CONGRATULATIONS

2026 OTAO Award Winners:

CONGRATULATIONS!

2026 OTAO Student Scholarship Winners:

Megan Shaw - Linn Benton Community College

Brittany Robles - Western Oregon University

David Merry - University of Western States

Amanda Phu - Pacific University 

Olivia Pisaneschi - Pacific University 

OTAO Members and Oregon Occupational Therapy Community,                                                                          

We had an amazing Annual Conference this October in Bend, Oregon. But we began our time together there on heartbreaking & somber note. As the details of the tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary School continued to unfold, we gathered as guests in a community that was grieving. Our hearts were and are with the students, families, educators, and first responders of Bend, and with everyone affected by this terrible event.  

Over that weekend, we saw what community looks like when it matters most. People checked in on one another and offered support. We were kinder, slower to hurry, and more attentive to the people around us and the place we were in. Though most of us were visitors, we grieved alongside our neighbors in Central Oregon.

That experience gave real meaning to the belonging our keynote speaker invited us to explore. We often talk about belonging as something we create for others, but in Bend we felt it in the shared presence of a room of OT's choosing to show up for one another and the community. It reminded me that belonging isn’t an afterthought to what we do....it is a foundation.

That is my hope for OTAO: to keep strengthening the ways we show up for one another, as professionals and as people. In a world where common ground can be hard to find, I believe deeply in the strength of our OT community. My vision is an organization that is vibrant, inclusive, organized, and sustainable, where every member knows they belong.

I’m looking forward to continuing to provide volunteer opportunities that let members connect with each other while serving our local communities. I encourage you to consider how you can give back, whether through service, mentorship, advocacy, or a simple act of support. Connection, meaning, and purpose? Imagine that coming from an OT!

If you’re a member, Thank You. If you’re not yet, please consider joining us. 

Stay engaged, get involved, and reach out to one another. WE are all stronger together.

Cheers,
Kristy Fleming, OTR/L (she/her)
President, Occupational Therapy Association of Oregon

Thank you to our conference sponsors & exhibitors!

Check out this great OTAO swag!