THE ATHLETIC TRAINERS'
ASSOCIATION OF FLORIDA
2026 ATAF elections cycle
ATAF 2027 Executive Board
Candidates for Treasurer
The Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida is committed to the advancement of our profession through education, community engagement, legislative efforts, and professional development, dedicating financial support and leadership, ultimately enhancing patient-centered care.
Voting is now open for the following 2027 ATAF Executive Board positions. Only ATAF members who are BOC-certified or BOC-certified retired are eligible to vote. If you are eligible, please check your email for your ballot and be sure to cast your vote before the election deadline.
Voting Timeline
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Voting period - September 21, 2026 through October 18, 2026 [midnight]
Matt McGraw MS, LAT, ATC, PES
AT Supervisor with Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine /
Head AT Pensacola State College
Matt attended the University of West Alabama, where he completed his Bachelors Degree in Athletic Training. He then attended the University of West Florida from 2006- 2008 as a Graduate Assistant working primarily with Baseball and completed his Masters Degree in Exercise Science. After graduating from UWF, Matt accepted a role as an Assistant Athletic at the University of the South: Sewanee from 2008-2011. He then decided to move back to Florida in the Panhandle, where he accepted a job as a High School Athletic Trainer with the Andrews Institute 2011- Present. Matt stayed in the high school AT role for a year, when he accepted a role as an Athletic Trainer with the Andrews Institute Rehabilitation from 2012- 2017, while continuing to work as a PRN AT with the outreach department filling in at local high schools from 2012- 2023. As an Andrews Institute Athletic Trainer, Matt became one of two ATs working with our local Professional Ballet Company, Ballet Pensacola from 2012 to present. In 2016, Matt accepted a role within the Andrews Institute Sports Medicine Outreach Department as a Regional AT Sports Liaison focusing on community relationships with local EMS and other healthcare partners, educational collaborations, and becoming a CPR instructor among many other things. In 2023, Matt accepted his current role within the Sports Medicine Outreach Department with a new contract with local Pensacola State College, where he is the Head Athletic Trainer and an AT Supervisor.
In 2018, Matt started his involvement with Athletic Training Organizations when he became the Florida representative for the SEATA Committee for Honors and Awards, where he continued the representation until 2021. In 2021 Matt took on the role as the Chair for the Committee on Practice Advancement (COPA) until 2024. While being the Chair for COPA, he was the Florida representative for the SEATA COPA committee from 2021-2024. He was also involved with the Athletic Trainers in Physician Practice Task Force from 2022-2025 and has been apart of the ATAF Finance Committee from 2024 until present. Matt was elected as the Panhandle Representative in January 2025 and will roll off in December 2026.
Statement for Role as Treasurer:
Organizations like ATAF are important for the Athletic Training profession, to keep in tune with legislative movements, advocacy for our profession, and support for Athletic Trainers. The Treasurer's role is important in helping keep the efforts efficiently working and mindful of the money that ATAF manages. I would like to help continue the legacy that our current Treasurer has established and represented in her role.
Brad E. Morgan MEd, AT, ATC
UF Health and Bradford High School
Brad is a husband and father of four originally from northeast Ohio and moved to Florida nearly 10 years ago. He currently works at UF Health and Bradford High School and has spent the overwhelming majority of his career working in the secondary school setting.
Campaign Message:
I am a former NE representative for ATAF and with our current Treasurer’s term limit coming due, I see the opportunity to become involved once more. I have found that now that my kids are all out of high school that I have the time to commit to a position that requires a commitment of a significant amount of time.
Candidates for Central Representative
Jennifer Plant, EdD, LAT, ATC
Clinical Professor/Curriculum Coordinator
Master of Athletic Training Program
University of Central Florida
My path into athletic training began at Mississippi State University, where I competed on a tennis scholarship while studying Biological Sciences. I later transferred to Barry University to complete my Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training, earned a Master of Science in Education with a concentration in Athletic Training from Old Dominion University, and ultimately completed my Doctorate in Education at the University of Central Florida.
As a certified athletic trainer for over 25 years, my professional background includes administrative, academic, and clinical experience across collegiate athletics, secondary school settings, professional sports, and the industrial setting. For the past 16 years, I have served as a faculty member in the University of Central Florida's athletic training program, supporting its transition from an undergraduate to a graduate curriculum.
