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Executive Leadership

Meet AOTA's Executive Leadership Team

 

Neil Harvison

Neil Harvison, PhD, OTR, FNAP, FAOTA

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Neil Harvison is a leader in occupational therapy with more than three decades of experience in clinical practice, accreditation, workforce development, higher education policy, and association management.

In July 2026, Dr. Harvison was appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Prior to this appointment, he served as Chief Programs and Policy Officer, overseeing initiatives in education, workforce development, professional development, regulatory policy, practice, and research. His work advanced data-informed decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and strategic collaboration with professional associations, government agencies, academic institutions, and employers to strengthen the occupational therapy workforce.

Dr. Harvison also has more than 20 years of health system leadership experience. He previously served as Associate Director of Rehabilitation Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and as Hospital Director at Mount Kisco Hospital Center. In these roles, he oversaw clinical operations, secured grant funding for innovative health care education programs, supported workforce preparation, and led interprofessional teams.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Harvison has held adjunct faculty and teaching appointments at Mercy University, Binghamton University, Columbia University, and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He has mentored future rehabilitation and health sciences professionals and contributed to efforts that prepare a skilled, responsive workforce.

His national and international board service includes leadership roles with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA), and the Federation of Associations of Schools of Health Professions (FASHP). His contributions to higher education, accreditation, and workforce development have been recognized through honors including the National Academies of Practice Distinguished Fellow Award (2019), the ASPA Cynthia Davenport Leadership Award (2017), and the NYU Jim Hinojosa Distinguished Alumni Award (2017).

Dr. Harvison holds a PhD from the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University, a Master of Arts from NYU, and a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy with First Class Honors from the University of Queensland in Australia. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed and invited publications on health care education, clinical competency, accreditation, and workforce issues.

Through his work in strategic leadership, workforce development, accreditation, policy advocacy, and organizational development, Dr. Harvison advances occupational therapy practice, professional development, and health care education policy.

Sabrina Salvant 

Sabrina Salvant, EdD, MPH, OTR/L, FAOTA, FNAP

Interim Chief Programs and Policy Officer

Dr. Sabrina Salvant is a senior leader with deep nonprofit senior leadership experience in strategic visioning, planning, and fiscal management, alongside more than 25 years in academia and a decade of accreditation expertise.

Dr. Salvant currently serves as Interim Chief Programs and Policy Officer at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), where she manages initiatives in education, workforce development, professional development, regulatory policy, practice, and research

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Salvant was AOTA's Vice President, Education & Professional Development, where she led strategic initiatives and partnerships for six years across Academic Affairs, Accreditation, Advanced Certification, the Approved Provider Program, the Fellowship Program, and Continuing Education.

Dr. Salvant has also served as Director of Accreditation for AOTA and the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), , where she provided strategic direction for the Accreditation Department, oversaw more than 150 volunteer accreditation evaluators, and served as liaison between AOTA, ACOTE, the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and other stakeholders on complex curriculum and accreditation matters.

Dr. Salvant’s academic leadership includes serving as Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) Program Director at Belmont University's Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing (2015–2018) and nearly two decades as Assistant Professor with Columbia University's Programs in Occupational Therapy (1997–2015), where she developed and administered coursework and led student research, advisement, mentorship  and evaluation.

She has also provided consultancy services in accreditation self-study preparation, strategic planning, and curriculum development for academic programs and non-profit associations.

Dr. Salvant holds a Doctor of Education from Columbia University Teachers College, a Master of Public Health from Columbia University School of Public Health, a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University. A member of AOTA's Roster of Fellows (FAOTA) and a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (FNAP), she also holds NBCOT board certification.

Her national service includes the Interprofessional Education Collaborative, and the National Academies of Sciences Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education. Internationally, she served on the Haiti Rehabilitation Foundation Board (2015–2018), which supports the Faculté des Sciences de Réhabilitation de Léogâne (FSRL) — Haiti's first university-based program dedicated to educating occupational and physical therapists, established in 2015.