President
Rebekah Griffith
Vice-President
Chris White
Secretary
Chris Edmundson
Dr. Chris Edmundson began as a physical therapist in 2003 after receiving a master’s degree from Northeastern University. Subsequently, he completed a transitional doctorate in physical therapy at Simmons College and a residency in orthopedics with the Institute of Orthopaedic Manual Therapy. In 2015 he completed a fellowship in orthopedic manual therapy at Regis University. Dr. Edmundson is Board Certified in Orthopaedics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Therapists. In 2016, Dr. Edmundson founded Integral Physical Therapy which has grown to six offices in Colorado. He is the co-owner of Olakino Physical Therapy with offices in Hawaii and works as Affiliate Faculty at Regis University and Hawaii Pacific University. He currently serves as Delegate at Large for the APTA House of Delegates and Secretary of the Colorado Chapter of the APTA as well as and Co-Chair of the Government Affairs Committee. Dr. Edmundson served as the President of the Colorado PT-PAC for 6 years and Secretary for 1 year. He spent 4 years on the Standards Committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. He has served the Colorado Chapter as a Delegate for 8 years, a member of the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) for 11 years. He has also been a member of the Sunset Committee in 2017/18 and 2023/24. In 2018 he was awarded the Bob Doctor Service Award and the PT of the Year Award in 2022 from the Colorado Chapter of the APTA. In 2024 he was awarded the R. Charles Harker Esq. Policy Maker Award from the APTA Academy of Leadership and Innovation.
Treasurer
Maegan Olivos
Dr. Maegan Olivos is the APTA Colorado Treasurer (2022-present) and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee. Born and raised in the DC Metro area, she received her dual Doctor of Physical Therapy-Master of Public Health degree from Arcadia University in 2014. Now serving her second term as APTA Colorado Treasurer, she is deeply committed to advocacy, public health, and the PT profession. Maegan is a board-certified clinical specialist in geriatric physical therapy and currently practices outpatient physical therapy at Denver Health. In addition to her clinical work, she teaches as affiliate faculty at Regis University Department of Physical Therapy and Arcadia University’s hybrid DPT program. In her time outside of work, she enjoys competitive pool and open water swimming and spending time with her husband and two young children.
Chief Delegate
Jessica Lehman
Dr. Jessica Lehman works as a full time physical therapist at a private practice in Colorado Springs. She earned her B.A. from Northern Arizona University and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) from Regis University. Jessica was a private practice owner for 14 years. She is a classifier for U.S. Paralympic cycling, Associate Faculty at the CU School of Medicine, Chief Delegate for the Colorado APTA, and part of the CTS High Performance Team for Elite Ultrarunners. Over the last 20 years, Jessica has served APTA CO as Co-Chair of the Professional Development Committee, SE District Chair and as a delegate multiple times over the past decade. She enjoys trail running, reading and spending time with her husband and their two children.
Professional Development Director
Megan Brito
Practice Director
Tyler Luke
Young Professionals Director
Alice Barnes
Finance Director
Emily Stone
Emily Stone has practiced as a physical therapist primarily in outpatient settings since 2012. She completed a fellowship in orthopedic manual therapy and obtained board certification in orthopedics through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and fellowship from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy. Currently she is in her second term as Finance director for the Colorado chapter of the APTA. She is currently in the Rehabilitation Science PhD program at the University of Colorado with long-term research aims to quantify the health-system impacts of physical therapy as well as the general health impacts of physical therapy on the individual. Emily practices as a physical therapist at UCHealth at the Central Park clinic practicing primarily in orthopedics with an emphasis on chronic low back pain.
SIG Director
Emily Gee
DEI Director
Dawn Magnusson
DEI Director
Peter Lee
Peter MuPing Ljaucu Makakaruwang Lee is a pediatric Doctor of Physical Therapy in Denver, CO. Originally from Taiwan, with affiliations to the Paiwan and Ketagalan peoples, Peter has dedicated his academic and professional career to advancing JEDI efforts. He served as the DPT student DEI committee chair at Regis University to emphasize community engagement with the Porter Billups Leadership Academy, review admissions policies and curriculum, and provide student scholarships to bridge socioeconomic inequalities accessing higher education. Today, he serves on the CO APTA Board of Directors as a co-chair of the DEI committee to foster DEI in every facet of the APTA’s scope in Colorado. Peter additionally practices at the RSVP Clinic, a pro bono inter-professional rehabilitation clinic based out of Craig Hospital. In his free time, Peter likes to cook, eat, spend time in nature, and hang out with his cat, Chives.