My service to the profession centers primarily on educational administration and accreditation and professional advocacy. I actively contribute as a CAATE peer reviewer, BOC task force volunteer, textbook reviewer, and a peer reviewer for national conference proposals, while remaining involved in local event coverage and community outreach. In 2013, I was honored with the ATAF College/University Athletic Trainer of the Year Award, a recognition I consider less a personal achievement than a reflection of the students and colleagues I have had the privilege to work alongside.
My goal as an athletic trainer is to support clinicians, advance educational standards, and advocate for the continued recognition of athletic trainers as essential healthcare providers.
Campaign Message:
ATAF’s mission to advance clinical practice and secure recognition for athletic trainers as essential healthcare providers, paired with its vision of ensuring every active individual in Florida has access to an athletic trainer, reflects the core values that have guided my entire career. They are the exact reason I am seeking to serve as your Central Florida Representative.
My goal is not to be the loudest voice in the room, but to be an effective and reliable advocate for the profession. Throughout my athletic training career, I have gained a practical perspective on both the strengths of our profession and the areas where we still need support. ATAF’s vision not only entails advocacy that supports athletic trainers across every setting with the real-world resources needed to deliver high-quality patient care, but it also requires bringing that same message outward, raising awareness across the state and within our communities about who athletic trainers are and the essential role we play in patient care.
My focus will be listening to the everyday challenges and insights of Central Florida athletic trainers and bringing those needs honestly into the state-level conversation. I am running for ATAF Central Florida Representative out of a genuine desire to serve our regional athletic training community and give back to an organization that has supported my career for nearly two decades.
Zamaris Rivera Torres MAT LAT ATC
Industrial Athletic Trainer
I have always been a curious individual who is eager to learn at every given opportunity. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, I fell in love with athletic training after watching an interview with an athletic trainer on TV. This drove me to complete my Bachelor of Athletic Training Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce before attending the University of Central Florida to pursue my Masters of Athletic Training.
I have been a BOC certified athletic trainer, a National Athletic Trainers' Association & Athletic Trainers' Association of Florida member for the past five years, but my experience in clinical, traditional, and emerging settings extends beyond that time. During my internships, I had the privilege to work with high school, collegiate, and professional athletes, but also work at clinics specializing in both land and water-based rehabilitation.
I am driven by injury prevention and rehabilitation and strive to educate physically active individuals on musculoskeletal health and well being. Additionally, I am a certified instructor for the American Red Cross & Stop the Bleed instructor. I currently work as an industrial athletic trainer in the greater Orlando area. When I am not helping others at work, you'll probably find me in my garden or reading a novel somewhere.
Campaign Message:
As the Central Representative for the Athletic Trainers' Association of Florida my priority is to be the voice of the athletic trainers administering care across the region in each and every clinical setting. My experience as a head athletic trainer and, currently, as the only athletic trainer at my setting, has shown me the challenges this might possess while aiming to provide the best care for our athletes. Such background has provided me with the skills and knowledge to actively listen and effectively communicate when advocating for this profession and the heroes behind it; this is what I aspire to as your representative.
As athletic trainers it is common to put others before ourselves; I will make sure you are being heard and put on first when new information is discussed, when voting on organizational or professional matters, and when support is needed. I will strive to serve the athletic training community with honesty and transparency, with accessibility and continuous improvement as our profession evolves and our care does as well.
I am confident I can fulfill the responsibilities of the Central Representative for the Athletic Trainers' Association of Florida. My commitment is with every member and fellow athletic trainer to provide them with the guidance and support they may need to prevail as a leader in healthcare.
Candidates for Panhandle Representative
Kathleen McGraw, MS, LAT, ATC
Sports Medicine Outreach Coordinator
Andrews Institute – Sports Medicine Outreach
Kathleen McGraw, MS, LAT, ATC, earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and her master’s degree in Health Education & Promotion from Oklahoma State University. She has been a practicing athletic trainer since 2007, with much of her career spent serving athletes and supporting athletic trainers throughout Northwest Florida. She has held both clinical and administrative roles with Andrews Institute & Baptist Health Care’s Sports Medicine Outreach program, including more than six years as Sports Medicine Manager, overseeing clinical and operational activities for a large team of secondary school and collegiate athletic trainers across five counties within the Panhandle.
