Vanessa Rapier - President

Vanessa has more than 20 years of experience in the field of occupational therapy, some of which she practices at home where she is mom to 8 and wife to one. Having two boys (young adults) with autism, being an OT has certainly come in handy a time or two. She attended BYU for most of her undergraduate work, finishing her B.S. with a certificate in OT at Loma Linda University in California. In 2021, she completed her Doctoral degree in OT at the University of Utah. She has worked largely in the school district and pediatric settings, and now specializes in the use of assistive technology there. She currently serves as team leader for both the assistive technology and motor teams in her school district and recently received the award for Excellence in Practice in Occupational Therapy from UOTA (2018) for her work there. More recently, she received the UOTA Bonnie Held Award of Service in 2021 for her service as the annual conference committee chair during the Covid-19 pandemic, navigating several first-ever events such as an all-virtual conference and a collaborative conference effort between three other state associations. A true believer in finding joy through serving others, Vanessa appreciates the opportunities she has had and enjoys the friendships she has developed through serving with the many other great humans who call themselves occupational therapy practitioners.