Ohio Recreational Therapy Association

President

Stephanie Bowling, CTRS

Stephanie Bowling works for Regency Hospital/Select Medical in Toledo Ohio. Her career began in finance where she worked in accounting as a bank manager. She decided to go back to school to pursue another degree. She has a Bachelors in Science, is a CTRS, and is also working towards a masters in hospital administration. Stephanie worked at University of Toledo Medical Center for 12 years as a CTRS on the inpatient geriatric psych unit, the pediatric psych unit, and the detox unit along with PRN work at Arrowhead Behavioral Health. She also worked part time at PEAC for 15 years helping individuals with disabilities by teaching them independence, cycling, and adaptive cycling.

Stephanie left UTMC when her husband was injured in an accident on 8/8/21 that left him with a quadriplegic spinal cord injury and 24/7 vent to trach. They fought for 15 months in rehab, but on 11/9/22 she was by his side when he passed. She left UTMC to become a clinical liaison for Regency Hospital/Select Medical as they had cared for her husband and it became her passion to help patients and their families who went through similar situations as her husband. She works with many doctors, case managers, and families; and Stephanie loves helping these individuals through this difficult transition.

Stephanie is a mother of 2 sons Skyler (26) and Joshua (22). She thanks everyone for the opportunity to be on the board. Her passion is to continue to grow the field of Recreational Therapy.

President Elect

Joanie Jones, CTRS

Joan Jones is a certified recreational therapy specialist who has been working as a CTRS in Michigan and now Ohio for the past 14 years with the elderly, adults with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) , spinal cord injuries (SCI), substance abuse and mental health.

Joan has served on the board for Michigan Adaptive Sports in 2017-2918. As an Ohio resident, Joanie is eager to increase the visibility of recreational therapy in Ohio as interim president oh the Ohio Recreational Therapy Association (ORTA).

Joan has presented at the 2018 ATRA conference: Maintaining Clinical Quality Care during a Community Aquatics Careplan and at the 2026 ORTA conference: (Vagus Nerve Stimulation-in Recreational Therapy) and has a passion for educating people on 1) how to improve their physical and mental health through healthy functional movement and 2) practical use of vagus nerve stimulation to improve quality of life.

In her free time, Jonie enjoys working out: running, swimming and lifting. She loves spending time with her dogs-Lucy and Ruffin and with her supportive husband Brian. She loves arts and crafts and specifically Renaissance festivals.

Secretary

Christine Havach, MA, CTRS

Christine has been practicing as a certified therapeutic recreation therapist since 2008. She has worked extensively with adult and adolescent behavioral health but joined the Recreation Therapy team at Nationwide Children's Hospital in 2019 where she works primarily in the outpatient clinic and cardiopulmonary rehab. She also assists with a variety of other populations/diagnoses including hematology/oncology, behavioral health, and many others. She uses an extensive array of interventions to promote healthy leisure habits but particularly enjoys adaptive cycling, fitness and exercise games, creative expression activities, card and board games, and social/interactive activities. She is passionate about expanding her knowledge of therapeutic activities and providing education on community resources to her patients and families. She enjoys sharing ideas and collaborating with her peers and has presented at numerous TR conferences. She is looking forward to continuing her work with the board of directors on ORTA!

Treasurer

Valerie Lazzara Mould, MA, CTRS

Valerie Lazzara Mould, MA, CTRS is a graduate of the University of Toledo with both a Bachelor of Science in Recreational Therapy (2007) and a Master’s of Art in Recreation Administration (2008), and has been a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist since January 2018. She received her specialization in Behavioral Health in June 2023. She is currently employed full-time at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital where she serves as a therapist on the Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit and as the Evidence-Based Practice Coordinator for the behavioral health team (OT, SLP, TR) and inpatient acute TR teams. Additionally, Valerie is an instructor for SMART CEUs Hub and serves as the SMART CEUs Hub marketing manager. Valerie was a contributor to the 12 Steps to Sober Leisure Revised Edition workbook. Valerie previously served on the ORTA board from 2017-2022. Valerie received the Outstanding Professional award in 2021.

Member at Large

Heather Snow, CTRS: Behavioral Health Specialization

Heather studied TR at Ashland University. She currently works as a Division Director of Clinical Operations at Lifepoint Health where she overseas Clinical Operations and Activity Therapy for Lifepoint Behavioral Health Hospitals and Lifepoint Behavioral Health Acute Hospitals. She also works as an IRP at Ohio State Harding Hospital on the weekends. She enjoys spending time with her husband and 5 dogs. She has a therapy dog named Meatball that enjoys spending time at different hospital locations. Heather enjoys knitting and playing sand volleyball in her free time along with traveling to Florida to visit her parents. She is looking forward to continuing her role on the board of directors for ORTA and the licensure committee.

Member at Large

Rochelle Krouse, CTRS

Rochelle Krouse has been a CTRS since 2004. She graduated from Indiana University in 2004 and began working at Nationwide Children’s Hospital soon after graduation. She has worked in the settings of outpatient therapy, including aquatic therapy, acute care and inpatient rehabilitation. She has been on the Nationwide Children's Hospital inpatient rehab unit since about 2005. Rochelle has a passion for helping others and being a part of her patients and families rehab journeys. Watching patients get stronger, learning new skills and thriving is one of her favorite parts of being a therapist. Rochelle is also the handler of one of the facility dogs at Nationwide and has enjoyed incorporating this into her practice.

Student Member at Large

Heather Risser

Heather recently graduated from the University of Toledo and is currently doing her internship. She is an active member of the Recreational Therapy Club. Heather has been providing dog therapy with her dog, Daisy, for the last 4 years! They visit nursing homes, children’s hospitals, libraries, colleges and rehabilitation hospitals. When not working or in school, she enjoys spending time with her family and her two boxer dogs. Heather's leisure interests include hiking, biking, bible study and dog training. After graduation, she also plans to go to graduate school at the University of Toledo. Heather is excited to hold the role of Student Member and is excited to contribute to the profession of Recreation Therapy and ORTA.

Past Presidents

Mike Sutherland (2017-2019)

Jenn Fultz (2019-2020)

Valerie Lazzara Mould (2020-2021)

Morgan Jack (2021-2022)

Randi McLeod (2022-2023)

Lynn Snyder (2024-2025)

Thank you for your service.

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