The HOSA, Inc. Board of Directors announces the election results of its 2021 Board Officers which includes three alumni members: The HOSA Board of Directors conducted its annual election virtually on Saturday, January 9 and elected Dana Stringer (AL State Advisor), 2021 Chairman; Jim Scott (OH State Advisor), Chair-Elect; and Sarah Sexton Walters (Alumnus and Health Care Industry Representative), Board Secretary.
Dana Stringer, Alabama HOSA State Advisor and HOSA Alumna, has been serving HOSA at the national level since 2016 when elected to serve as the Central Region State Advisor Representative to the HOSA, Inc. Board of Directors and, later in 2020, was elected Board Secretary, then 2021 Chair-Elect. Dana has served at nearly every level of the organization beginning her HOSA career as a local chapter member in the 1980s before serving as a HOSA local chapter advisor (2000-2014) until her the current role as the Alabama HOSA State Advisor. As the Alabama HOSA State Advisor and Education Specialist for Health Science, Ms. Stringer has been instrumental in promoting health science education in the classroom and in growing Alabama HOSA’s state membership by 97.8%
The new Chair-Elect of the HOSA, Inc. Board is Jim Scott, who has been the Ohio HOSA State Advisor since 2017. Mr. Scott is no stranger to Career and Technical Education and CTSO’s having served the Agriculture Education community as a classroom teacher; State Supervisor and State FFA Executive Director in Ohio; Regional Coordinator and State FFA Executive Director in South Carolina; and Student Services Team Leader for the National FFA Organization. With Jim’s visionary leadership, Ohio HOSA has grown 70% since his arrival just four years ago. Jim is honored to serve the HOSA membership as Eastern Region State Advisor Board Representative and Chair-Elect of the HOSA, Inc. Board of Directors.
Sarah Sexton Walters, MSN, APRN, CPNP-AC, HOSA Alumna, was elected as Secretary. Sarah has served at many levels of the organization beginning her HOSA career as a local chapter member in the 1990s before serving as a HOSA Region II Vice President (2004-2005) until her the current role as the HOSA, Inc. Board of Directors: Health Care Industry Representative. Sarah has made a career as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Pediatric Otolaryngology at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Jason Huff, MSN, RN, FNKR, serves as the Immediate Past Chairman. Jason is Vice President of Transplant Services at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Jason began his HOSA career in 1992 as a local HOSA member before serving as the Indiana HOSA President (1993-1995) and Secondary Member-At-Large on HOSA’s National Executive Council (1994-1995). Jason has remained an active HOSA alumnus at the national level as well as providing leadership to Kentucky and Ohio HOSA.
“The HOSA, Inc. Board of Directors approved the most expansive and forward-thinking plan of work in the 45-year history of HOSA-Future Health Professionals,” explained Executive Director, Jim Koeninger. Among the motions approved included:
- HOSA Gender Designations—HOSA has added Non-Binary as a gender option to the membership affiliation options. Non-binary gender is any gender that isn’t exclusively male or female. Jake Kelley, HOSA President, spoke in favor of this addition in order to demonstrate HOSA commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
- Leadership Academy Task Force–The role of the newly established task force will be to discuss HOSA leadership programs and to establish new programs and structures that will reach the classroom level. The goal is to strengthen HOSA members’ leadership skills and build a better equipped health care workforce.
- American Academy for Family Physicians (AAFP) – As a result of HOSA’s partnership with the AAFP, the Board has approved the addition of the Family Medicine Career Knowledge Test in June 2021 as a part of the ILC Academic Testing Center and the Family Medicine Physician Leadership competitive event be implemented in June 2021-2022.
- HOSA-Future Health Professionals Podcast — HOSA-Future Health Professionals will develop a health and leadership podcast to be aired on a monthly basis as a way to boost social media and encourage listenership on topics that will eventually promote HOSA-Future Health Professionals. Podcasting is interesting, powerful and compelling. The format to be proposed is: Interview/Discussion. HOSA-Future Health Professionals would present a health and/or leadership podcast hosted by the Executive Council, Executive Committee, or special guest.
