AHCA/NCAL Board Elections

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is preparing for their 2025-2026 election cycles for the AHCA Board of Governors. At last week’s AHCA Board of Governors meeting Sarah Schumann resigned her position as Secretary/Treasurer and announced she will not run for AHCA’s Vice Chair in the 2025-2026 cycle. We are grateful for Sarah’s years of dedicated service to the association and will miss her voice representing the sector.

The previously released slate of AHCA Board of Governors candidates included Sarah as the candidate for Vice Chair. This position is now open. Two current Board members have modified the position they are running for based on the new officer opening. Nate Schema will now run for Vice Chair instead of Secretary/Treasurer and Tina Thomas will now run for Secretary/Treasurer instead of Regional Multifacility Representative. The AHCA/NCAL Credentialing Committee decided to reopen applications for the AHCA Board of Governors for Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer and Regional Multifacility Representative. Please find a list of current Board members running for those positions below.

Vice Chair – Nathan Schema, SD, Good Samaritan
Secretary/Treasurer – Tina Thomas, WI, Mission Health Communities
Regional Multifacility Representative – open, uncontested

An expedited application period is open until 5:00pm Eastern time on Tuesday, September 16. All AHCA provider members in good standing interested in running for one of the above mentioned positions may complete an application.

Online Application Form

It is important to note for the elected seats, the AHCA bylaws prevent more than one state affiliate or corporation from being represented on the board. The following state affiliates are represented by current AHCA Board members not up for election, so candidates from these states will not be accepted: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and the District of Columbia.

The following states are represented by certified candidates: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. For these states, a candidate from the same state could run but only one person from each state can be represented on the AHCA Board.

AHCA/NCAL’s Credentialing Committee will conduct the certification process for all candidates seeking office for AHCA. The elections will take place at the Delivering Solutions 25: AHCA/NCAL Convention and Expo to be held October 19 – 22 in Las Vegas, NV.

All candidacy materials must be submitted electronically no later than 5:00pm Eastern time on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. All candidates will receive an email of receipt when their paperwork has been received.

For questions, please contact Christy Herle at cherle@ahca.org or 202-898-2839.

General Information

AHCA Board of Governors and NCAL Board of Directors Candidate Materials Related to the Application

AHCA/NCAL Governance and Election Information

Duties of Officers and Members of the Board of Governors

AHCA/NCAL Provider Members

Each year, AHCA and NCAL members in good standing may submit an application for the elections for the AHCA Board of Governors and the NCAL Board of Directors. Both AHCA and NCAL elections for the 2025/2026 year will take place at the Council of States meeting held in conjunction with the AHCA/NCAL Delivering Solutions ’25 to be held October 19 – 22 in Las Vegas, NV. The application period is closed and will open again in the spring of 2026.

AHCA/NCAL Governance and Election Information

FAQs

Q: When are the AHCA/NCAL Board Elections?
A: Elections occur at the COS meeting held during the AHCA/NCAL Convention.

Q: Who Elects The Board?
A: AHCA BOG members are elected by the COS members. Each state appoints a primary and secondary member to the COS. Each state gets one vote. NCAL BOD members are elected by the NCAL BOD and the NCAL State Leaders.

Q: How Do I Campaign?
A: Candidates for both boards use a variety of methods to campaign. Candidates typically reach out to the state executive in their state for guidance and direction. Examples of campaign activities include but are not limited to: phone calls and/or emails to the voting bodies; phone calls and/or emails to state executives; receptions held at AHCA/NCAL events; or token gifts and candidate literature set out prior to the COS meeting at the AHCA/NCAL Convention.

Candidates are responsible for the organization of their campaign and any resulting costs. AHCA/NCAL staff members are not permitted to assist with the campaigns including but not limited to the shipping or distribution of materials.

Associate Business Members

Associate Business Members in good standing have the opportunity to submit an application for the 2025 elections for the positions of AHCA ABM President to serve on the AHCA Board of Governors or ABM Representative to the NCAL Board of Directors, each to serve a term of two years, commencing October 2025 until October 2027.

