BOC CEOs, from left to right: Greg Safko, MA; Donald Fedder, DrPH, MPH, BSP, FAPhA; James Newberry, Jr., BOCPO, BOCPD; and Claudia Zacharias, MBA, CAE.

DATE: August 11, 2010
FOR RELEASE: Immediately
CONTACT: Marketing Manager
(410) 581-6222

BOC BOC Honors Founder Dr. Fedder

The Board of Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC) has honored Donald O. Fedder, DrPH, MPH, BSP, FAPhA, BOC's founder and first CEO, by dedicating its new headquarters wing to him. The “Don Fedder Suite” expands BOC's Owings Mills, MD offices by more than one-third, to a total of nearly 4,000 square feet.

All four of BOC's CEOs – Fedder; James Newberry, Jr., BOCPO, BOCPD, who succeeded Fedder; Greg Safko, MA, who served after Newberry; and Claudia Zacharias, MBA, CAE, BOC's current CEO – attended the July dedication ceremony, which was followed by a luncheon. The ribbon-cutting event was a surprise for Fedder, who was accompanied by his wife, daughter, and grandson. Additional guests included BOC’s 16-member staff, friends of the Fedders, and several former BOC staff and Board members.

“This seems an appropriate way to recognize Dr. Fedder's vision of O&P capacity-building, as well as a way to underscore BOC's continued commitment to that vision,” said Zacharias as she and Fedder jointly cut the ribbon to open the new office space, where a plaque of Fedder is prominently displayed. In her remarks, Zacharias noted that the occasion was the first time all of BOC's chief executives had been together, and thanked her predecessors for their stewardship.

“The fact that we continue to expand our staff, our certification and accreditation programs, and our presence on the national and international stage is a tribute to BOC's leaders,” Zacharias added. “Don Fedder played a formative role in BOC's success, and on behalf of our Board of Directors, it's a pleasure to formally thank him by naming this new space after our founder, Don Fedder.”

In thanking BOC, Fedder said he felt privileged to be given the opportunity through BOC not only to teach others but to help equip them to serve their communities. Fedder began his career as a pharmacist in 1950, after graduating from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. In 1974, he joined the University's faculty as a clinical instructor and returned to school to earn both a master's and a doctorate in public health. He began to develop an orthotic practice in the 1960s, and served as an O&P consultant to, and then director of, the National Board for Orthotic Certification, founded in the 1970s by the American Surgical Trade Association. He became BOC's first CEO in 1984, and remained in that role for more than 20 years.

Fedder is a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association and the Society for Public Health Education, and a former Senior Policy Fellow at the Center on Drugs and Public Policy. He is also a former program director of ENABLE-MD: The Center for Community Outreach, which helps high-risk populations with chronic diseases to achieve and maintain control of their illnesses. In 2003, Fedder received the University of Maryland Baltimore's Martin Luther King Diversity Recognition Award for his work with ENABLE-MD. In addition to writing numerous papers on health and treatment protocols, he has served on a variety of national task forces charged with developing patient care guidelines.

Other speakers at the dedication ceremony offered personal recollections of working with Fedder. They included Newberry, who practices O&P in Florida, and who thanked Fedder for his dedication to the best interests of practitioners, as well as his leadership; Kwesi Moss, Certification Manager, who has served at BOC through the tenures of all four CEOs; JR Brandt, LO, CO, BOCO, CTO, CII, Director of External Relations, who is a past chair of BOC's Board of Directors; Jeff Price, MCP, BOC's Operations Director, who helped Fedder and his successors bring state-of-the-art technology to BOC; and Karen Lawson, BOC's Accounts Receivable &Continuing Education Coordinator, who unveiled the plaque which shows a smiling Fedder above the words “Don Fedder Suite.”

Greg Safko, who is currently president and CEO of the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, praised Fedder's generosity of spirit. “Don Fedder's willingness to roll up his sleeves and make a difference were instrumental to BOC's success,” he said. “During my years at BOC, he was always willing to offer me his time, skill and experience. It's a genuine pleasure to be here today with Claudia, Jim and a remarkable group of friends and co-workers to help recognize and honor a man who has made such extraordinary contributions to O&P.”

“This organization,” Zacharias noted, “was built on Dr. Fedder's belief that all O&P practitioners should be required to pass comprehensive, psychometrically sound examinations that demonstrate competence. Jim Newberry, as a practitioner, BOC Board member and CEO, exemplified that vision, and passed it on to Greg Safko, who added to it by growing BOC's facility accreditation program. It's a delight and an honor to stand where these three men have stood, knowing that BOC is a successful, healthy and growing organization making strong contributions to the practice of health care and wellness. And I'd like to say thanks personally, Don, because it started with you.”

Since 1984, the Board of Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC) has provided credentials demonstrating the competence and proficiency of O&P professionals. BOC offers NCCA-accredited certification programs in five disciplines: orthotics, prosthetics, pedorthics, orthotic fitting, and mastectomy fitting. BOC’s facility accreditation program partners with DMEPOS suppliers to meet standards set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and improve business practices. BOC credentials celebrate and recognize the competence, professionalism and safe practice environments of BOC-certified practitioners and BOC-accredited facilities.