Executive Management Team
Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
Shawn Martin serves as executive vice president and chief executive officer for the American Academy of Family Physicians. The AAFP is the medical specialty organization representing 129,600 family physicians and medical students nationwide.Martin works with the AAFP Board of Directors on the mission, strategy and vision for the AAFP and provides representation to other organizations, including medical, public, and private sectors.
Michelle Farrell Emerson
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Michelle Farrell Emerson serves as senior vice president of marketing and communications at the AAFP. In this role, she is responsible for leading the communications, conventions and events, digital experience, and marketing divisions.
Charlotte Kerner, CPA
Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Finance
Charlotte Kerner CPA, is responsible for the financial operations of the organization, including financial reporting, budgets, investments and cash management.
Heather Leith, JD, CAE
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Heather Leith, JD, CAE, serves as general counsel and senior vice president. She joined the AAFP in 2013 as general counsel. Leith leads the organization’s legal operations and also oversees the AAFP's Divisions of Administration and Human Resources.
Paula T. Matthews
Vice President, Chief People and Administrative Officer
Paula Matthews is the Chief People and Administrative Officer of the AAFP. She leads all aspects of Human Resources and Administration and champions the AAFP’s culture, engagement and talent development strategies.
Stephanie Quinn
Senior Vice President, Advocacy, Practice Advancement and Policy
Stephanie Quinn serves as senior vice president, advocacy, practice advancement and policy at the AAFP, and is responsible for overseeing the AAFP Division of Government Relations and the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care in Washington, DC, as well as the Division of Practice Advancement at the AAFP headquarters in Leawood, Kan. In this role, she directs legislative and private sector advocacy on issues such as physician payment and medical liability reform.
Margot L. Savoy, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Senior Vice President of Education, Inclusiveness and Physician Well-Being
Margot L. Savoy, MD, MPH, FAAFP serves as senior vice president of education, inclusiveness and physician well-being. Savoy oversees all organizational activities related to medical education and continuing professional development. She also serves as the organization’s champion for physician well-being, is the executive lead for the AAFP’s diversity, equity, and inclusion work, and directs the Center for Diversity and Health Equity.
Julie K. Wood, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Senior Vice President for Research, Science and Health of the Public
Julie K. Wood, MD, MPH, FAAFP has oversight responsibilities for the research, scientific and public health activities of the AAFP, as well as the AAFP’s relationships with other medical organizations in the United States and abroad. Through these relationships, Wood facilitates the continued development of family medicine and coordinates the AAFP’s international activities.