Honorable Mentions From the 2025 Award Season

The board of directors would like to acknowledge the following nominees who made it to the final round for the 2025 Excellence, Innovation, and Impact Awards.

Honorable Mention for Excellence Award

Dr. Anne Zachry is dedicated to improving the lives of her clients, passionate about advancing professional practice, and committed to mentorship and education. She has always been an advocate for the health and well-being of infants and children and their caregivers. Her work with pediatric populations has focused on enhancing children’s developmental outcomes and empowering their families through innovative interventions rooted in evidence-based practices. Even after she transitioned to academia, Dr. Zachry continued to be involved in clinical care, providing free screenings to underserved children. In 2016, she established the first student-run pediatric pro-bono OT clinic for underserved children and families. This clinic not only provides OT services, but also offers educational, practice, and research opportunities for students and faculty.

Beyond the clinical and academic realms, Dr. Zachry is an active leader in the OT profession. She has served on the Executive Board of the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association and the editorial board of several occupational therapy- and pediatrics-related professional journals. Her initiatives in these organizations have strengthened the voice of occupational therapy professionals and advanced advocacy efforts at both state and national levels. Additionally, Dr. Zachry was the first occupational therapist to have a book published by the American Academy of Pediatrics—Retro Baby: Cut Back on All the Gear and Boost Your Baby’s Development with Over 100 Time-Tested Activities (2013). The book has won multiple awards, and a second edition was published in 2022. Dr. Zachry’s numerous contributions have left an indelible mark on her clients, her students, and occupational therapy practice.

Honorable Mention for Innovation Award

As a clinician, Sarah Lyon found it challenging to keep up with the latest OT research and stay informed about what other OT practitioners were doing. Her passion for and commitment to evidence-based clinical practice led her to establish the continuing education platform OT Potential. The platform delivers high-quality and expert-informed OT continuing education and clinical decision support through a podcast and live webinars. It provides a gateway for practitioners to access, interpret, and apply evidence into their everyday practice as well as earn continuing education units.

With OT Potential, Sarah developed a unique model that combines engaging podcast discussions, collaborative learning communities, and practical implementation tools. The podcast’s most innovative segment involves Sarah and a guest summarizing a research article and applying that evidence to practice. The OT Potential website offers numerous resources for practitioners and even students to learn, grow, and connect with others.

OT Potential offers a clear path to guide practitioners to evidence-based research, transforming the task of staying current into an engaging, accessible, and community-driven experience. Over the years, the platform has evolved from an online club to an all-in-one occupational therapy toolset for over 2,400 members across 44 different countries. Sarah has built more than an educational platform; she has created a movement that is transforming how OT practitioners learn, connect, and provide care, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for both practitioners and their clients.

Honorable Mentions for Impact Award

Mac MacEwen is an OTR who has used her personal health journey to help others. While in OT school, Mac was diagnosed with lymphoma. Through her experience with chemotherapy and radiation, she recognized that cancer survivors did not have guidance to navigate the long-term physical and emotional effects of treatment. She made it her mission to provide specialized therapy for individuals facing these struggles, leading her to establish her private practice in rural New Mexico, LiveAbility.

At LiveAbility, Mac delivers therapy that addresses the unique and complex needs of each client. Her work is truly impactful to a community where specialized rehabilitation services are limited, and individuals often need to travel long distances to receive care. She even offers in-home services to clients who cannot visit the clinic, ensuring that even the most underserved individuals can receive the care they need. Because of Mac, clients have regained independence in self-care, returned to work, and reengaged in hobbies and social activities that were once out of reach due to the physical limitations from cancer treatments.

Beyond providing one-on-one client care, Mac advocates for greater awareness of post-cancer rehabilitation needs and provides training and resources to caregivers, empowering them to better support their loved ones. She understands that healing extends beyond physical recovery—it is also about restoring confidence, independence, and a sense of purpose. Mac does more than treat conditions; she inspires people to reclaim their lives.

Every day, Jason Hokkanen goes above and beyond to positively impact his clients in the Industrial Rehabilitation Work Hardening Program at Saunders Therapy Centers. Clients in the program are navigating not just physical challenges but emotional and financial challenges as well. They may have concerns and frustrations about their injury or being in the workers’ compensation system. Jason consistently demonstrates exceptional empathy and compassion with his clients, building trust with them and creating a safe and supportive environment where they feel heard and understood. He brings a calm, light-hearted, and fun approach to each therapy session, engaging his clients to progress in their rehabilitation so that they can return to their pre-injury job.

Jason excels at creating job simulation activities that are unique to each client’s recovery needs, such as letting a firefighter drag him across the gym, working with an EMT to perform a 200-lb two-person lift assist, or grappling with a police officer. He also incorporates leisure activities that are meaningful to the client to make therapy more fun and enjoyable. Above all, Jason is always mindful to focus on making client-centered occupations the primary driver for rehabilitation.

Once a client completes the program, Jason presents them with a personalized certificate of completion and gives a speech about the progress they made. A few months after the graduation, Jason calls each client to see how they are doing. These additional tasks are not a requirement of Jason’s job, but he does them because he is deeply committed to each client’s well-being. Jason’s dedication to going beyond expectations demonstrates the heart of client-centered care, leaving a lasting impact on every client he serves.