Speaker Bio: Merri L. Vitse graduated with an Associate of Science degree from Austin, Community College. She completed a Bachelor Degree in Rehabilitation Science at Concordia University. She has practiced in occupational therapy for over twenty years working the areas of; in-patient rehabilitation, acute care, cognitive rehabilitation, the chronic pain program, the hand practice and the psychiatric setting. As a practitioner she has advocated for the role of the OTA along with forming strong OT/OTA partnerships. She has participated in research activities and has served as a preceptor for Level I and Level II OT and OTA students. She has served as the OTA Representative and President of the Minnesota Occupational Therapy Association, and served as an OTA representative on the Minnesota Department of Health Occupational Therapy Advisory Council.In 2016 she was installed as a founding member of the Leaders & Legacies Society through the Occupational Therapy Foundation.