APT BOARD MESSAGE
Behind the Wheel: Understanding the CEO’s Role in APT’s Journey
| ELIZABETH KJELLSTRAND HARTWIG, MEMBER, APT BOARD OF DIRECTORS & SUEANN KENNEY-NOZISKA, MEMBER, APT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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are part of a dedicated and growing community with a shared
within the organization, it can be helpful to picture APT as a bus that is taking all of us toward meaningful destinations.
In this metaphor, you, the APT members, are the riders. You are the professional development, credentialing, advocacy, and the visibility that APT brings to play therapy. Your experience and professional goals give meaning to the entire organization. Everything exists to support the riders, and your collective voice shapes the direction of the journey.
Since no bus can make steady progress without clear direction, the Board of Directors acts as the group that sets the destination and protects the integrity of the trip. As elected representatives of the membership, the Board determines the destination through what the Policy Governance framework calls Ends Policies. These where it is heading. The Board also outlines the boundaries, known as Executive Limitations, within which APT must operate. In the bus metaphor, these limitations function like the rules of the road. They specify expectations for safety, ethics, and responsibility. They are not instructions for how to drive. Instead, they are guardrails that keep both the riders and the organization safe.
becomes clear. The CEO drives the bus. The CEO chooses the route, the timing, the pace, and the operational approach that will move APT for the progress of the journey and for demonstrating that the chosen approaches remain aligned with the Board’s policies. This clear separation of roles is a strength of the Policy Governance model. It allows the Board to stay focused on long-term goals, organizational impact, and the needs of the membership. At the same time, it allows the CEO to lead the operational work without interruptions,
about who is steering the bus and ensures that the organization moves forward with purpose and consistency.
Our current President and CEO, Kathy Lebby, has been successfully 5000 RPTs™, RPT-S’™, and SB-RPTs™. Kathy is supported in leading the support Kathy and Diane as they drive the bus forward from a steady and strong business perspective.
As the bus continues its journey, it may travel through changing
landscapes and unexpected turns. Even so, the structure remains the same. The members give the trip its purpose. The Board sets the destination and the boundaries that keep the organization safe. The CEO determines how to get everyone there. This system allows APT to move ahead with clarity, stability, and momentum.
Thank you for being part of this shared journey! Together, we continue moving toward a future in which play therapy is increasingly understood, valued, and accessible to those who need it most.
www.a4pt.org | June 2026 | PLAYTHERAPY | 21
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