AARC Election 2025 — Teresa “Teri” Miller

AARC Activities:

• Positions:
  • November 2022-Present- AARC Vice President of Internal Affairs, AARC Board of Directors
  • November 2022- Present- AARC Vice President, Daedalus Board of Directors (also 2019-2020 Daedalus Board as HOD Speaker)
  • December 2020-November 2022- AARC Board of Directors Immediate Past Speaker
• Committee Chair
  • 2022- Present- AARC Workforce Recovery Taskforce (Chair)
  • 2017-2019- AARC Audit Subcommittee (Chair)
• Committee Member
  • 2022-Present- AARC Executive Committee
  • 2022- Present- AARC Membership Advisory Committee
  • 2022- Present- Compact Licensure Taskforce
  • 2022- Present- APEX Award Committee
  • 2017-2019 & 2020-2022- AARC Strategic Planning Committee
  • 2017-2019; 2022- Present- AARC Finance Committee
  • 2020- Present- AARC Policy Review Taskforce
  • 2016- Present AARC Political Action Committee (Not PACT)
• Appointments:
  • 2022-Present- AARC Safe & Effective Staffing Guide Expert Panel Workgroup
  • 2021-Present- AARC Leadership Grand Rounds Steering Group
  • 2023-Present – AARC Emerging Leaders Workgroup
  • 2021-2022 AARC Special Executive Director Search Committee
  • 2015-Research Strategic Planning Group
  • 2020-BOD Breakout Group for Communications & Marketing
  • AARC Speakers Council (Past HOD Speakers)
• Section Membership:
  • Education Section -unknown
  • Leadership and Management Section 2020
• 2021- Received Fellowship in the AARC (FAARC)

HOD Activities:

• Delegate Position:
  • Delegate 2008-2016 Georgia Society for Respiratory Care
• HOD officer Positions:
  • HOD Immediate Past Speaker 2020-2022
  • HOD Speaker 2018-2020
  • HOD Speaker-elect 2016-2018
  • HOD Secretary 2012, 2014
• Chair Positions
  • HOD Policy and Delegate Guide Committee- Chair 2013
  • HOD Affiliate Best Practices Committee- Chair 2009-2013
• Committees
  • Ex officio all committees 2016-2022
  • Credentialing Committee 2021/2022
  • Scrutinizing Committee ? 2014
  • Special Recognition Committee
• 2016-Received the Jerry Bridgers Delegate of the Year Award

Affiliate Activities:

• Officer Positions:
  • President 2004 (President-elect- 2003/Past President- 2005) -Georgia Society for Respiratory Care
  • Delegate- Georgia Society for Respiratory Care- 2008-2016
  • Vice-President- 2002-Georgia Society for Respiratory Care
  • South Region Representative- 2000-2002- Georgia Society for Respiratory Care
  • Board of Directors, Georgia Society for Respiratory Care 2000-2007 & 2008-2016
• Committee Chairs
  • Strategic Planning Committee- Chair- 2010-2013
  • Publications Committee- Chair-2004-2010
  • Bylaws Committee- Chair-2003
  • PACT Leader- 2000-2005
• Committee Membership
  • Executive Committee (2003-2006)
  • Program and Education Committee- 2004-2010
  • Finance Committee (2003-2010)
  • Ad hoc Committee for Website Development (2003-2005)
  • GSRC Student Camp Planning Committee (2002-2006)
  • Legislative Committee (2000-2005)
• Special Representative/Other:
  • GSRC Magazine Editor- (?) 2005-2010
• 2001 & 2003- Received GSRC President’s Award
• 2006 & 2012- Received GSRC Mort Duggan Outstanding Service Award

Related Organizations:

• American Respiratory Care Foundation, Vice President 2024
• Member:
  • Middle Georgia State University Alumni Board- 2018-2022 – Currently Secretary
  • Georgia Society for Respiratory Care- member 1989
  • CoBGRTE – member 2015
  • Pulaski County, GA -Hawkinsville High School Health Care Advisory Committee

Education:

• BS Respiratory Therapy- The Medical College of Georgia (now Augusta University) 1990
• MEd Instructional Technology, Georgia College, and State University
• Current Doctoral program Educational Leadership- Valdosta State University
• RRT, CPFT, FAARC

Publications:

• 2019- The Impact of High Fidelity Simulation on Student Performance on the National Board Exams in Respiratory Therapy- Respiratory Care Forum (J. Brown, A. Ari, J. Trimboli, T. Miller)
• Dec. 2021-AARC Newsroom- Featured in: “Adding a Neonatal Track to Your Curriculum”- MGA’s program profiled: https://www.aarc.org/an21- adding-a-neonatal-track-to-your-curriculum/

Elections Committee Questions:

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the AARC, and what do you recommend to address it?

I believe our greatest challenge is professional recognition and identity. The world needs to know who we are. We must leverage our resources and connections to demonstrate our value and achieve goals such as reimbursement for skilled services, professional advancement and the thrill of hearing kids say they want to grow up to be respiratory therapists. To achieve this, we must strategically unite and collaborate, listening to the needs of all RTs and our stakeholders and inviting them to join us. We must then take action to grow. Our chartered affiliates are some of our strongest resources and alignment with them is essential. We must harness the power of our evidence, expanding and promoting it while using our resources to share the story of the RT to recruit the best into our profession. Finally, we must instill professional pride in new RTs and inspire them to action locally and nationally. Through a clear, strong, united voice and vision we can achieve the recognition we need and deserve for our patients.

Healthcare is changing more rapidly than ever. What ideas do you have to help today’s respiratory therapist meet these changes?

Where there is change, there is opportunity, and we must grasp it. First, we must grow our numbers and stabilize our workforce. We have made good strides in this area but there is more work to do. We must also demonstrate the value of the RT to those who employ and govern. We need to arm all RTs, and especially RT leaders, with the resources they need to fight each day to grow our profession both in numbers and in scope. We need to ask and listen to the needs of RTs and be responsive to help them meet their challenges. The past decade has shown us the importance of community and we need to continue to develop a more robust, inclusive, and collaborative RT community– one that is welcoming and essential to them to be a part of. We must clearly forge a path for advanced practice and look for growth opportunities at all levels and areas of our profession serves. Finally, we need to strategically develop and support our future researchers and educators who will be essential in our progress as a profession. Together we must share a positive message for RTs, empower them and fight for what we want.

Share your thoughts about how you can encourage the AARC Committees, Specialty Sections, and Special Representatives to contribute to the strategic plan for the AARC. How do you see your role in this process?

Over the past two years it has been my honor and privilege to work with many AARC committees and representatives in my role as Vice President of Internal Affairs. When I served as House of Delegates Speaker, I learned the importance of our many RT committees across our nation in helping our strategic initiatives become realities. I believe when we have a strong strategic plan and we develop a communication chain which allows everyone to know the goals, to find their niches to work toward those goals, and empower them to action, we can do extraordinary things. I have seen it work. As VP Internal Affairs, I have been amazed by the commitment of RTs engaged in our AARC committees, as chairs and members, to lead change, take action, and move our initiatives forward. As we continue, I believe removing barriers, making connections, and facilitating communications is the essential role to support our members. I would be thankful for the opportunity to continue that work and to see this very exciting work move forward and completed. I believe we have a strong strategic plan in place, and it is up to all of us to share it, to grow it, and to move it forward.