Your Voice in D.C.: Support NATAPAC at Convention
By Kristin Carroll
The Chuck Kimmel Memorial NATAPAC Luncheon, supported by the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association, is the largest fundraiser for the NATA Political Action Committee. Each year at the annual NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo, athletic training leaders gather to celebrate the life of past NATA President Chuck Kimmel and advocacy wins. This year is no different.
Taking place from noon to 1:30 p.m. July 1 in the Philadelphia Convention Center, the NATAPAC luncheon is open to attendees of convention, though tickets must be purchased by June 12. During the event, attendees can expect a delicious plated lunch, a chance to network with AT leaders and a keynote address from Linda Fabrizio Mazzoli, MS, LAT, ATC, who is also a 2026 NATA Hall of Fame inductee.
“Chuck Kimmel, he was very influential in my career as an athletic trainer,” Mazzoli said. “I am beyond honored to speak for the NATAPAC luncheon.”
In a preview of her speech, Mazzoli told NATA Now that she went back to Kimmel’s philosophy of “planting trees we would never be able to sit under.” Mazzoli looked around NATA membership and found influencers, not just Hall of Fame members, but all around the profession, on how they affect change.
“I’ve had the privilege of talking to many, many unique individuals across our organization on how they’ve been an influence and don’t realize it,” she said.
Supporting Advocacy, Networking, Affecting Change
As previously mentioned, the NATAPAC luncheon is the largest fundraiser to support the efforts of the PAC in Washington, D.C. NATAPAC Chair Karen Fennel, MS, LAT, ATC, said advocacy takes many forms, but it always advances the profession.
“Whether you are having a conversation with a colleague, working with your employer on salary structure and staffing models, or walking the halls of your state Capitol in your effort to update your practice act, those advocacy efforts do not stop at the federal level,” she said. “NATAPAC is the tool to advance our federal legislative agenda in Washington, D.C. Financially supporting this effort is vital to sustaining our seat at the table and telling our own story.”
NATA Government Affairs Engagement Manager Madison Sequenzia said the NATAPAC luncheon offers student and young professional ATs the chance to learn about the PAC and the work it does on behalf of the profession. But perhaps more importantly, it’s a chance to network with AT leaders.
“It’s probably the best room to be in when it comes to rubbing shoulders and having conversations with those leaders young ATs look up to,” Sequenzia said. “If you’re young and you want to be a leader one day, this is the setting to come learn from leaders. Learn about something they value, the PAC and what it means for the profession. … It’s setting yourself up for success.”
Mazzoli said she attended her first NATAPAC event because she wanted to help affect change but didn’t know where to start.
“If it meant going to a lunch to hear how people are making it happen, network so I could see what other opportunities there were to make change, how were people using their influence,” she said.
Today, she encourages other ATs to attend to have their own influence on the profession and NATAPAC’s goals.
“Why wouldn’t you want to be there?” she asked. “Why would you want somebody else having your voice? We can talk about it and give money toward it, but you need the why and how.”
Register for NATA 2026 Today
The advanced registration rate ends May 31. Register for NATA 2026 – and get your NATAPAC luncheon ticket – before the price of registration increases.
