As Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMU) continues to lead in innovation and excellence in health education and practice, it has announced the appointment of Dr. Cindy Mathena and Geralyn Frandsen to the RMU Board of Trustees, effective immediately.

“Dr. Mathena and Dr. Frandsen bring decades of proven leadership in health professions education, and their appointment comes at an important time as RMU continues to grow its academic offerings and national reputation,” said Michael Skurja, Jr., DPT, ECS (Emeritus), RMU Board of Trustees Chair. “Their combined experience in accreditation, curriculum innovation, and academic administration will be a tremendous asset as the Board guides RMU’s continued mission to develop healthcare professionals and leaders.”

Cindy Mathena, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Dr. Mathena is an occupational therapist and educator with a career-long commitment to student success and educational innovation. She currently serves as President and Provost of National American University, a role that follows more than two decades of experience spanning faculty, program director, director of online education, dean, and vice president of academic operations positions across health science education. Her research and scholarship focus on interprofessional education, artificial intelligence, and online learning, and she is co-editor of the textbook Interprofessional Education and Collaboration: An Evidence-Based Approach to Optimizing Health Care.

A longtime peer reviewer for institutional and programmatic accreditors and a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Dr. Mathena has also taught and mentored capstone students in RMU’s Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctoral (POTD) program since 2022 and has served on its POTD Advisory Board since 2024, an experience she has called one of the most rewarding of her career. She earned her PhD in Educational Technology from Walden University, with additional graduate and undergraduate study at the University of North Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina, and Old Dominion University.

“As an occupational therapist and higher education leader, I have dedicated my career to helping students achieve their personal and professional aspirations,” Dr. Mathena said. “It is a tremendous honor to join the Board of Trustees at RMU, an institution recognized for its commitment to excellence, innovation, and preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals. I look forward to supporting the University’s mission while helping to ensure innovation and student success remain at the forefront of its strategic vision.”

Geralyn Frandsen, EdD, MSN, RN

Dr. Frandsen has spent more than three decades shaping how nursing is taught, both in the classroom and on the page. She is co-author of several of the field’s most widely used textbooks, including Kozier and Erb’s Fundamentals of Nursing and Abrams’ Clinical Drug Therapy, now in their 12th and 13th editions, and her research and writing on faculty mentorship have informed nurse educator training programs nationally.

As a longtime nursing faculty leader, she built and directed undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, including a gerontology certificate program she coordinated for more than two decades, while mentoring generations of nursing faculty through national leadership roles with Sigma Theta Tau International, nursing’s honor society. Her contributions have earned her the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award and multiple March of Dimes Nurse of the Year honors. Dr. Frandsen continues that work today as an accreditation site visitor for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and as a board member for Stages St. Louis.

“I am honored to have been chosen to join the Rocky Mountain University Board of Trustees, and I strive to bring my expertise in higher education and leadership to enhance the mission and vision of the University,” said Dr. Frandsen.

Recognizing Outgoing Trustees

RMU also expressed its gratitude to D. Brent Israelsen, JD, and Mary Jane Harris, PT, MS, DSc, whose service on the Board of Trustees concluded August 31, 2025. Both were appointed to the Board on May 19, 2016, and provided more than nine years of governance, counsel, and support to the University during a period of significant institutional growth.

“On behalf of the Board, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to Brent Israelsen and Mary Jane Harris for their nearly ten years of dedicated service,” Dr. Skurja said. “Their counsel and commitment helped guide RMU through a period of remarkable growth, and we are better positioned today because of the contributions they made to this institution and its mission.”

About Rocky Mountain University

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMU) is an exclusive graduate healthcare education institution accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1998 and located in Provo, Utah, RMU offers high-quality and evidence-based master’s and doctoral degree programs in various healthcare specialties with a diverse student body and faculty. Programs are offered through a blend of flexible online, hybrid, and on-campus residential programs within a vibrant campus nestled in the mountains of Provo, Utah. Learn more at rm.edu.