Our Keynote Presenters

Penelope Moyers Cleveland, EdD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA is the 27th President of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Moyers Cleveland was elected in 2006 by the direct vote of association members and took office during the 87th Annual Conference and Expo in St. Louis, MO.

Dr. Moyers Cleveland has been a strong advocate for the profession of occupational therapy. She has 29 years of experience, having developed expertise in mental health practice at Central State Hospital in Louisville, KY and in upper extremity rehabilitation at Plastic Surgery Associates in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dr. Moyers Cleveland has also met the requirements developed by AOTA to be Board Certified in Mental Health (BCMH). In addition, she has extensive experience working with persons with substance use disorders; she also has research experience in measurement of upper extremity function.  Currently, Dr. Moyers Cleveland is serving as Professor and Chair of the Occupational Therapy Department at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Prior to joining UAB, Dr. Moyers Cleveland was Dean of the School of Occupational Therapy at the University of Indianapolis.  Dr. Moyers Cleveland co-leads a support group for persons with HIV and AIDS.  Dr. Moyers Cleveland has published extensively on the topic of substance use disorders and has worked with AOTA to systematically review the evidence to identify effective interventions. This work has led to creation of AOTA evidence briefs designed to help practitioners select interventions for facilitating recovery and return to successful occupational performance. Dr. Moyers Cleveland has also written articles in OT Practice on the topic of continuing competence and professional development, an outgrowth of her previous AOTA role as Chair of the Commission on Continuing Competence and Professional Development.

Dr. Moyers Cleveland has an extensive academic resume. She has an EdD in Adult Education, with a major in Public Administration from Ball State University, and a Master's Degree in Community Development from the University of Louisville. Her bachelor's degree is in occupational therapy from the University of Missouri.

Rosemary McCool is the Director of the Colorado Division of Registration s. The mission of the Division of Registrations is to provide public protection through effective licensure and enforcement through its regulation of more than 280,000 Colorado licensees.

As the Director, Ms. McCool is responsible for the management and oversight of the policy and administrative activities related to licensing, inspection, examination, and enforcement for more than 33 professional and occupational licensing boards and programs.

Ms. McCool joined the Division of Registrations in 1992 and has served in several capacities. During her tenure, she managed the Division’s centralized investigation section and served as the program administrator for the Colorado State Boards of Dental Examiners, Chiropractic Examiners, and Nursing Home Administrators. She was promoted to the position of Director on September 1, 2001.

Ms. McCool received her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Loretto Heights College in 1988, and Juris Doctor in 1991 from the University of Denver College of Law.

Wendy Wood became an occupational therapist in 1975, when she graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Science in the field. While first drawn to working with children, Dr. Wood gravitated to adult rehabilitation and soon thereafter, practice with frail elders. After 11 years in clinical practice, Dr. Wood returned to school and earned a Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California in 1988, followed by a Ph.D. in Occupational Science in 1995. Her doctoral dissertation examined relationships among environmental opportunities for occupation and the psychological wellbeing of zoo chimpanzees. Dr. Wood joined the faculty in the Division of Occupational Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. While at Chapel Hill, her program of research transitioned from the study of captive nonhuman primates to the study of environmental influences on the everyday quality of life of people with dementia. From 2005-2008, Dr. Wood was an Associate Professor in Occupational Therapy and Research Associate Professor in Geriatrics at the University of New Mexico, as well as a part time Occupational Therapist at Presbyterian Home Health Services in Albuquerque, NM. She is now Professor and Head of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University, and an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.  Dr. Wood has authored over 40 articles and chapters in referred publications, and has extensively presented her work at scientific meetings nationally and internationally. As well as being passionate about the occupational therapy, Dr. Wood loves music and playing her guitar, biking, hiking, and skiing with family and friends.