I admit, I am probably late to the topic as it has existed for a LONG time and sadly continues. Around three years back, a classmate of mine, Rebecca Van Klaveren, did a research project looking at percentage of PT journal articles authored by females. It showed there was a huge discrepancy with females compared to males. For what reason? Possibly many, but the main point was it got me thinking about how there is not an equal representation of females even thought the profession itself is female dominant (I won’t even get in to the disgusting pay gap discussed in this link).

The reason I was likely late to it, was really my ignorance. I didn’t know it existed because many of my role models, mentors, and leaders are female. It was nothing new to ME. So it got me thinking even more: I wish one day we didn’t have to differentiate “leadership” and “female leadership”. My personal leader list would be the same regardless if I had to make a list consisting of all genders. Here’s a list of females who would be at the TOP of my bigger list, and why. This is not a ranked list.

Also, I understand there are many out there, but these are people who I have directly interacted with that really influenced me for the better.

My list:

Emily Wughalter – About her

I owe everything to her. Anyone who has taken a course by Dr. Wughalter praises her, and knows why she is a leader. She makes an effort to know everyone’s name regardless if she met you once or will never see you again. She works tirelessly for her students, and always fights for what’s right. Despite all she does for her students and mentees (MANY of them exist), she makes life seem easy. She is so relaxed, yet she is highly respected, known, and involved in her profession (amazing accolades). Everything I do in my career, I do to make her proud. She is the definition of a ideal mentor and leader.

Carol Mack – About her

I’ve only talked to Carol probably four total times now, but she is someone I know always has my back when I need. TeamMates is an event where “rookies” in the sports PT world, get assigned a “captain” or veteran member. Carol was my first captain. Funny was she actually wasn’t available to meet me since she was helping out (something I admire about her), but she ended up taking to the time out of her busy schedule to help me navigate the first few years of my career. It was one of the most influential phone calls for my career because it made me want to help people like she does, and she laid the road map for me when I told her my goals. She is doing great things, but she definitely worked up to it. She had done amazing things at the Cleveland Clinic, and now she’s a private practice owner that is crushing it with her partnerships and community work. I get excited to see her presenting on the big stage, and continuing on to bigger leadership positions in sports PT. She is someone who I think of when the word “leadership” is mentioned.

Michele Mileski 

My fearless leader. Before I was a PT, I worked as strength coach since 2010, and converted to personal trainer in 2014. Michele was my manager at Bay Club, and she led sales in the personal training department for almost a decade straight. She compiled the best team of trainers, with many that made a career out of it (many don’t get the support from “leadership”, and end up thinking of it as part-time job). You know how most people in health and fitness hate the sales side? She made me love it. She took her time to teach me skills, and she herself walked to the walk. She sold, she took care of her health, and she made time for her community and team. She always made sure everyone was on the same page, and we knew she was always on our side. I am grateful for her skills she has given me, and I hope to lead like she does if I ever have to.

Mary Wilkinson

Mary deals with a lot of people, and she makes everyone happy. Not only is she excellent at marketing and design, but she really understands her clients. She is what keeps the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy (AASPT) going, and I wish she got more recognition. Pretty much every volunteer that helps with the AASPT interacts with Mary, and she guides them. She makes sure that they feel well-supported, and never overwhelmed. One thing I really admire about her is when she told me about the days when changing of technology in marketing and design was taking place. Many did not want to put in the work, but she knew her time and effort would pay off. Years later as tech changed, she and her clients succeeded when others didn’t due to fear of change. This is something that happens constantly in different contexts, and her story reminded me to be open-minded.

Pam Johnson-Stuhr – About her

Pam is the department manager for Gundersen Ortho/Sports Physical Therapy. She handles 2 or 3 different clinics in the region. She is responsible for a lot, and is tasked with keeping many people happy in order to meet department goals. She does a good job of calming situations and acknowledging people’s thoughts. Most of all she is very fast acting, and simply gets things done. What is also great, is that she is a “boss”, but she feels like one of the staff; she never comes off being above anyone. Major street cred for also treating patients, even during non-clinic time. She is not a part of our core residency faculty, but I did get to be mentored by her which was awesome as well.

Jackie Schimke

Jackie is in charge of front desk, billing, insurances, basically everything PTs hate at Gundersen (and everywhere else). She is AMAZING. She is the reason I get to purely focus on patient care. I think many would take for granted if she were to suddenly leave because right now there is an absence of stress and paperwork because she does a great job. Every new front desk person who comes in also learns from her and they have been amazing. Scheduling, insurance, and paperwork is so easy because of her and the system she has built. She shows her leadership by strictly working hard and doing her job really well. And when you think she is super busy, she brings the best baked goods for the office; she makes her difficult work look like a breeze.

