DSL, RRT, RRT-NPS, AE-C, FAARC is a member of the AARC Program Committee and serves as the Leadership and Management Expert. Dr. Burr is also a member of the Patient Care Services leadership team at Nemours Children’s Health, Nemours Children’s Hospital-Delaware. 

Kim Bennion MsHS, RRT, CHC, FAARC,  has worked as a Registered Respiratory Therapist for over 45 years in adult, pediatric, and newborn intensive care. She currently works at Intermountain Health in Utah. 

Lisa Ely, EdD, RRT-NPS,  is a seasoned RRT serving as a Clinical Resource Manager at Medline Industries, where she leads initiatives to enhance respiratory care standards. Committed to elevating the quality of patient care, Lisa has co-authored continuing education programs for Medline University on various respiratory topics, including airway cuff management, suctioning, and non-invasive ventilation.

She holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration, a doctorate in adult education, and a certification in Neonatal/Pediatric Specialty. Lisa has also served as an assistant professor at the College of DuPage and actively contributes to professional organizations, including AARC and NBRC, while engaging in community initiatives, including serving on the Chicago Asthma Consortium Board.

Lynda Goodfellow, EdD, RRT, FAARC, is an experienced professor and the AARC's Director of Clinical Practice Guidelines, overseeing various groups of respiratory care professionals in developing CPGs to enhance patient care.  She also has a demonstrated history in higher education and is skilled in academic advising, instructional design, curriculum development, distance learning, and faculty development. 

Maria Madden, RRT, RRT-ACCS, FAARC, has served for more than 29 years as a respiratory therapist, supervisor, ECMO Specialist, and educator at the University of Maryland Medical Center/R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. She is currently a critical care research coordinator at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and the Cardiopulmonary Laboratory at SUNY Upstate Medical Center, and a Clinical Specialist at ICON. Her interests include critical care, mechanical ventilation strategies, and the management of ARDS.

Marjorie Cullinan, MSHA, RRT, RRT-NPS, RPFT, serves at the Operations Manager of Pulmonary Function Testing at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Meliza Walsh, MHA, RRT-NPS, AE-C, is a healthcare leader specializing in pediatric respiratory care. She serves as the Assistant Director at Texas Children's Hospital West Campus- Katy, Texas.

Michelle Rausen, MS, RRT, RRT-NPS, RRT-ACCS, is the Technical Director of the Respiratory Therapy Service and Pulmonary Function Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She holds a Master of Science in Respiratory Care Leadership from Northeastern University. She has previously served in several clinical roles in critical care, working with adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients and as an ECMO specialist. In her current role, Michelle oversees respiratory therapists across multiple Manhattan locations, leading initiatives in protocol development, departmental operations, strategic workforce planning, quality improvement, and staff education. She serves on the advisory board for Long Island University’s Respiratory Care Program, is an active member of the AARC, and contributes to several committees within the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) to promote excellence in respiratory care.

Miriam O'Day, AARC Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, oversees AARC's advocacy and regulatory efforts nationwide. 

Monique Kimmell,  CAE, AARC Vice President, Membership & Customer Care,  is a seasoned certified association executive with a demonstrated track record of developing and implementing membership, high-value recruitment and retention campaigns, process assessment and improvement, corporate initiatives, and employee, member, and customer engagement. 

Rena Laliberte, BS, RRT, CPFT, FAARC is a member of the Henry Ford Hospital Health Team in Detroit, Michigan serving as a Clinical Education Specialist.

Russell Acevado, MD, FAARC, FCCP, FCCM currently serves as a health care consultant, an intensivist at Crouse Hospital, and a clinical professor of medicine at Upstate Medical University in New York.

Sarah Varekojis, PhD, RRT, RRT-ACCS, FNAP, FAARC, is a Professor and the Director of Clinical Education in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Respiratory Therapy Division in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University. She has more than 25 years of experience teaching and coordinates the clinical rotations for both undergraduate BSRT and graduate APRT students.  She is currently serving as the President of the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care and has been a Board member of the CoARC since 2015.  Her primary research interests are related to teaching and learning in respiratory therapy.

Stephen Wehrman, RRT, RPFT, FAARC, lives the experience of a pulmonary rehabilitation therapist every day. As an RT for the virtual PR program at Morlen Health, a subsidiary of Northwest Permanente, a physician group within Kaiser Permanente, he works with COPD patients at home to improve their respiratory health.

Susmita Tarafdar RRT, RRT-NPS is the 2024 National Respiratory Patient Advocacy Award Honoree.

Tracy Ro, PHR, SHRM-CP, has served as an "HR team of one" in the nonprofit realm for more than 20 years. She is passionate about helping people thrive in their work. She enjoys supporting work culture and organizational development, as well as getting things done across recruiting, administration, and compliance areas. Tracy and her family recently moved from Colorado and enjoy exploring all that Chicago has to offer!