Board of Directors

Carlee is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, achieved Bachelor of Science Degree in Recreation and Parks Administration with a major in Therapeutic Recreation, minor in American Sign Language. She has worked in healthcare since 2007 and became a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) in 2017. She became involved in Bridges as a volunteer early on and became a Board Member in 2014. She was the recipient of the Clara B. Hughes Caregiver Award in 2017. Carlee serves as the Raffle Chair to help support Bridges’ mission after younger brother survived two TBI’s.

Curt is a brain injury survivor and took early retirement due to cognitive issues caused by his brain injuries.  He suffered a TBI on February 6, 2014 and has had multiple strokes (acquired brain injuries).  He has been a member of Bridges since March 2015, joined the Board of Directors in April 2016 and was the 2017 recipient of the Bridges Benevolence Award.  He is on the conference planning committee, raffle committee and the Christmas party planning committee.  He has also participated in helmet giveaways and health fairs. Curt is married with three children and two grandchildren.  

Tracy is the spouse and caregiver of a brain injury survivor.  She has been a member of Bridges since March 2015 and joined the Board of Directors in April 2016.  She is on the conference planning committee, raffle committee, Christmas party planning committee and the education subcommittee.  Tracy has also participated in helmet giveaways and health fairs.  She works full time, but is available in the evening for survivors and family members to call for support. Tracy enjoys traveling and spending time with family.

Jessica’s father sustained a brain injury from a motor vehicle accident when he was 24 and Jessica was 7. Given the experience of her father’s brain injury, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in recreational therapy and later obtained a Master’s degree in business administration. Having spent her career working in brain injury, Jessica is currently program director at NeuroRestorative. She is a founding member of Bridges, 2011 recipient of the Lisa Combs Horizon Award, and serves on the NKY TBI Conference Planning Committee.

Missy has over 25 years of healthcare experience and is currently the Director of Marketing and Operations for HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Edgewood, Kentucky.   Prior to the last 12 years of her sales and business career, Missy was a medical social worker within the acute care hospital setting. Her philanthropic work is extensive and includes charitable work and Board involvement in cancer services, brain injury support, stroke education and cardiovascular care. She was the recipient of the Lisa Combs Horizon Award in 2017 for her brain injury survivor advocacy. She received the Tap Award for creativity in 2015 from the HealthSouth Corporation and the Marketing Team of the Year Award from HealthSouth in 2014. Missy received her Bachelor’s in Science and Social Work at Western Kentucky University in 1991.  She is currently advancing her education and enrolled at Thomas More College working on her Master’s in Business Administration.  Missy lives in Florence, Kentucky with her husband and two sons. She has multiple animals which she enjoys. Along with her philanthropic work, she enjoys gardening and family activities.

Julie has 30+ years of office management experience and works full time in an insurance company.  Her desire to help those with brain injuries and their families comes from years of living with an acquired brain injury from a childhood illness. She became involved with the NKY TBI Conference since its inception in 2007 and with Bridges since 2008. She joined the Bridges Board of Directors in 2009 and currently serves as director, treasurer and chair of the NKY TBI Conference Planning Committee.  She was the recipient of the Lisa Combs Horizon Award in 2011 and was a member and treasurer of the NKY Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky (BIAK) Board from 2013 to 2016.  Married with one child and a dog, Julie enjoys reading, walking, bird watching, and camping.

Colleen is a single mother of five special needs children.  Her children have a variety of diagnoses/disabilities including but not limited to traumatic brain injury, seizure disorders, autism, diabetes, cardiac conditions, genetic syndromes, cerebral palsy, lung disease and a whole host of psychiatric and mental health diagnoses.  She works closely with other parents to offer support and advocacy with the goal of giving them the tools and resources needed to successfully meet the medical, psychological and rehabilitative needs of their children.  Her main area of focus is the awareness and prevention of childhood TBI.  She is also an occupational therapist who currently is working in the home care setting.  Colleen has also worked as a special educator for the hearing impaired, sign language interpreter, and case manager for the hearing impaired population.  She was the recipient of the Clara B. Hughes Caregiver Award in 2009 and the recipient of the Lisa Combs Horizon Award in 2015.

Christian survived a TBI as a teenager.  He became involved with Bridges. in 2013, has been active on the Conference Planning Committee since 2014, and has served on the Board since 2015.  He lives with his wife and daughter in Pendleton County, Kentucky and works in Cincinnati as a data scientist.

