Sherri Van Pelt has UAB degrees in psychology, occupational therapy, and public administration. Perhaps it is appropriate that her professional life does not revolve around just one job.

Van Pelt has worked as an occupational therapist for almost 25 years and now has a private practice, focusing primarily on children with disabilities in rural Alabama counties.

Van Pelt also is executive director of VSA Arts of Alabama, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting artistic excellence and providing educational opportunities through the arts for children and adults with disabilities. VSA arts, a sister organization to Special Olympics, was founded in 1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith and is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In addition to holding two jobs, Van Pelt serves as president of the UAB National Alumni Society.