Throughout her career, Kathleen has been involved in athletic training education, program and protocol development, event coordination, and mentorship of athletic training students. She has presented at local, state, and regional meetings and participated in ATAF and Florida Alliance for Sports Medicine initiatives related to secondary school athletics safety. For the Andrews Institute Sports Medicine Outreach program, she has also contributed to clinical guidelines and resources addressing concussion management, heat and lightning safety, emergency preparedness, and other areas of athletic healthcare. She has worked clinically as an AT in multiple settings including secondary schools, colleges, physician practice, outpatient rehabilitation, and performing arts.
Kathleen values the collaborative nature of athletic training and the opportunity to connect with ATs, share experiences, discuss challenges, and learn from one another.
Campaign Message:
I’m grateful to have been nominated to serve as the Panhandle Representative for the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida.
I’ve been fortunate to spend much of my career working as an athletic trainer in the Florida Panhandle and supporting ATs throughout our region. Through my involvement with ATAF and the Florida Alliance for Sports Medicine, I’ve also had the opportunity to build relationships with ATs across the state and have always valued the collaboration and exchange of ideas within our profession. Over the past 15 years in particular, I’ve been proud to watch the growth of the athletic training profession and practice within the State of Florida, including important progress in secondary school safety standards, largely driven by the hard work and advocacy of athletic trainers throughout our state.
If selected for this position, I would welcome the opportunity to represent the Panhandle and help bring the experiences and perspective of our region to the state level, while contributing to the continued growth and advancement of the profession and athletic trainers across the state.
Julie-Ann Burton, EdD, LAT, ATC, CES
Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice MSAT Coordinator of Clinical Education
University of West Florida
As an athletic trainer for over 10 years, Julie has a passion for serving and advocating for the profession of athletic training. She has her Doctorate in Education from Liberty University, Master of Science in Athletic Training from Florida International University, and Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Miami.
Julie has been an active member of the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida since 2019. She was previously a student member while at FIU from 2010-2012. As a member she has been active in leadership roles, currently serving as the Co-Chair of the Secondary Schools Committee. She also was a member of the Secondary Schools Task Force. During her absence from Florida, Julie was an active member of the North Carolina Athletic Trainers’ Association. She was a graduate of the North Carolina Leadership Program, served on the EAP and Secondary Schools’ Committees and was the State Representative for the D3 Young Professionals Committee. With this she chaired the committee at the state level and represented North Carolina on the MAATA Young Professional Committee. Currently, at the district level, she is a graduate of the SEATA LEADS Program, member of the Corporate Sponsorship Committee and represents Florida for the Secondary Schools Committee. In 2025, Julie was recognized as the ATAF Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year.
As the Clinical Education Coordinator for the Andrews Institute Baptist Healthcare MSAT Program at the University of West Florida, Julie is proud to be developing the future of the profession by seeing the new generation of athletic trainers complete their educational pathway. She teaches various courses within the program and continuously pushes her students to seek the ‘why’ and enjoys seeing the sparkle in her students’ eyes as they get to accomplish their own goals and advocate for the profession. She remains active clinically and is a CPR Instructor for the American Heart Association.
Campaign Message:
I am honored to have been nominated to serve as the Panhandle Representative for the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida.
Throughout my journey as an athletic trainer, I have been fortunate enough to interact with various leaders within the profession. From these interactions- I have always thought about my ‘why’ and how this could make an impact or difference in enhancing the profession. I have come to learn that my ‘why’ is through service, educating, and mentoring. Athletic Training has done a lot for me as it has for you. I have also learned through professional and service journey- that to be a strong leader- you first need to be an advocate for your community.
As your Panhandle Representative, communication and collaboration will be prioritized. I enjoy getting to know you all as athletic trainers and individuals. My interactions with the athletic training community of the Panhandle I do not take lightly. My goal is to understand the uniqueness of the Panhandle Athletic Training Community- that could be from any praises you may have to concerns in which I can be available to celebrate with you or work together to solve the issue at hand. My role as the Clinical Education Coordinator and Co-Chair of the Secondary Schools committee allows me to interact with ATAF members who work in a variety of settings. I have learned in these roles that constant communication is necessary as through my interactions with you all I was able to hear your concerns and bring it back to leadership for a solution. I vow to continue this as your representative when making informed decisions, voting on key matters, and working closely with the executive board for ATAF to ensure that the Panhandle’s voice is heard. I want to celebrate you all as Athletic Trainers and highlight you across the state to enhance our network.
I am confident that I can successfully and efficiently serve as the Panhandle Representative for the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida. My goal is to support you all as clinicians and to continue advocating for our profession so that you all have the support and guidance that you need to be successful.