AAPA Leadership

Simon Suran

Chief Finance & Operating Officer

Simon is a seasoned business and finance executive with over 20 years of experience across the nonprofit associations, public accounting, utilities sector, telecommunications, and manufacturing, both within the U.S. and internationally.

In his role as the Chief Finance & Operating Officer of AAPA, Simon provides strategic financial guidance to the executive team and board, contributing to the overall organizational vision and outcomes. He works with the CEO and the leadership team to build connection and accountability across the organization to financial results and use of data to support decisions. As a key thought and business partner in the c-suite, Executive Team and beyond, Simon collaborates closely to facilitate organizational success and revenue growth. He also focuses on strong processes and team engagement to support robust decisions, actions and value creation across the organization and its stakeholders.

Before joining AAPA, Simon spent nearly two years as the vice president of finance and accounting with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and The Manufacturing Institute (MI). He provided strategic direction to the finance team and was responsible for all aspects of financial management, including financial accounting, revenue cycle, budgeting, cashflow management, and long-term financial forecasting, for both organizations.

Before his time at NAM, Simon spent eight years with National Hospice and Palliative Care organization (NHPCO) as the vice president of finance, business strategies and technology. He was responsible for shaping the organization’s financial direction for stability and growth and driving a modern technology strategy and infrastructure to provide efficient and high-quality products and service to members, customers, and staff. While working at NHPCO he has developed a keen interest in healthcare sector and strongly believes in patient and family-centered care.

Simon strongly believes in coaching and supporting the development of staff. He recognizes growth potential in his staff and mentors them into advanced positions, instilling the confidence he has in his employees in themselves. Simon is a certified public accountant, with a degree in accounting and economics from the University of the South Pacific, Suva Fiji.

Simon is originally from the Fiji Islands, and he resides in Silver Spring, MD with his wife and two children. In his spare time, he loves hiking and running with his family and friends.

Anthony Maggiore

Vice President of Event Strategy

Anthony Maggiore is AAPA’s Vice President of Event Strategy, leading the Events team on all of AAPA’s live conferences. Drawing on his extensive experience in the business events industry Anthony strives to drive innovation, broaden educational opportunities and enhance the member experience at AAPA’s conferences.

Anthony has more than 20 years of experience executing events, starting with, of all things, hosting open casting calls for MTV dating shows. Thankfully, his career led him into managing and executing medical conferences, including acting as Director of Meeting Services for the Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS). While at HIMSS Anthony led the logistics of the largest healthcare conference in the United States, attracting upwards of 45,000 attendees from all over the globe. He led HIMSS’ health and safety efforts as HIMSS was the first major healthcare conference to cancel due to COVID in March of 2020, and subsequently, the first major healthcare conference to successfully return to an in-person format in August of 2021.

Anthony, along with members of AAPA’s Events Team, was awarded the 2025 PCMA Visionary Award for Experience Design of the Year. Anthony received his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Bradley University, and resides outside Chicago, IL.

Laura Burch

Vice President of Product Evolution

Laura Burch is the Vice President of Product Evolution at the American Academy of PAs (AAPA), responsible for the strategic direction and execution of AAPA’s portfolio of products and services supporting Physician Associates (PAs) throughout their careers. With a focus on membership offerings, career resources, continuing medical education (CME), and professional community services, she drives product innovation and performance in alignment with AAPA’s mission and the evolving needs of PAs.

Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and hospitality from Cornell University and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland. She began her career at a research-based consultancy before moving into the association sector, where she has spent more than fifteen years advancing initiatives in marketing, membership, research, and product management.

Lisa Burns

Vice President of Strategic Operations & Executive Support

Lisa Burns is an accomplished marketing and operations leader with more than 15 years of experience driving strategy, brand growth, and organizational performance across healthcare, nonprofit, and agency sectors. Currently serving as Vice President of Strategic Operations & Executive Support at the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), providing high-level leadership to advance organizational priorities and executive initiatives.

Previously held progressive leadership roles at AAPA, including Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Director of Marketing Services, where responsibilities included managing award-winning campaigns, implementing marketing automation systems, and overseeing budgets to drive engagement, revenue, and brand visibility.

