Selection Committee
Rizing Tide’s scholarship recipients are selected through a rigorous two-stage review process led by volunteer clinicians, educators, and professionals from across the country. Two esteemed panels of reviewers scrutinize each submission for merit, focusing on future impact potential, academic performance, leadership and community-building skills, work ethic, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Round One: Screeners
A National Network of Volunteer Reviewers
Featured Screeners
Bernardine Evans
PT, DPT, GCS
Cortez Espinoza
PT, DPT, OCS
Keaton Ray
PT, DPT
Jonathon Lee
PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, MBA
Kendell Jno-Finn
PT, DPT
Lanse Ngo
Sr. Clinical Recruiter
Stefanie Reid
PT, DPT
Rebecca Schumer
PT, DPT, SFMA, FDN
Valeria Valdiviezo
PT, DPT
Dimitri Kostopoulos
PT, DPT, MD, DSc
Kenji Carp
PT, DPT, MD, DSc
Ramona Lazard
PT, DPT, CEEAA, FNCP
Ricky Locci
PT, DPT, MPH, CSCS
M. Oeser
PT, DPT
Monique Caruth
PT, DPT
Larry Benz
PT, DPT, FAPTA, OCS, MBA, MAPP
Jose Dominguez
PT, PhD, OCS
Dwight Salkey
PT, DPT, MSHSA, CEAS
Katie Rogers Sieker
MS, SVP Venture Partnerships
Sharon Hwang
COO Fortis Healthcare Solutions
A huge thank you to all of this year’s Screeners!
Bernardine Evans
PT, DPT, GCS
Bria Savage
PT, DPT, CSCS, EMR, Cert TPDN
Brandon Johnson
PT, DPT, MS, OCS, CSCS, FDN
Christopher Nelson
PT, DPT, OCS, SCS
Cortez Espinoza
PT, DPT, OCS
Dimitri Kostopoulos
PT, DPT, MD, DSc
Dwight Salkey
PT, DPT, MSHSA, CEAS
Fred Gilbert
PT, DPT, OCS
Jonathon Lee
PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, MBA
Jose Dominguez
PT, PhD, OCS
Jose Suarez
DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Kenji Carp
PT, OCS, ATC
Kristin Rice
PT, DPT, DHSc, CEEAA
Kyle Ohnemus
PT, DPT, OCS
Larry Benz
PT, DPT, FAPTA, OCS, MBA, MAPP
Lena Parker
PT, DPT, OCS
Marlon Johnson
PhD, LPC, LPC-MHSP, NCC
Ramona Lazard
PT, DPT, CEEAA, FNCP
Rebecca Schumer
PT, DPT, SFMA, FDN
Ricky Locci
PT, DPT, MPH, CSCS
Ryan Lovell
PT, DPT, NCS, ATP
Sara Reardon
PT, DPT, WCS
Thomas Samaan
PT, DPT, NCS
Beth Horn
PT, DPT
Brandon Whittington
PT, DPT
Carrie Cunningham
PT
Keaton Ray
PT, DPT
Kendell Jno-Finn
PT, DPT
Monique Caruth
PT, DPT
Nick Patel
PT, DPT
M. Oeser
PT, DPT
Remi Onifade
PT, DPT, MEd
Robyn Buckner
PT, DPT
Stefanie Reid
MPT, DPT
Steven Newton
PT, DPT, MBA
Valeria Valdiviezo
PT, DPT
Abby Bio
DeeDee Ruggles
Diana Vowels
Entrepreneur and Cofounder of Pet Ortho Braces
Dianne Jewell
PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA
Katie Rogers Sieker
MS, SVP Venture Partnerships
Lanse Ngo
Sr Clinical Recruiter
Sentari Minor
VP of Strategy and Chief of Staff for evolvedMD
Sharon Hwang
Round Two: Beachcombers
The Final Selection Committee
Applicants who advance beyond the first screening round schedule an interview with the Beachcombers: an esteemed panel of professionals with a mission to find the next generation of PT leaders.
Dr. Efosa Guobadia
Efosa L. Guobadia, PT, DPT, is the president and CEO of Move Together, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to expanding the quantity and quality of movement health access around the corner and around the world; founder of the sports medicine and movement health company FFITT Health; co-founder of the initiative Global PT Day of Service, which has spanned over 90 countries since its inception; and founder of the informational website PT Haven. In 2017, he contributed a chapter on sustainability as well as the closing afterword for the book "Why Global Health Matters,” edited by Dr. Chris E. Stout, and with a foreword by Nobel Laureate Jody Williams.
He has lectured in the Americas, Asia, and Africa. He received his BS in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts in 2007 and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Scranton in 2010. He is the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Young Alumni Award given by the University of Massachusetts/Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences and is a 2018 American Physical Therapy Association Social Impact Award recipient.
Mia Gonzales Dean
Mia is the COO for DriQ Health, Inc., a healthcare digital tech startup with the world’s first Internet of Things (IoT) enterprise incontinence monitoring solution. Mia is a PT who worked in the acute care and inpatient rehabilitation settings for academic health systems in New York City and Philadelphia. Mia’s previous leadership roles were in operations for Penn Medicine—first for PT and OT practices across the care continuum and then for hospital support services at Penn’s flagship hospital.
Mia is a Filipino-American who was born in Manila and raised in Massachusetts. Mia has served as a mentor to many individuals throughout her career (PTs and non-PTs). Many of these individuals are from diverse backgrounds and have expressed feelings of inadequacy or bouts of “imposter syndrome” when seeking new career opportunities. Through prior invitations to participate and speak at The Graham Sessions on this topic, Mia has enjoyed the opportunity to speak with others who are interested in developing both strategy and tactics to catalyze enhanced diversity, equity, and inclusion within our profession and its leadership.
