Christy Niehues (Mustang/Mustang)

I have had the honor of serving as secretary of the OAPA, as well as chairing and being a member of committees and HOD over the last few years. I have come to realize how important participation in these roles is to help push our great profession forward. The OAPA has been fortunate enough to have great board and committee members, as well as a legislative team that has worked well together over the recent years to get our legislation passed to better our profession. I would be honored to be elected to help continue to achieve the goals of the OAPA members!

Larry Hytche (Tulsa/Tulsa)

I am running for Treasurer of the Oklahoma Academy of Physician Assistants because OAPA is building meaningful forward momentum, and continued progress depends on strong, transparent financial leadership that supports both current priorities and future growth.

I previously served OAPA on the Public Relations Committee in 2017 and as a Board Member from 2018–2020. While professional and personal obligations later required me to step away from active involvement, those responsibilities have now been fully addressed, allowing me to return with focus, availability, and a renewed commitment to service.

One of the key responsibilities facing OAPA is ensuring financial sustainability while continuing to deliver value to members. As the organization grows and expands its advocacy, educational offerings, and outreach efforts, careful budgeting, long-term planning, and transparency will be essential. These organizational needs are precisely what have shaped my professional and nonprofit leadership experience. I have served as chairman and/or treasurer for multiple nonprofit organizations, with direct responsibility for budgeting, financial oversight, compliance, and long-term sustainability planning—reinforcing the importance of accountability, disciplined stewardship, and clear financial communication in mission-driven organizations.

With more than 15 years of experience as a practicing Physician Assistant and a background in healthcare administration, I understand how financial decisions directly affect advocacy, education, and the value delivered to members. I view the Treasurer role not as a passive accounting function, but as a leadership position that helps align resources with OAPA’s strategic priorities.

I am seeking this role not for personal gain, but to contribute meaningfully to the continued strength and stability of OAPA. I would be honored to earn your trust and your vote.

Helga Price (Broken Arrow/Drumright)

I have now worked in Rural medicine for 17 years. We as an organization have tackled numerous issues such as prescriptive authority i.e. prescribing schedule II and supervision. Yet, there is still a need to fight for the respect for the profession. I am willing to continue discuss and express this from a first-person experience. The recent advancement of our Profession due to HB 2584 has catapulted our profession greatly but there is still work to be done. There continues to be pitfalls of feeling like you are working with one hand tied behind your back due to continued limitations that needs to end. This is especially true working Emergency Medicine in the Rural setting. I would like to continue fighting for change. It is extremely important to have all we need to do our job and serve our patients to the best of our ability. I will continue to work hard while advocating with our legislators through the legislative process towards initiatives including but not limited to updating our name to Physician Associates and having totally prescriptive authority including scheduled IIs. I will continue ensure that our colleagues and the community understand logistically the importance of the Organization as well as the importance of continued outreach and monetary support. I will continue to work and dedicate myself fully to the advancement of our profession.

Phil Green (Blackwell/Blackwell)

Physician Associates are an integral part of healthcare. We have filled a huge gap in healthcare since the 1970s. Physician Associates provide highly skilled and knowledgeable services throughout Oklahoma. Our profession continues to evolve daily. This past year we were able to help secure our place in medicine by advancing legislation that allows for autonomous practice after meeting strict qualifications. I believe, that without that critical legislation, Physician Associates were close to being phased out in favor of other practitioners. As Physician Associates we must remain focused on advancing our practice rights and push for better reimbursement as individuals. We must remain vigilant in monitoring legislation that affects our future. As a rural provider in a freestanding clinic, I offer a unique perspective on the challenges of rural providers. I am focused on the survival of our current careers as well as those future Physician Associates that are following in our footsteps. It is our job to ensure that we remain a viable and integral part of medicine now and in the future.

Saura Douglas (Tulsa/Tulsa)

I have had the honor of serving with the OAPA for many years. Per policy, I withheld a board position for the last year and now desire to be back in action, representing the PAs within our great state and improving patient care. My experience within the OAPA, HOD and OSMBLS, provides me significant experience and knowledge of the underlying workings of OAPA policy, state legislation and policy, administrative measures, CME, and national efforts, among other things. My prior positions and clinical practice over the years has allowed me to connect with many PAs within our state – to hear their stories, witness their concerns and struggles. I wish to use my position as a representation of PAs within Oklahoma, not just the few who sit on the board. At the end of the day, our patients are at the center of everything we do. Being a member of the OAPA board allows me the ability to present and implement change (hopefully for the better) for our profession and our patients.