Holds a BA in Journalism & Advertising from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Kim Williams, MPP

Vice President of Health Equity & Community Engagement

Kim Williams, MPP, has over 24 years’ experience working at the intersection of public health practice and advocacy to promote health equity by improving services for underserved communities and working to eliminate health disparities. She joined American Academy of Physician Associates in the fall of 2024 as the Vice President for Health Equity and Community Engagement. She collaborates across the organization and with AAPA membership to promote better health outcomes for all and to diversify the PA profession.

Since joining AAPA, she worked with the Health Equity and DEI Steering Committee to develop a Health Equity Roadmap that will guide AAPA’s work to promote health equity. She is excited to partner with PAs to understand the key drivers of poor health outcomes and work together to improve health outcomes across races, language, disability status, rural and urban geography, sexual orientation and gender identity.

She earned her BA in Sociology from Spelman College in Atlanta and her Master of Public Policy from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. She is currently working towards her EdD in Leadership Studies at Louisiana State University Shreveport.

Aimee Brierly

Vice President of External Affairs & Outreach

Aimee Brierly serves as Vice President of External Affairs and Outreach at the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), where she directs policy communications and external engagement to support advocacy initiatives that strengthen the PA profession and expand access to care. She has more than a decade of experience in communications and advocacy.

Aimee began her career on Capitol Hill, serving as Press Secretary to two California members of Congress, where she developed communications strategies for a broad range of issues, including high-profile healthcare and economic initiatives. Her work earned coverage in leading national outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press, Washington Post, and CNN.

Before joining AAPA, she directed communications for West Health and the Gary and Mary West Foundation, advancing philanthropic and policy efforts to improve healthcare for older adults. She also managed media relations for Small Business Majority, a national advocacy organization dedicated to empowering America’s diverse entrepreneurs and building a more equitable economy.

With expertise spanning public policy, philanthropy, and national advocacy, Brierly has built a career dedicated to using the power of communications to create meaningful change in healthcare.

Jennifer M. Kolb, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA

Chief Medical Officer & Executive Director, PA Foundation

Jennifer M. Kolb, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA is the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of the Office of the CMO at the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and the Executive Director of the Physician Associate Foundation (the philanthropic arm of the AAPA).

Dr. Kolb has served as a volunteer leader, patient advocate, and change agent of the Physician Associate profession and all of healthcare for more than 23 years. She has held multiple leadership positions at both the state and national levels, hospitals and health systems, and is the former president and chair of the AAPA board of directors. She is a strong advocate for health equity and improving patient care access and a champion of modernizing healthcare policy on both the state and federal levels. She is an accomplished speaker, published author, and Op-Ed scholar.

Prior to joining AAPA, much of Dr. Kolb’s career had been dedicated to the clinical and academic leadership teams at Rush University System for Health in Chicago, Illinois. In that role, she was an assistant professor, vascular surgery PA, and the director of advanced practice for more than 400 PAs and APRNs across the hospital system.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in exercise physiology from University of Illinois at Chicago, a Master of Medical Science from Midwestern University, and a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. When not working to modernize healthcare, Dr. Kolb spends most of her free time outdoors cycling and traveling with her husband Kevin and her six children, Maddux, Matias, Belicia, Joey, Grace, and Mimi in Fox River Grove, Illinois.

Patricia Beeson

Chief HR Officer

Patricia Beeson is Chief HR Officer for the American Academy of PAs. Patricia serves as a strategic business partner to leadership and staff, providing comprehensive human resource strategies related to workforce organization and design, culture and engagement, acquisition and development, leadership training and total rewards.

As AAPA’s current human resources leader, Patricia works to balance and align the interests of leadership, staff, and the organization. Additionally, she provides valuable insight regarding changing trends in benefits, recruitment, and company culture. Patricia believes strongly in the positive impact that can result by establishing a strategic HR infrastructure that provides opportunities for innovation, collaboration and employee engagement.

Patricia graduated from Northwestern University with her bachelor’s degree before obtaining her graduate degree in hotel management at the International Hotel School in Lausanne, Switzerland. She then spent over a decade as a Human Resources leader in the hospitality industry at several historic luxury hotels in DC, including the Willard Inter-Continental and the Jefferson Hotel. Following more than a decade in the Hospitality field, Patricia moved into her first role at a Healthcare Association, ACRP (Association of Clinical Research Professional), as the HR Director and at CHC (Community Heath Charities of America).

