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 and as a bank manager. She decided to go back to school to pursue a 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 and worked part time at an organization called PEAC where she worked for 15 years with individuals with disabilities training and teaching them independence and cycling as well as adaptive cycling.

Stephanie left UTMC when her husband was injured in an accident 8/8/21 where he became and instant quadriplegic and 24/7 vent to trach. They fought for 15 months to rehab, but 11/9/22 she was by his side when he passed. She left UTMC to become a clinical liaison for Regency Hospital/Select Medical since they cared for her husband and now became her passion to now work between the hospitals in the area and their hospital helping families and patients that were in the same situation she was with my husband and transition them from STACH to LTACH where they can continue their recovery. She works with many doctors and case managers and families and Stephanie loves helping these families in a tough transition.

Stephanie is a mother of Two sons Skyler 23 and Joshua 19. She thank you for the opportunity to be on the board, her passion is to continue to grow the field of Recreational Therapy.

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 physical rehab, behavioral health, oncology, orthopedics. She uses an extensive array of interventions to promote healthy leisure habits but particularly enjoys using 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 role on the board of directors with 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 at the National Activity Therapy Manager of Lifepoint Health where she overseas Clinical Operations and Activity Therapy for Lifepoint Behavioral Health Hospitals. She also works as an IRP at Ohio State Harding Hospital on the weekends. She recently got married and enjoys spending time with her husband, and 4 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 for 18 years. 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 3 facility dogs at Nationwide and has enjoyed incorporating this into her practice for the last 6 years.

Student Member at Large

Heather Risser

Heather is a fifth-year senior at the University of Toledo. 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.

"Ohio Recreational Therapy Association" is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization. 260 S. State Street, #1284, Westerville, OH 43081 Privacy Policy