When I took office on the APTA Board, and subsequently became President, I had a particular mindset. And that mindset was that I was there to work on behalf of our members. I was not on the Board to run an agenda based on the premise that “I know what is right for APTA and the members elected me after reading my election statements and so therefore I am going to do it.”

I think this is an underlying energy, which is running some on the Board. In fact, when Ellie Simmons, while acting in her role as Executive Director, questioned the desires of some APTA Board members to enact certain decisions, she was shot down (metaphorically) because “…we are the board and we are running APTA.”

My feeling was that I wanted to do what the members wanted and what APTA was created to do. I was not certain what was best for APTA but when John Beaulieu began creating the strategic plan and related it to APTA’s goals and past history, I, personally, felt on safer ground.

Initially, I did not agree with all aspects of the plan, and we thoroughly debated it over at least two face-to-face APTA Board meetings as well as through months of discussion via email. The Strategic Plan went through many revisions. In discussions, I often played a kind of ‘devils advocate, constantly saying “I am an APTA APP or RPP and how does this plan help me or my practice?”

I find it extraordinary that in large part the plan was just thrown out, or conveniently forgotten; bits exist but they no longer relate to any whole.


Phil Young, RPP

February 24, 2007