Currently Elected Officers

The governing body for NCPEID is comprised of a 5-member Executive Committee and a 10-member Board of Directors. Included within this governing body are the president, immediate past president or president-elect, vice president, treasurer, secretary, four members at-large, historian, APENS chair, awards chair, research consortium chair, and two student representatives.

Executive Committee

Iva Obrusnikova, PhD, CAPE

NCPEID President (2024-2026)

Professor

University of Delaware

[email protected]

 

 

Chih-Chia (JJ) Chen, PhD, CAPE, ACSM-EP CIFT

NCPEID Vice President (2025-2027)

Assistant Professor

University of Iowa

[email protected]

 

 

Andrea Taliaferro, PhD

NCPEID President Elect (2025-2026)

University of South Carolina

[email protected]

 

 

Cora J. Firkin, PhD

NCPEID Secretary (2025-2028)

Assistant Professor

Lincoln University of Pennsylvania

[email protected]

 

 

Adam Pennell, PhD, CAPE

Treasurer (2022-2026)

Associate Professor

Pepperdine University

adam[email protected]

 

 

 

 


 

Board of Directors 

Leah Ketcheson, PhD, CAPE

NCPEID APENS Committee Chair (2024-2028)

Associate Professor

Wayne State University

[email protected]

 

 

 

Melissa Bittner, PhD, CAPE

NCPEID Policy & Advocacy Committee Chair (2025-2027)

Associate Professor

California State University, Long Beach

[email protected]

 

Ali Brian, PhD, CAEPE

NCPEID Research Committee Chair (2025-2027)

Associate Dean for Research and Professor

University of South Carolina

[email protected]

 

 

 

Samantha Ross-Cypcar, PhD

NCPEID Awards Committee Chair (2023-2026)

Assistant Professor

University of Utah 

[email protected]

 

Tara McCarthy, MS, CAPE

NCPEID  Member at Large (2024-2026)

Adapted PE Team Leader, Teacher, Trainer, and Presenter

Cooperative Association for Special Education Districts 

[email protected]

 

 

 

Lindsay Ball, PhD

NCPEID Member at Large (2024-2026)

Assistant Professor

SUNY Cortland

[email protected]

Danielle Musser, MS, CAPE

NCPEID Member at Large (2025-2027)

Adaptive and Inclusion Programming Leader

Montrose Recreation

[email protected]

 

 

 

Allison Tsuchida, PhD

Member at Large (2025-2027)

Assistant Professor

University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

[email protected]

Lorena Gonzalez Espitia, MA

NCPEID Student Representative (2025-2027)

Doctoral Student

University of Georgia

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

Sylvester L. Maduna

NCPEID Student Representative (2025-2027)

Doctoral Student

University of South Carolina

[email protected]

 

Lauren Bean, PhD

NCPEID Communications Manager (2024-2026)

Assistant Professor

SUNY Brockport

[email protected]

 

 

Adam Forbes, PhD, CAPE

NCPEID Website Manager (2025-2028)

Assistant Professor

Norfolk State University

[email protected]

 

 


 Past Presidents

Numerous prominent leaders in the academic disciplines of Adapted Physical Education/Activity and Therapeutic Recreation have served as president of the Consortium. Many of these past presidents are authors of the scholarly textbooks and significant research/demonstration projects that serve as the foundations for effective physical activity and recreation programming for individuals with disabilities.