Stacey Pagorek – About her

I met Stacey when I started my stint on the communications committee of the AASPT since we reported to her (she was the Representative-at -Large for the Executive Board). I admire her ability to multi-task and stay calm. She is pursuing her PhD, is a great PT, has her leadership role with the AASPT, presents consistently, and also takes great care of her family. One thing I took away from our interactions is to always ask how a person is doing. Sure there’s always business to talk about, but it’s nice just to hear what people have been up to outside of work. Her leadership skills is great, and her ability to be so personable makes her leadership even stronger.

Amanda Larson – About her

Dr. Larson was Gundersen’s pediatric surgeon. I’ve only interacted with her perhaps 3 times, but I already miss her leadership. She really advocated for her patients. Not only was she amazing in the operating room and great at explaining her clinical reasoning, but she was so good at communicating with other departments and instilling trust. Each of her post-operative plans were custom-made. For non-operative cases, she would check-in to see what we thought; she trusted our judgement. Communication and trust is something I will miss about her leadership capabilities in addition to her clinical skills. I always give someone a benefit of the doubt, which I think helps build confidence.

Casey Nesbit – About her

Dr. Nesbit was my professor at University of the Pacific and she was in charge of teaching us wild students professionalism. She was also in charge of clinical internships. I felt so supported through PT school and internships. She would frequently visit far far internship sites to make sure they were good quality sites. During the ups and downs, she was always on our side and honest when she needed to be. More than anything, she demanded the most out of all of us professionally. She is so kind, but no one ever wanted to make her angry or disappointing by not giving our best to the program and profession. Those jobs as a professor are very daunting and time intensive, yet she still pursued her own goals of global volunteering in Africa and her local communities. She always thinks of others, and demands the best out of everyone. Her enthusiasm is contagious. She was so busy and crazy passionate that I was not surprised when I found out she was a ultra-marathoner…it takes s certain type of mental capacity to grit through those distances.

Andrea Hudy – About her

I’ve only spoken to Andrea once, but her demeanor during and after her presentation was memorable. I really liked how she captivated the audience without acting like a know-it-all, and presented information in a very sharing manner. She is a leader in strength and conditioning not only for her track record and brilliance, but also her communication skills. When I was chatting with her after, she was so genuine and easy to talk to. She never felt like she was rushing to go somewhere. In fact, she only left the conversation to talk about hosting  a group of people in her home for a conference (which I hear she had the best hospitality). Of course when I reached out to her again about her great conference (2017 programming here) she puts on annually, she wanted to know how I was doing before getting into the details. Again, taking the time to see how people are doing makes an excellent leader. Lastly, she likely knows she is a role model to many, and she just keeps getting better. She develops gatherings and programs, and also achieves personal goals such as her most recent MBA. She encompasses everything about leadership.

Gretchen Melvin

Gretchen works for Pebble Beach, and I met her during my training to be a special events manager. She has A LOT to do daily for these massive annual events, and she gets them done. Even more astonishing is the changes and adapting she has to do in her job. She seems to never bats an eye. Throughout my time around her she was in a happy mood and always had a solution for everything. Her leadership trait I admire most is her ability to adapt so quickly and just focus on moving forward. When we dwell on things even for a second, things get delayed and chaotic; time is crucial. She constantly goes through her mental list of plan B, C, D, E and executes immediately. In a high-stress job, she is always smiling, willing to help, direct, and somehow manages to have a social life. She is simply great.

Again, just because I didn’t mention someone, doesn’t mean they are not an excellent leader. The above mentioned are just a few people that have directly influenced me through interactions and continued guidance. I’m fully aware leaders such as Amy Arundale, Lynn Snyder-Mackler, Christy Zwolski, Ciara Burgi, Judy Seto, Sheri Walters, Anne Benjaminse, Jill Cook, Shefali Christopher, Bri Musco, Jennifer Miller, Kristine Nakaji, Megan Mitchell, Ali Hartman, Katie Lucas, Stacie Fruth, Laura Opstedal, Becky Heinert, and the many many more exists. The list can go on and on which is a great thing. I just chose my people to keep it moderately brief.

Again, I now realize the lack of equal representation of females in leadership. I hope one day we don’t have to specifically mention “female leadership”, but that these amazing women are first thought when the word “leadership” itself is mentioned. They already deserve to be known for their contributions, accomplishments, and ability to lead through example.

Who are your leaders who happen to be female?