Patricia continues to focus on providing strategic, innovative, high touch, thoughtful HR leadership to meet the unexpected challenges that arise as organizations adapt to changing social and economic markets. She is an active member of SHRM and the SHRM VA State Chapter. She volunteers for ANY (America Needs You) as a mentor coach working directly with first generation college students helping them develop the necessary career and life skills to navigate life post-graduation. She is also a member of StreetWise Employer Advisory Board, a non-profit organization whose core mission is to reduce unemployment within disadvantaged communities.

Phil Bongiorno

Senior Vice President of Advocacy & Government Relations

Phil Bongiorno is an accomplished association executive leader specializing in government relations management with an extensive public policy background. He has in-depth experience aligning resources with key priorities and anticipating organizational needs. In addition, he is a results-oriented executive with proven success establishing and achieving strategic objectives and building collaborative relationships. With a vast background in advocacy and health policy, Phil has in-depth knowledge and understanding of leading data driven, high quality and innovative government relations programs.

Phil has worked for healthcare organizations his entire career and has a passion for patient advocacy. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Home Care Association of America and has served in senior management positions overseeing health policy strategy and federal and state affairs for various organizations including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, College of American Pathologists and the American Public Health Association.

Chantell Taylor

Chief of Public Affairs & Advocacy

Chantell has over 30 years of experience in public policy, legislative advocacy, corporate governance, and social responsibility. Prior to joining AAPA, Chantell served as the Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs for UCHealth, the largest nonprofit academic health system in the Rocky Mountain region. Her breadth of experience spans across both public and private sectors, including leading a political law practice as a partner in a national law firm, launching and directing several nonprofit advocacy organizations, and directing the government relations strategy for one of Colorado’s largest energy companies. She is most passionate about advocating for the healthcare workforce, patients’ access to equitable and affordable care, and promoting healthy communities.

Chantell earned her bachelor’s degree in human geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her J.D. from the University of Denver. She has been a political junkie her whole life and is involved in several organizations dedicated to electing more women to public office. She also serves as the incoming board chair of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Chantell lives in the heart of Denver, CO with her two rescue dogs and her husband, who works in the outdoor recreation industry. They have two daughters in college, spend lots of time at their cabin in the mountains, and enjoy backcountry skiing, cycling, hiking and pretty much anything outdoors.

W. Tate Heuer

Vice President of Federal Advocacy

W. Tate Heuer is Vice President of Federal Advocacy for the American Academy of PAs. Mr. Heuer oversees and coordinates federal legislative and regulatory advocacy for the PA profession. He has in-depth knowledge of health policy and the legislative process from more than 20 years of experience working on federal healthcare issues.

Mr. Heuer most recently served as senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Legislation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Previously he worked in senior legislative positions in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. Heuer received a bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University. He resides in Fairfax County, VA, with his wife and two children.

Dana Carter

Vice President of State Advocacy & Outreach

Dana is a seasoned public policy and advocacy leader with 22 years of experience in government affairs, legislative advocacy, and grassroots mobilization. She has a proven track record of shaping policies that expand access, advance equity, and drive meaningful change.

Before joining AAPA, Dana served as the Regional Director of Policy and Advocacy at Susan G. Komen, where she spearheaded legislative initiatives to improve healthcare equity, advance and engage advocates, and enhance patient access to life-saving treatments. Her leadership has resulted in key policy victories across multiple states, directly impacting communities in need.

Dana’s commitment to public service spans state agencies, nonprofits, and local governments, where she has successfully built coalitions, influenced legislation, and fostered stakeholder collaboration at local, state, and national levels. Her expertise in navigating complex policy landscapes has made her a trusted voice in advocacy and government relations.

She holds a Master of Public Administration from Purdue University, a Master of Science in Leadership from Western Governors University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Indianapolis.

Outside of work, Dana enjoys mentoring emerging leaders, playing with her dogs, and baking indulgent sweet treats.

Karen Morgan

Senior Vice President, Communications, Governance & Leadership Development

Karen Morgan has more than 30 years of experience as a strategic planning and organizational management professional at the highest levels of government, diplomacy, politics and corporate enterprise. As an influential leader, skilled adviser and detail-oriented manager, Karen’s expertise will be critical to the Academy as she supports the Board of Directors in executing AAPA’s Strategic Plan and fulfilling its fiduciary and organizational leadership responsibilities.

