Please review the messages from each of our candidates for Vice President below!
Thaddeus Avery, II
Greetings to my fellow Athletic Trainers!
I'm Thaddeus Avery II and I'm soliciting your vote for my candidacy as your Vice-President for the Tennessee Athletic Trainers Society. I've been fortunate to hold this title for the last 2 years. During this short stint of leadership, I've been fortunate to assist in the development of a successful Annual Meeting & Symposium and improving our current State Practice Act. I believe we've made some great progress in advancing our profession across the state and I'm looking to continue that progress. If I'm afforded the opportunity to serve again, the next two tasks that I would like to work toward addressing be moving our Annual Meeting to new locations and developing some reclamation/retention actions for our Athletic Trainers.
I have been fortunate to have additional leadership roles in some capacity or another over the past 10 years. Along with serving as the current Vice President, I'm also the Sports Medicine Manager for Campbell Clinic and a High School Athletic Trainer with Bartlett High School. Prior to this current service, I was the West Tennessee Representative for 6 years. However, my greatest leadership role comes in the form of being a husband to my wife, Tiffany, and father to my daughters, Tamyra & Tia.
TATS has some of the most innovative, educated, skilled and proficient Athletic Trainers in the country. I believe that we have the potential to make significant changes across the country. I would sincerely appreciate the opportunity to continue leading this great group of Athletic Trainers into the near future.
James Farnsworth
I am Dr. James Farnsworth, Associate Professor of Athletic Training at Middle Tennessee State University, where I direct the METRIC Lab and teach across evidence-based medicine, injury evaluation, rehabilitation, and therapeutic modalities. I have been a certified and licensed athletic trainer since 2010, maintaining active clinical practice throughout my career through PRN and event-based coverage across a wide range of settings and populations. Since coming to Tennessee, that work has included TSSAA state tournaments, youth and professional soccer with Tennessee Tempo FC and NPL and ECNL programs, and professional women's basketball with Athletes Unlimited.
Since joining TATS in 2023, I have served on the Ethics Committee and currently chair the Professional Education Committee, helping shape the continuing education programming that serves our membership statewide. I have also participated in TATS legislative advocacy efforts in support of scope of practice expansion, including direct engagement with state legislators on SB 502 / HB 658, which has passed the Tennessee Senate and is pending in the House.
I came to understand the value of professional organizations the same way many of us do — gradually, and only after getting genuinely involved. What I found when I looked behind the curtain was sobering: an enormous amount of work, done by a small number of deeply committed people, on behalf of a membership that often does not realize how much is being done for them. I want to change that.
As Vice President, my goal is to make TATS feel worth investing in — not as a checkbox, but as the primary vehicle through which athletic trainers in Tennessee advocate for themselves and build a profession that gets the recognition it deserves.
I am asking for your vote and your involvement.
Rosalyn Sullivan
I am honored to accept a nomination for this term’s Vice Presidency!
During my 18 years serving student-athletes at the University of Memphis, I am proud to be among the longest-tenured staff members. I have valued mentoring young athletic trainers and contributing to the growth of our Sports Medicine program. I am proud of how we have adapted to the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics while continuing to provide care at a high level.
In my current role as Director of Athletic Healthcare, I oversee insurance and financial operations across Sports Medicine, Sports Performance, Nutrition, and Mental Health. My experience spans both medical coverage and administrative support, allowing me to bring a unique perspective to decision-making processes impacting our student-athlete health and program efficiency.
One initiative I am proud to have implemented this year is our Prospective Student-Athlete (PSA) medical prescreening program. This process gathers medical history during the recruiting phase, prior to grant-in-aid offers, enabling our Sports Medicine staff and Head Physician to provide recommendations regarding continued recruitment. By identifying preexisting conditions early, we help reduce avoidable costs and improve transparency in recruitment. I partnered directly with Teamworks to create a secure platform that houses protected medical information in compliance with HIPAA guidelines. Through a preliminary screening questionnaire, signed releases, and supporting medical documentation, we can efficiently identify cases requiring further review and ensure informed decision-making. This program reflects our commitment to proactive care, fiscal responsibility, and clear communication which are key cornerstones in our approach to the health and safety of our student-athletes and athletic programs.
I hope this brief description of the work I am involved in here at The University of Memphis speaks to the dedication in moving our profession forward.
Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,
Rosalyn Sullivan