Dr. Cook has been a practicing clinician for over 13 years, having earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Gannon University. It was at Gannon University that she was inducted into Pi Theta Epsilon National Honor Society. Her clinical practice has primarily focused on acute care and inpatient rehabilitation, and she has a particular passion for working with patients who have sustained burns.

Since 2015, Ann has been teaching full-time after completing her post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) at Chatham University. She served as the inaugural doctoral capstone coordinator at Duquesne University for six years and earned an Ed.D in Educational Leadership during her time there. Ann served as the Program Director of Slippery Rock University’s OTD Program for three years, and she is now teaching full-time at The Ohio State University.

Brenna Merillat is a 3rd year occupational therapy student at Texas Woman’s University (TWU), Denton campus.

She is an active member of the TWU Denton OT community, serving as President of the Pi Theta Epsilon Delta chapter and the Professional Development Officer of the Student Occupational Therapy Association. Brenna has four years of experience in research surrounding children with Cerebral Palsy and is interested in early detection and intervention strategies.

As secretary, she is excited to encourage involvement and long-term membership at the student level.

Tracey Recigno has been an OT for almost 20 years, working in acute care, inpatient rehab, and now in the academic setting. She is the program director for Hawai`i Pacific University’s developing hybrid Doctor of Occupational Therapy program in Honolulu. While the program is located in Oahu, her primary residence is in South New Jersey, outside of Philadelphia.

Her occupational roles include wife, mom, friend, daughter, animal lover, traveler, lifelong learner, and OT! Tracey earned her BS/MS in OT from Elizabethtown College in 2005, her OTD from Thomas Jefferson University in 2009, and most recently completed a PhD in Health Sciences at the University of South Dakota in 2022.  Her passion and the focus of her scholarly and service activities is leadership development in occupational therapy students and practitioners. She also has a strong interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning as it relates to critical thinking.

As vice president, Tracey hopes to help reimagine the membership eligibility criteria to increase access and best support the mission, purpose, and ideals of Pi Theta Epsilon.

Lauren Stone Kelly, OTD, OTR/L, has worked as an occupational therapist since 2013 with populations throughout the lifespan in various settings. Lauren earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from DePaul University, her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, and her Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from Boston University Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences.

As a pediatric specialist by trade, Lauren has worked in various settings and is currently a faculty member in the occupational therapy department at North Central College in Naperville, IL. As a teacher, Lauren has a passion for clinical education to prepare students to be involved, creative, innovative, and compassionate clinicians who are competent and confident to utilize their skills in traditional and non-traditional settings, providing occupational therapy services.

She is also the founder and faculty advisor for the NCC’s Beta Sigma PTE chapter and serves as the Doctoral Capstone Coordinator for the program.