As a reminder these positions shall serve no more than two consecutive two-year terms in the same office. For your reference, the existing AHCA/NCAL officers have served in their current positions for one term:

ABM President – Bill Charnetski
ABM Representative on NCAL Board – Sarah Dirks

ABM Board Application

Application for the Association Business Member positions should be electronically submitted to Hannah Gallagher at hgallagher@ahca.org.

Guidelines for Completion of the 2025 ABM Board Applications

Applications should be electronically submitted to Hannah Gallagher – hgallagher@ahca.org. The deadline for applications is May 2, 2025.
All answers should be typed in Times New Roman (12 font).
Submit forms in the original Word document, and not as a PDF.
Please do not bold all text.
Please adhere to the word count if specified in the question.
All applicants will be notified by the Credentialing Committee no later than June 2025.

Guidance for the Distribution of Campaign Materials

All credentialed candidates will receive a copy of the Associate Business Member roster, including primary contact as designated by each member.
AHCA will distribute a “Candidates Profile Book” containing the individual profile section of each candidate’s application as well as his or her responses to the Candidate’s questionnaire. The Profile Book will be distributed via email to each ABM Company’s designated contact after applicants are credentialed later this summer.
All candidates or their representatives are responsible for the distribution of campaign materials.

ABM President Election

Voting instructions will be distributed via email to the designated ABM company contact.
Ballots will be accepted between September 17-18, 2025 until 8:00 pm Eastern.
Only one ballot per ABM Company in good standing will be accepted.

Materials

Associate Business Member Candidate Application.

Additional Questions?

Please contact Hannah Gallagher at hgallagher@ahca.org or at (202) 266-1954.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time is involved to serve on the American Health Care Association (AHCA) Board of Governors (BOG) and the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) Board of Directors (BOD)?

AHCA BOG

The AHCA BOG holds an orientation in January for new members. There are up to five face to face meetings held during the year, frequently in conjunction with other AHCA/NCAL events like Congressional Briefing and the Regional Multifacility Spring and Fall meetings. Conference calls are held twice a month. Many are briefing calls not requiring action. Board members are expected/encouraged to attend AHCA/NCAL conferences. In fact, AHCA provides complimentary registration to Board members.

AHCA BOG members typically serve as liaisons to various AHCA committees. Those committees also hold regular conference calls and typically one to three face to face meetings. Committee participation is not mandatory for AHCA BOG members. AHCA BOG members are expected to attend both AHCA Council of States (COS) meetings, once during Congressional Briefing and once during Convention.

NCAL BOD

The NCAL BOD holds an orientation for new members. There are two face to face meetings held during the year. Conference calls are held monthly. NCAL BOD members are expected/encouraged to attend AHCA/NCAL conferences.

Active participation on at least one NCAL committee is required. Those committees also hold regular conference calls but do not hold face to face meetings. NCAL BOD members are expected to attend the COS meetings at convention. In addition, they are expected to attend NCAL Day, the AHCA/NCAL Annual Convention, Congressional Briefing and the AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit.

What is the financial commitment?

AHCA BOG and NCAL BOD members are reimbursed as all committee members in accordance with the AHCA/NCAL Travel Policy to include airfare and per diem. AHCA BOG and NCAL BOD members receive free registration to AHCA/NCAL conferences. Board members are also encouraged to contribute to the AHCA/NCAL Political Action Committee.

What is the application process?

The nomination process for the AHCA and NCAL Boards opens in the spring each year – typically in March. The deadline for applications is in May or June depending on the year. The application and additional information is available on the AHCA/NCAL website here.

What is the Credentialing Committee and what do they do?

The Credentialing Committee is responsible for the certification of the AHCA BOG and the NCAL BOD. Before the official slate of candidates is released, the Credentialing Committee reviews the applications and decides if each candidate will be certified. The Credentialing Committee reviews the applications, conducts a criminal and education background check, checks references and reviews survey data. Once the credentialing process is complete the slate of certified candidates is released. Additional details may be found in the General Information and Requirements for All Candidates.

AHCA/NCAL Board Elections

​General Information