Justin T. Kinder of Lexington has been elected to serve on the American Physical Therapy Association’s Student Assembly Board of Directors for 2013.

Somerset Community College’s Physical Therapist Assistant Program was named the winner of the APTA Student Assembly Challenge at the National Student Conclave in Arlington, Virginia. APTA President Paul Rockar, Jr, PT, DPT, MS, presents the award to Debora Lasure of Stanford, who coordinated the program’s participation in the competition.

A student currently enrolled in second-year studies in the Somerset Community College Physical Therapist Assistant Program has been elected to serve on the American Physical Therapy Association’s Student Assembly Board of Directors. Justin Kinder of Lexington was elected to serve as PTA Student Delegate at the 2012 APTA Student Conclave November 2-4 in Arlington, Virginia. He was nominated by classmate Debbie Lasure.

Kinder holds an AAS in Radiography from Bluegrass Community and Technical College and worked in management at the University of Kentucky’s Radiography Department in a Level 1 Trauma Unit. He then furthered his education, obtaining a Bachelor’s of Health Science in Clinical Management Sciences from the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences. Kinder served on that program’s advisory committee and presently serves on the SCC PTA Program’s Advisory Board. While at UK, Kinder served in the UK Student Ambassador Program and participated in charitable events including Toys for Tots, Dance Blue and God’s Pantry food drives. He has volunteered with the Kentucky Special Olympics and in a number of interactive learning opportunities for young students with an interest in healthcare. He served as the PTA Relations Project Committee Chairperson nationally.

Other SCC graduates who served on the board in the past include: Chris Garland of Burkesville; Jeff Tyree of London; and Jeff Buis of Liberty.

While attending the National Student Conclave, the SCC PTA Program’s students were twice recognized, once for being named the “Outstanding PTA Program” by the Foundation for Physical Therapy for their fundraising efforts in the 2012 Pittsburgh-Marquette Challenge and once as the winner of the Student Assembly Challenge for having the highest percentage of program students at the conference. Two other institutions were recognized in the Challenge. They were George Washington University and the University of Southern California.

Students elected to offices include: Joshua D’Angelo, President, George Washington University; Lieselle Pilgrim, Vice-President, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey & Rutgers Camden; Keaton Ray, Secretary, Duke University; Clarence Holmes, Treasurer, University of Mississippi; Matt DeBole, Director, University of Pittsburgh; Blake Stephens, PT Student Delegate, Mayo School of Health Sciences; Justin Kinder, PTA Student Delegate, Somerset Community College; Peter Tooley, Nominating Committee Chair, George Washington University; and Sarah Hobbs, Nominating Committee, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kinder is a native of Phelps, Kentucky and presently resides in Lexington with his wife Sharon and twin daughters, Hadley and Tori. He is the son of Randall and Ernestine Kinder of Phelps. He is scheduled to complete an Associate of Applied Science Degree from the PTA Program in May 2013 and plans to work in the Lexington area upon graduation.