Wendy Haro
Wendy is a software engineer at WebPT and a passionate advocate for the inclusion of underrepresented and underserved communities in STEM education and careers. At work—in addition to her job duties—Wendy serves as a founding member of the WebPT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force; leads the multi-ethnic employee resource group (Propel-ME); and hosts engaging social events to foster a fun and inclusive work culture. Outside of work, Wendy has volunteered and served in various capacities at the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE): the nation’s largest association dedicated to fostering Hispanic leadership in the STEM field.
Throughout her 20-year involvement with SHPE, Wendy has chaired regional pre-college conferences and served on the SHPE scholarship review committee among holding other roles at the local, regional, and national level. As a first generation American and daughter to immigrant parents from Mexico and El Salvador, Wendy personally knows the challenges of rising through adversity. Wendy is devoted to promoting resources for BIPOC students to maximize their potential and help them achieve their dreams.
TaVona Denise Boggs
TaVona Denise is a strategic operations consultant for healthcare professionals who've built successful practices but realize the business can't run without them. A former clinic director and physical therapist who ran her own contracting company for 13 years, TaVona knows what it's like to be the best thing that ever happened to your patients and show up sick because calling out would send everything into chaos.
She is the author of the Private Practice Vitality Report 2026, a cross-disciplinary study of 43 independent practice owners that challenges everything most owners assume about what creates stability and freedom. She is on a mission to make sure there are no martyrs in medicine and helps practice owners build businesses that don't need them to survive.
Gene Shirokobrod
Gene is a physical therapist who's guided by entrepreneurial passion. He co-founded UpDoc Media, a company focused on producing high-quality custom content and digital marketing for healthcare companies. UpDoc media focuses on providing "content you need to know, delivered with clinical precision."
Gene is also the CEO and co-founder of Recharge—a company that offers its membership base a unique combination of physical therapy, group fitness, and health data analytics. Reacharge is all about bringing three important elements of health care under one roof, while focusing on bringing fun to the customer experience. Recharge wants to redefine healthcare for the better.
Dr. Manny Fajardo
Manny Fajardo, PT, DPT, is the Regional Director, Rehabilitation Services for Kaiser Permanente, Northern California. In this role, he is responsible for the overall vision and strategy for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology. He works with regional and local executives to improve and innovative the care experience for Kaiser’s 4.4 million members in Northern California. He has overseen the creation of online digital tools that are used by more than 50,000 members each month, and he helped create Kaiser Permanente’s digital-first solution for musculoskeletal problems via direct access to physical therapists and the primary provider. He oversees many programs over the three rehab therapy disciplines and supports the mission of delivering high-quality, evidence-based, affordable health care services and to improving the health of members and the communities we serve.
Manny is an immigrant from the Philippines and was raised in California. He appreciates all the mentors who helped guide him, push him, and support him in his career and life. Manny has mentored many individuals in their pursuit of a career in physical therapy and supports improving the profession's diversity and providing more opportunities for BIPOC PT students.
Heidi Jannenga
Dr. Heidi Jannenga, PT, DPT is the founder and CEO of the Rizing Tide Foundation. With her initial endowment, the foundation was launched in 2021. Under her leadership, Rizing Tide has helped close the diversity gap in the physical therapy industry and continues to change the liives and career trajectory of hundreds of future DPTs annually.
Additionally, Heidi is the co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of WebPT, a nine-time Inc. 5000 honoree and the leading software solution for physical, occupational, and speech therapists. Since the company's launch in 2008, Heidi helped guide WebPT through exponential growth. Today, it’s the market leading rehab therapy software in the country, employing over 800 people and serving more than 150,000 therapy professionals—equating to an industry-leading 40% market share. As a member of the board and advisor to the company, Heidi helps to guide WebPT’s product strategy and vision, all while advocating for rehab therapists, women leaders, and entrepreneurs on a national and international scale.
Heidi is a proud member of the Arizona Gold chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization and CEO. She's an LP with Golden Seeds, Battery Ventures, PHX Ventures and Warburg Pincus through her investment fund Rootstock Ventures, which focuses on supporting healthcare technology businesses with special consideration for women founded and led organizations..
Heidi is also a mother to her 15-year-old daughter Ava and through her blended family, twin daughters Tegan and Rivers. She and her amazing husband, Joe, are world travelers and love the outdoors. Heidi enjoys hiking, watching volleyball and basketball and practicing yoga and pilates in her spare time. She deeply cherishes her Japanese and Austrian heritage.
Dr. Dianne Jewell
Dianne Jewell, PT, DPT, PhD, is a nationally recognized leader in rehabilitation practice, outcomes, and health services research. She currently leads the Sheltering Arms Corporation and Hospitals, collaborating closely with the Sheltering Arms Institute and Sheltering Arms Foundation to expand access to innovative, high-quality rehabilitative care. Their collective mission is to equip individuals with the tools and support needed to overcome injury or illness and fully engage in work, play, and community.
Dianne earned her bachelor of arts in history from Williams College, her master of science in physical therapy from Boston University, and both her doctor of philosophy in health services organization and research and transitional doctor of physical therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has more than 35 years of experience across acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient, and home health settings, serving as a clinician, administrator, educator, and technology leader. She previously served as director of clinical practice, outcomes, and education for WebPT and was the founder and CEO of The Rehab Intelligence Network, a consulting firm focused on rehabilitation data management. Dianne is board certified in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy and is deeply committed to advancing evidence-based care and expanding access to rehabilitation services nationwide.