Karen has served as a consultant to Fannie Mae, the Texas Speaker of the House, Citigroup, the Hillwood Corporation, Goldman Sachs, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Gates Foundation and Mayer, Brown and Platt, LLP. Her key responsibilities included managing day-to-day relationships with internal and external stakeholders and analyzing organizational and management practices to identify gaps and implement recommendations to streamline processes, create strategic opportunities and enhance performance.

Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Karen held a variety of progressively responsible leadership and organizational management roles. As the director of corporate scheduling for Fannie Mae, Karen created and managed an infrastructure to support public events involving the executive leadership. She also served several tours in the White House, beginning with President Ronald Reagan’s first term and continuing through President George H. W. Bush’s presidency. During this 12-year period, she became one of Secretary James A. Baker, III’s key advisers. She served with him at the Department of the Treasury, the Department of State and the White House. During Secretary Baker’s tenure at the Department of State, Karen was responsible for the orchestration and management of such historic foreign policy events as: the Madrid Peace Conference, the Coordinating Conference on Assistance to the New Independent States and the Jackson Hole Ministerial.

Karen received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Virginia Commonwealth University. She resides in Annapolis, Md., with her husband and four sons.

Angela Shuman

Vice President of State Advocacy and Outreach

Angela Shuman is Vice President of State Advocacy and Outreach at the American Academy of Physician Associates, leading AAPA’s state advocacy program and strategic outreach to AAPA’s more than 120 constituent organizations. She has extensive experience with state advocacy and health policy in professional associations, having led state advocacy programs for the American College of Cardiology and the American Physical Therapy Association. Angela earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Ball State University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Georgia Southern University.

While she loves living in the District of Columbia and its excellent cultural and dining scenes, Angela escapes to the woods as often as possible to hike and explore the outdoors with her favorite partners in adventure, her husband and dog.

Donna Nogay

Chief Growth Officer

Donna Nogay is AAPA’s Chief Growth Officer, providing the strategic vision for these areas as well as business development functions. Drawing from her extensive experience in business, strategic planning, marketing and communications, Donna works to foster a high-performing culture within her teams and AAPA, with specific focus on member value and experience, brand elevation, and revenue generation.

Donna has more than 30 years of marketing and leadership experience. As an independent marketing consultant, she provided expertise to clients to position them for profitability and success. She also served as the Chief Operating Officer of Uness, LLC, where she managed financial and resource investment for newly created companies. Prior to this position, Donna developed, directed, and managed the profit and loss of a marketing and communications consulting firm, growing revenue more than 500% and providing marketing communications expertise to over 100 projects annually. This firm was purchased by a global management consulting firm, where she directed the marketing and communications practice servicing Fortune 1000 companies.

Donna began her career at J. Walter Thompson, providing media planning and buying expertise for large corporations throughout the U.S. She also served as the Director of Advertising for a retail corporation with more than 260 stores nationwide.

Anil Ravandur

Chief Information Officer

Anil Ravandur has a proven track record in effectively defining digital strategy, managing digital transformation, building and optimizing best-in-class IT infrastructure for professional associations. He has extensive experience integrating and implementing large-scale technology projects, contract negotiation, and vendor management. Most importantly, Anil is known for his collaborative and service-oriented approach in his relationships with colleagues and members.

Prior to joining AAPA, Anil served as the Senior Director of Technology for the Association for Talent Development, a professional membership association with over 40,000 members in 120 countries. He was responsible for ATD’s technology planning and overall IT operations and led technological innovation in support of ATD’s growth from an annual $24M in revenue to $48M over eight years. He also led the development of ATD’s first digital strategy, and was responsible for the architectural design and implementation of critical new technologies and systems, including a state-of-the-art Association Management System (AMS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, Content Management System (CMS), Learning Management System (LMS), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Notably, Anil also introduced advanced conference technology to ATD, including a conference website, online registration, booth sales, speaker management, and conference app.

Prior to ATD, Anil was the Practice Manager at Personify, a market-leading association management solution provider, where he worked from 1996 to 2010. In this role, he led the efforts to assist client IT departments align their technology roadmap with their organizational goals.

Anil received his master’s degree in Civil Engineering from University of Wyoming. He resides in Fairfax, VA, with his wife and two children.

Lynette Sappe-Watkins

Executive Director of PA Foundation

Lynette Sappe-Watkins is the Executive Director of the PA Foundation (PAF). As the head of PAF, Lynette leads the foundation in all efforts to strategically accomplish its mission of empowering PAs to improve health through philanthropy and service. She works in very close partnership with PAF’s Board of Trustees and AAPA’s senior leadership team.