Jennifer is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Director of Therapy Services at Gateway Rehabilitation Hospital in Florence, KY.  She received her Master’s Degree from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY and has been working in an acute rehabilitation setting for 20+ years.  Jennifer joined the Bridges Board of Directors in 2017 and is also a member of ASHA, ACHE, and the 2017 Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Cincinnati Walk Committee.

Alice G. Rini is a nurse-attorney currently working as a private consultant primarily to long-term care agencies. Her past experience includes many years as a university professor in Kentucky and New York. She has also worked in an ‘of counsel’ position to a local law firm and as a practice consultant to health care facilities and a curriculum consultant to educational institutions. Her publications include contributions to books in the subject areas of elder law, elder housing and long-term care, nursing leadership and management, nursing and legal ethics, and communication and documentation. She has also published articles in professional journals and presented papers and research to professional groups of nurses, attorneys, and educators. Volunteering with the Northern Kentucky Traumatic Brain Injury Conference Group is also an important activity. Alice was recently chosen as one of the most outstanding 65 graduates of Adelphi University School of Nursing in its 65 years of existence. Alice is also skilled with the rifle and handgun and often serves as a range officer during shooting sport events as well as being a certified instructor in Kentucky for the concealed carry of weapons. Her other interests include travel, reading – particularly mystery and suspense by both American and British authors, mountain biking, and several kinds of needlework.

Bob currently works for the City of Covington as Risk Manager. In 2009-2010 the Mayor of Covington, requested nine fellow employees to attend a TBI conference in Covington, Bob being one of the chosen few.  When the Mayor asked if he would like to be the first Chairperson of the Covington TBI Task Force, he accepted not knowing where it would lead. He then began attending Bridges meetings and soon became a Board member. As with other community involvements, he strives to give as much time as possible. As a Bridges Board member, he is the coordinator of the Bicycle Helmet program and was the recipient of the Lisa Combs Horizon Award in 2014. Bob is married with three children and twin grandsons. His hobbies are gardening, fishing and outdoor activities. He also enjoys reading and traveling.

Tommy is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) and the Marketing Specialist for NeuroRestorative, a leading provider of post-acute rehabilitation services for people of all ages with brain and spinal cord injuries and other neurological challenges.  As Marketing Specialist, Tommy is responsible for the creation and implementation of national and local digital and traditional marketing initiatives. He has over 15 years of healthcare experience, and has been working in the Brain Injury Rehabilitation field since 2004.   In addition to his role with NeuroRestorative, Tommy is the Exhibitor Chair for the Northern Kentucky Traumatic Brain Injury Conference and serves on the Bridges Board of Directors. Tommy lives in Lexington, KY with his wife Jen and their two rescue dogs.

Debra is Director of Rehabilitation Services for St. Elizabeth Healthcare, responsible for strategic growth and development for physical, occupational, and speech therapy services for the healthcare systems four hospital-based locations for inpatient, outpatient and skilled nursing settings. She received her Bachelors of Health Science Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky and her Master’s in Business Administration from Western Governor’s University in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is a licensed physical therapist and has experience working in the acute care and outpatient area for over 25 years. Debra joined Bridges Board of Directors in 2018 and is also the Treasurer of the Kentucky Physical Therapy Association, a member of American Physical Therapy Association, and a member of the Grand County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Debra received the Mount St. Joseph University DPT program’s Distinguished PHysical Therapy Administrator Award in 2018. She has a passion for quality patient care and building highly effective therapy teams. She lives in Northern Kentucky with her husband and two teenage sons.

Lisa has served as Membership Outreach Coordinator on the Board of Directors since 2013.  She assists with the Christmas Party, Conference Raffle, and takes BOD meeting minutes.  She was the recipient of the Clara B. Hughes Caregiver Award in 2016. Married with four children (one is a TBI survivor, two are autism spectrum) and loves kitty cats.  Interests include: Tai Chi, scuba diving, reading, college courses, massage therapy, and gardening.

Todd is an Insurance Sales Professional and earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration in 2018. He has played several sports including football growing up and has personally experienced concussions. Todd has also coached several sports teams and has witnessed concussions with his teams. Todd joined Bridges Boards of Directors in 2018 and wants to focus on educating and promoting prevention with sports-related concussions. He lives in Northern Kentucky with his wife and two teenage sons.