Lee Luetkemeyer (Tulsa/Tulsa)

With a steadfast dedication to promoting excellence in PA education, advocacy, and professional development, I am eager to contribute my skills, insights, and dedication to further the mission of the OAPA and support the growth and success of PAs across our state. I would love the opportunity to give back to the organization and the PA profession.

Effective board membership requires collaboration, organization, service, and innovation. My greatest professional fulfillment comes from experiences where I get to collaborate with patients, colleagues, and students. In my current role as a faculty member of the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine PA Program, I serve as a member of multiple committees within the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine. I also serve as the Director of Preclinical Education. This role requires strong organizational skills. Organization is a vital component for an effective board.

I also serve as a volunteer for the AAPA Foundation and as a site visitor for the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). In this position, I collaborate with ARC-PA and PA colleagues to uphold ARC-PA’s mission to protect the interest of the public and PA profession by evaluating PA educational programs and ensuring their compliance with accreditation standards.

Innovation is an important quality for board members to possess. As an educator, I am constantly exploring opportunities to find new ways of curriculum delivery that maximize knowledge retention while keeping students engaged in class and the learning process. Engagement is vital to the success of an organization.

As PAs, we are called to be life-long learners. Learning takes multiple forms, but the most memorable experiences are working with others. I am committed to collaborating with my colleagues to uphold the mission and values of OAPA, advance the interests of PAs in Oklahoma, and contribute meaningfully to the growth and success of our profession.

Tami Meyers (Oklahoma City/ Oklahoma City)

I have spent the last 26 years in very productive practices with very little time to dedicate any service to our profession. I have contributed to PA teaching and interviewing for our profession but am now at a point in my career that I would like to put some time and energy into the advancement of the profession I have so much respect for. I would like to be able to contribute to the advancement of PAs with regards to respect within the medical community and contribute to foster relationship with physicians and other advanced practice providers to provide the best healthcare to all Oklahomans. I have been around our profession for many years to see the massive growth and influence we have had in our state. I want to make sure that the profession maintains our initial intent and quality of healthcare as we continue to grow in number.

Michael Stancliff (Moore/Oklahoma City)

I would like to serve on the Board of Directors to give back to the PA profession and to help contribute to the continued advancement of the profession in Oklahoma. The OAPA has built a great foundation for our rights as practitioners serving the wonderful people of Oklahoma and I intend to uphold these standards and continue the cause of promoting, supporting and advocating for PAs throughout our great state. There is strength in numbers and my hope is that we can continue to increase the number of PAs who play an active role in the building up of our profession. In my 16 years of experience, I have seen the OAPA do great things and I am excited to be a bigger part of that if elected to the Board. Thank you for considering me for this position.

Christy Niehues (Mustang/Mustang)

I have had the honor of serving as secretary of the OAPA, as well as chairing and being a member of committees and HOD over the last few years. I have come to realize how important participation in these roles is to help push our great profession forward. The OAPA has been fortunate enough to have great board and committee members, as well as a legislative team that has worked well together over the recent years to get our legislation passed to better our profession. I would be honored to be elected to help continue to achieve the goals of the OAPA members!

Sara Parr (OKC/OKC)

I am applying for the House of Delegates (HOD) position. I have practiced as a Physician Assistant (PA) for 17 years, gaining experience in a variety of settings, including a small privately owned practice, a large not-for-profit hospital, a federal agency, and an academic setting. I currently practice Neurology at the Oklahoma City VA and serve as an adjunct professor in the OCU PA Program. My clinical experience spans Neurology, Rheumatology, Hematology-Oncology, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, and Family/Internal Medicine.

Throughout my career, I have held several leadership roles, including serving as a PA leader for a large hospital organization and representing PAs on a five-year strategic planning committee. I am also actively involved in my community as a volunteer at my church, with a Girl Scout troop, and at my children’s school. In addition, I have volunteered at a free clinic while precepting PA students.

I have served on the OAPA Board from 2012 to 2017, 2019 to 2021, and again from 2023 to 2024. I was OAPA President from 2015 to 2016 and represented PAs in the AAPA House of Delegates from 2013 to 2017, in 2023, and currently through 2026. During my time as OAPA President, I played a key role in implementing the PA Rules following the 2015 revision of the PA Act. I also served on the OAPA Board and Legislative Committee during the PA Act revision in 2020 and subsequent rules update. As a member of the Legislative Committee, I supported OAPA’s grassroots efforts by reaching out to members to request support for the most recent PA Act update in 2024.