Lynette has more than 15 years of fundraising and nonprofit leadership experience. Prior to joining AAPA, she served as the Director of Development at the American Pharmacists Association Foundation (APhA).

Since 2013, Lynette has served on the Board of Directors of the Association Foundation Group. During her time on the board she has held the positions of Marketing Chair, President Elect and National Conference Chair, President and Past President.

Lisa Gables

Chief Executive Officer

Lisa M. Gables, CPA, is an association executive with extensive experience in healthcare and aging services. She was named chief executive officer of the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) in September 2020 after serving as interim CEO since June 2019.

Gables has been with AAPA since 2012, having served as chief financial officer and chief development officer from May 2012 to September 2020. In these roles she was responsible for overseeing the financial management of the organization, fostering external strategic outreach to individuals and like-minded organizations, and developing and implementing an integrated strategy to generate opportunities to provide AAPA and the PA Foundation with funding to support their missions.

From May 2012 to July 2015, Gables also served as the executive director of the PA Foundation. Prior to joining AAPA and the PA Foundation, she was the executive director of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) Foundation and the chief development and program officer of ASCP where she held similar roles. Before that Gables was the executive director of the National Adult Day Services Association, where she increased awareness of adult day services with federal regulators while managing all aspects of the association’s operations. Prior to that, she served as the chief financial officer of the National Council on Aging and vice president of finance and business development for Active Services Corporation, the nation’s largest adult day services, home care and rehabilitation network.

Gables also served as finance manager and senior financial analyst for Birmingham Baptist Medical Center and held financial positions with ReLife, Inc. and Ernst & Young. She is a certified public accountant with a degree in business administration and accounting from the University of Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to her career in aging and health services, Gables serves in several leadership roles, including on the board of the Primary Care Collaborative and as the past Chair of the American Society on Aging. She is also the past treasurer of the Fairfax County Law Enforcement Foundation and currently serves as a volunteer with the Fairfax County Adult Protective Services Agency.

Sondra DePalma, DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA

Vice President of Reimbursement and Professional Practice

Sondra DePalma DHSc, PA-C, DFAAPA is the Vice President of Reimbursement and Professional Practice at the American Academy of Physician Associates. She has been a PA, healthcare leader, and professional advocate at the national and state levels for over 20 years. Dr. DePalma is an expert on healthcare policy, reimbursement, and PA Practice, is a regular speaker at national conferences, and is an award-winning author of peer-reviewed articles, clinical practice guidelines, and textbook chapters.

Before joining AAPA she was an Assistant Director of Advanced Practice at Penn State Health and a past President of the Academy of Physician Associates in Cardiology. She practiced cardiology for nearly 20 years and has advanced certifications in lipidology and hypertension management. Sondra is also an adjunct assistant professor in A.T. Still University’s Doctor of Medical Science program..

Dr. DePalma earned a Bachelor of Arts from Mercyhurst University, a Master of Health Science in PA Studies from Lock Haven University, and a Doctor of Health Sciences with dual concentrations in Leadership & Organizational Behavior and Fundamentals of Education from A.T. Still University. She has a graduate certificate in the Science of Healthcare Delivery and is experienced in healthcare management and quality improvement.

When not advocating for PAs and the patients they serve, she spends her time in Florida and Pennsylvania with her husband and dog.

Suzanne Reitz

Vice President, Marketing & Communications

Suzanne Reitz serves as Vice President of Marketing & Communications at AAPA, where she leads initiatives that support the organization’s goals of elevating the physician associate profession, strengthening member engagement and growth, and increasing national visibility through integrated marketing, digital platforms, public relations, and content. Her work focuses on aligning brand and communications efforts across the organization while advancing the visibility and value of PAs across the healthcare landscape.

Suzanne brings more than 15 years of senior marketing and communications leadership experience across healthcare, manufacturing, and technology, with a career spanning both agency and in-house executive roles. She has a passion for translating complex goals into clear, actionable strategies that strengthen brands and connect with audiences. She has led marketing strategy and brand initiatives within a major healthcare system in addition to large-scale brand transformation efforts within complex, multi-brand companies.

Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs and a Master of Science in Digital Media from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She resides in Atlanta, GA with her husband and son.