Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has reappointed Stephanie Johnston, O.T.D., LSC-Tomball Occupational Therapy assistant professor and fieldwork coordinator, to the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (TBOTE) for a term set to expire in 2027.

“I was appointed to serve as the presiding officer, so I conduct the meetings that are held quarterly,” said Johnston. “My duties include appointing board members to the various committees based on their strengths. We also bring proposed rules to the entire board for discussion and then send out those rules for public comment. Rules are eventually adopted, and practitioners are required to abide by those rules in order to maintain licensure in Texas.”

Abbott also reappointed Jacob Boggus and Sally Harris King to the TBOTE. These appointments are subject to confirmation by the Texas Senate.

TBOTE regulates occupational therapy services in Texas and licenses to approximately 18,000 practitioners in the state. The overall mission of the board is to protect the health, safety and welfare of consumers receiving occupational therapy services in Texas.

“That one of our faculty was selected to the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners is indicative of the premiere status of the Lone Star College-Tomball Occupational Therapy program,” said Lee Ann Nutt, Ed.D., LSC-Tomball president. “Dr. Johnston’s expertise locally will be of great value statewide.”

The LSC curriculum for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program covers a period of two years and is designed to lead to an Associate of Applied Science degree. Students engage in coursework for a period of four semesters followed by a fifth fulltime semester of fieldwork at health care facilities in the community.

“A good occupational therapist or a good occupational therapy assistant is an advocate,” says Johnston. “They advocate for the profession of occupational therapy and they advocate for the patients and clients they work with.”

Fall 2021 registration is currently underway. Visit LoneStar.edu/OccupationalTherapy to learn more about this exciting and rewarding career.

Dr. Stephanie Johnston, Lone Star College-Tomball Occupational Therapy Assistant Program professor and fieldwork coordinator has been reappointed by Texas Gov. Greg  Abbott to serve on the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners. Pictured (left) is Johnston working with LSC-Tomball students before the pandemic.

Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 93,000+ students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion. Lone Star College consists of seven colleges, eight centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.