I have traveled to Washington, D.C., on multiple occasions to attend the AAPA Leadership and Advocacy Summit, where I met with Oklahoma’s elected Representatives and Senators, as well as their staff. I have seen firsthand how advocacy and hard work can lead to meaningful changes in PA practice at both the state and national levels. For example, through PA advocacy efforts, PAs can now prescribe buprenorphine at the federal level, helping to remove barriers to care in addiction medicine.

I believe the primary goal of the OAPA Board should be to educate the public about the crucial role PAs play in ensuring that all Oklahomans receive the best possible medical care. The Board should also take an active role in educating elected officials at both the state and federal levels about the vital importance of PAs in the healthcare system, including advocating for the removal of burdensome administrative constraints that limit access to patient care.

Furthermore, OAPA should work to educate local hospital administrators and physicians about the PA profession, as there is still a lack of understanding regarding what PAs can do and our current legal scope of practice. Looking toward the future of the profession, OAPA should continue to support AAPA in its efforts to include PAs in the Department of Education’s newly defined “professional” degree programs, from which PAs are currently excluded. Without recognition as a professional degree, federal loan availability for future PA students may be limited, putting the profession at risk.Achieving these goals will require ongoing relationship-building with local and national legislators, hospital administrators, healthcare organizations, and physiciansTop of Form.

Larry Hytche (Tulsa/Tulsa)

I am seeking election to serve as an Oklahoma delegate to the AAPA House of Delegates because national policy decisions directly shape how we practice, how our patients access care, and how our profession continues to evolve. The HOD is where the collective voice of PAs becomes formal policy, influencing scope of practice, reimbursement, workforce development, and the long-term direction of our profession. Oklahoma deserves thoughtful, engaged representation in that process.

With more than 15 years of experience as a practicing Physician Assistant, I understand how national decisions affect daily clinical realities. Practicing within larger health systems has given me insight into the complexity of modern healthcare delivery, while my broader involvement across Oklahoma has provided perspective on the diverse environments in which PAs serve. Effective national policy must be practical, forward-thinking, and workable across all practice settings.

Our profession is at a pivotal point. Issues such as practice modernization, Medicare reform, evolving care models, workforce shortages, and patient access require careful deliberation and disciplined review. As a delegate, I will study resolutions thoroughly, engage in reference committee discussions, seek input from Oklahoma members, and approach each vote with a focus on long-term impact, professional integrity, and patient-centered care.

I bring prior OAPA leadership experience, nonprofit governance experience, and the perspective of a working PA committed to advancing our profession with clarity, stability, and strategic vision. I would be honored to represent Oklahoma in the House of Delegates and respectfully ask for your support.

Johnnie Gilpen (Union City/Oklahoma CIty)

My name is Johnnie Gilpen. I am applying for a Delegate to the AAPA House of Delegates. I work as a Pediatric Emergency Medicine PA at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital. I graduated from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. I am a former U.S. Navy Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman, paramedic, and epidemiologist with nearly 30 years of experience in military and civilian medicine at the local, national, and international levels.

Since leaving the military, I have dedicated my life to helping fellow veterans and first responders. I have carried that passion with me as I transitioned into my role as PA. During my time in PA school, I served as a Student HOD delegate for two years, co-authoring two resolutions that aided in establishing the AAPA Veterans Joint Task Force and Recruitment and Support Program. I continued this as the student representative for the Veterans Caucus of the AAPA, then a Director-at-Large. As a Pat Tillman Foundation Tillman Scholar and Warhorse Journal Writing Fellow, I have utilized these platforms to continue helping my peers by highlighting resilience among healthcare workers, first responders, and veterans. Among PAs, thirty percent (30%) reported professional burnout, thirty-three percent (33%) reported symptoms of depression, eight percent (8.2%) reported suicidal ideations, and our profession has a 12.6 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate of suicide. While these numbers may be lower than other healthcare-related professions (i.e., physicians, pharmacists, and nurses), one suicide among our peers is one too many! My goal is to decrease burnout, prevent suicide, and promote professional longevity. I utilize the experience I have gained throughout my past endeavors and bring that home to Oklahoma to help my fellow PAs and strengthen and grow our profession.

As a Delegate, I can bring my 30+ years of experience working alongside various healthcare organizations, legislators, and other providers to help advocate for our profession. I would be honored to represent the State of Oklahoma in the House of Delegates.