Student SIG Director
Alan Martinez
I am a first-year DPT student at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. As a first-generation college student, I earned my B.S. in Clinical Movement Science from California State University, Fullerton, and I am also a proud Army veteran. I am passionate about advocating for DPT and PTA students, striving to increase access to resources that foster their professional growth. In my role as Student SIG President, my goal is to implement meaningful, lasting changes that will benefit DPT and PTA students for years to come.
Southeast District Chair
Joe Miller
Southeast District Chair
Dana Gregory
Western Slope District Chair
Amy Stone Hammerich
Dr. Amy Stone Hammerich, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, GCS, CSCS, FAAOMPT is an Associate Professor at Colorado Mesa University entry-level DPT program in Grand Junction, Colorado. She also teaches in the Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy Fellowship at Regis University with a focus on spine and pelvis content areas. Previously at Regis University, she was the Coordinator for the Orthopaedic Residency and entry-level DPT faculty for 15 years. She was an Associated Professor and Consultant for the Department of Physical Therapy at Pacific Northwest University in Yakima, Washington and an Affiliate Faculty at University of Colorado. She earned her Master of Science and Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Regis University and her Ph.D. in Health and Behavioral Science from the University of Colorado focusing on the treatment and outcomes for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. She is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in both Orthopaedic and Geriatric Physical Therapy. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Dr. Hammerich has additional post-doctoral education in neuromuscular physiology. She currently serves as the Western District Chair for the APTA Colorado Chapter. She is a past President of the Colorado Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association as well as board member for 10 years. She has served on the AAOMPT Pelvic Health SIG Board as founder and Secretary. She was awarded the Outstanding Physical Therapist Award from the Colorado Chapter APTA in 2012, the Bob Doctor Service Award in 2012 and 2007, the Emerging Leader Award in 2005 from APTA national, and the Marinus Smith Award Excellence in Teaching from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2005. Her research and clinical practice interests are in evidenced based hip/pelvis and spinal orthopedic conditions, aging joints, fall prevention, and exercise prescription in the young and old. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and Academies of Orthopedic, Geriatric and Pelvic Health.
Northeast District Chair
Deedee Koncar
Mile High District Chair
Charlene Challenger-Smith
Charlene is passionate about creating a positive impact in the therapy profession through excellence in clinical care and leadership. As a leadership coach and senior practice consultant with 8150 Advisors, she has a special interest in coaching owners and leadership teams to maximize staff engagement, drive clinical excellence, optimize systems, and enhance provider compliance. Char leverages her 20 years of experience as a results-driven, collaborative, and influential leader working in a variety of rehabilitation settings including private outpatient practices, cash-based settings, hospital settings, academic institutions, including for-profit and non-profit entities across multiple states. Char recently served as Director of Rehabilitation at UC Health enhancing clinical operations across 80 providers and several community clinics throughout central Colorado. She has implemented residency programs, developed clinical mentoring framework, and created professional development initiatives to drive retention and foster staff and leader development. Char holds a Master’s in Physical Therapy and a BS in human biology from Marquette University. She is a board-certified clinical specialist in sports physical therapy and a certified Athletic Trainer. In her free time, she enjoys running, biking, and spending time outdoors with her husband Jesse and their dog, Citra, in Denver, CO.
Mile High District Chair
Emily Aronow
I’ve been a PT for 17 years, with a speciality in pain neuroscience and spinal cord injury.
Co-Chair, Sports SIG
Rachel Cole
Rachel is a Colorado native and has lived in the Fort Collins area for the last 20+ years. She graduated from Colorado State University with her Bachelor’s degree in Health and Exercise Science with a concentration in Sports Medicine and she received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Regis University. She currently works at an outpatient UCHealth clinic inside MCR. She has experience working with patients of all ages and a variety of conditions. Rachel is passionate about patient education and treating the whole person. She has additional education in management of chronic pain, jaw pain, pregnancy and postpartum care, and has a certification in Functional Dry Needling.
Federal Affairs Liaison
Bryan Tanigawa
My name is Bryan Tanigawa and I will be serving as the Federal Affairs Liaison. I was born and raised in Broomfield, Colorado and received my undergraduate education at the University of Denver. Currently, I’m in my third and final year as a DPT student at Duke University. I became interested in advocacy work after attending APTA Capitol Hill Day in 2024. I met with several Colorado legislators to discuss important topics pertinent to the PT profession and provided my perspectives as a student. I’m excited to serve in this role to engage others to become advocates and work to maintain our profession’s voice on a larger scale.
