DCA leadership change announced; FSBPT flags TOEFL scoring, wellness resources and data work

Department of Consumer Affairs executive staff opened the meeting with personnel and compliance reminders and DCA Director Kimberly Kirkmeyer said she will retire at the end of the year after 36 years with the agency.

Lucia Saldivar, the department’s deputy director for board and bureau relations, introduced new board‑and‑bureau team members and reminded licensees to complete the updated harassment‑prevention training in the department’s learning management system.

DCA Director Kimberly Kirkmeyer thanked board members and staff for their work on consumer protection and reflected on the role of physical therapy in recovery and the economy. "This board will always hold a special place in my heart," she said, describing a family experience of a severe injury and the role physical therapy played in recovery.

Michelle Sigman Gaines of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy briefed the board on a trio of federation priorities: ETS’s change to the TOEFL scoring scale (transition begins January 2026 with a two‑year reporting overlap), the HRRI Healthy Practice resource (no‑cost, confidential modules with potential CE credit and a self‑assessment for clinician wellness), and federation data work to strengthen the ELDD (exam, licensure and disciplinary database) and explore centralized lookup tools for public provider information. She told the board these items may require jurisdictional consideration and asked whether the board would be interested in deeper follow‑up presentations.

Board members thanked presenters and asked follow‑up questions on timing and CE credit for wellness modules; staff said they would coordinate more detailed briefings if requested.