16 AOTF Leadership Service Commendation Julie Kalahar, MSOT, OTR/L, FAOTA Lake Area Technical Institute Watertown, South Dakota Ms. Julie Kalahar has served on the AOTF Scholarship Selection Committee since 2013 and became the Chair in 2017. She is highly respected and an experienced colleague from clinical practice. She has devoted hundreds of hours to reviewing applications and recommending candidates to receive scholarships through AOTF and its scholarship program partners. During her tenure, she has assisted in fine-tuning the overall scholarship review process and program. She has given generously of her time and personal resources. Ms. Kalahar’s keen understanding and commitment to the scholarship process has been unwavering throughout her service to the Scholarship Selection Committee. AOTF Meritorious Service Award Elizabeth Francis-Connolly, PhD, OTR, FAOTA University of St. Joseph West Hartford, Connecticut Dr. Elizabeth Francis-Connolly has served with distinction as Vice Chair and Trustee of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation since 2016. She has served as Chair of the Volunteer Development and Nominations Committee, fostering the identification, vetting, and cultivation of the Foundation’s Board Members. Her judgment, intellect, professional demeanor, and leadership have contributed greatly to Board deliberations. Dr. Francis-Connolly’s experience as a longstanding volunteer in various capacities over an extended period have given her an extraordinary understanding of the Foundation’s history and challenges. Susan L. Garber, MA, OTR, FAOTA, FACRM Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas Ms. Susan L. Garber has served with distinction as a Trustee of the American Oc- cupational Therapy Foundation since 2017. She served as a member of the Awards and Recognition Committee and the Governance Committee, helped develop a new research excellence award and refined processes of the Foundation. Her intellect and leadership have contributed greatly to Board development, governance, strate- gic planning and decision-making. Ms. Garber’s commitment to the role of occupa- tional therapy in adding value to the health care system has been unwavering.

17 AOTF Fred Sammons Volunteer Recognition Award Nancy Snyder Lieftinck, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA Columbus, Ohio Ms. Nancy Snyder Lieftinck is an acknowledged leader in occupational therapy. She served the Foundation generously, completing two terms as President of AOTF from 1969 to 1976 and 1985 to 1989. Under her direction, the AOTF Board of Directors established the AOTF state scholarship program and hired the Foundation’s first full-time Executive Director. The emphasis on scholarship and research was a hallmark outcome of her leadership that today continues to be the essential purpose and mission of the Foundation. Her role as President of AOTF provided an opportunity to strengthen the mission of its operations. This resulted in the critical need for a strong business model that enabled AOTF to evolve into the viable organization it is today. Ms. Snyder Lieftinck was inducted into the Roster of Fellows of AOTA in 1975 and received the Retired Educator’s Award in 2003. AOTF A. Jean Ayres Award Stacey E. Reynolds, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia Dr. Stacey Reynolds’ sustained commitment to the investigation of sensory processing has resulted in more rigorous science, greater awareness of the value of occupational therapy knowledge in this area, new methods of investigation, greater understanding of sensory processing in new populations, and the relationship of sensory processing to functional performance. For 15 years, Dr. Reynolds has contributed to the profession of occupational therapy with more than 30 publications and over 70 presentations. Virginia Scardina Research Award of Excellence Karla K. Ausderau, PhD, OTR/L University of Wisconsin – Madison Madison, Wisconsin Dr. Karla Ausderau’s extensive clinical background significantly enriches her current well-funded research on increasing our understanding of sensory pro- cessing as a core feature of development in children with ASD. She developed the only feeding assessment related to eating challenges in ASD, as well as a successful parent-mediated intervention to improve eating and family mealtimes. Her significant contribution to occupational therapy exemplifies the type of work that the Virginia Scardina award was created to support. Dr. Ausderau is clearly the type of clinician-researcher that Virginia “Ginny” Scardina so highly valued and supported.