From the President’s Desk: Finding Our Rhythm – Together

When I moved to Tennessee as a new graduate occupational therapist, I joined TNOTA because another OT invited me to attend the conference. I was new to the state and new to the profession, and I didn’t yet know where I fit within the OT community here. That invitation gave me a place to start.

I’ve kept coming back, maintaining my membership and attending many TNOTA Conferences over the years, because I found something I originally hadn’t even realized I was looking for: Connection. Through TNOTA, I’ve met colleagues who became friends, found mentors, learned from practitioners and students with experiences different from my own, and discovered opportunities to grow. Eventually, I joined the association’s leadership team because I wanted to contribute to the organization that had become such an important part of my professional life.

Now, many years after that first conference I attended, I see even more clearly why TNOTA matters. A professional association is more than the programs it offers or the work of its Board. It is the collective voice, experience, knowledge, and energy of the profession it represents. As occupational therapy continues to navigate a changing landscape, we each have something to contribute – whether that’s advocacy, mentorship, an idea, a conversation, a volunteer role, or simply showing up and staying connected. We don’t all have to engage in the same way, and our involvement may look different at different points in our careers. But when individual contributions become collective action, our profession is stronger.

If you are new to TNOTA, welcome – we’re glad you’re here! I hope you’ll find the same sense of connection and community that I found as a new graduate. And if you’ve been around for a while like me, I hope you’ll find a new reason to engage, reconnect, or contribute. Maybe there’s an idea you’ve been waiting to share, a colleague you can mentor, an advocacy effort you can support, or an opportunity to step into something new.

Wherever you are in your OT journey, there’s a place for you here. Together, we can continue finding our rhythm and shaping the future of occupational therapy in Tennessee.