A recognized leader in the healthcare community, Skurka also serves as a HIM and coding consultant to many healthcare facilities, and recently authored a book - Health Information Management: Principles and Organization for Health Record Services, published by the American Hospital Association.

Stating that “commitment to lifelong learning” will be one of the main focuses of her presidency, Skurka says, “Lifelong learning speaks to everyone of us - and we all must continually prepare ourselves for the work world of the future.”

Prior to her election at the AHIMA, Skurka sat on the association’s board of directors, served on its councils on accreditation and certification and was a member of the nominating and annual meeting program committees. She has also represented AHIMA on the American Medical Association’s allied health and accreditation committee and made presentations to HIM and physician audiences on topics ranging from data quality management to coding.

Skurka has a master’s degree in education from Purdue University Calumet and a bachelor’s degree in HIM from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She resides in Crete, Illinois with her husband, Richard and their three children.