Recruiting & Development Team
Laura is our Vice President of Recruiting and Staffing. She has over 30 years experience in long term care. While receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy, she worked as a CNA in nursing homes and hospitals. Since graduating from Creighton University in 1993, she has worked in a variety of settings including skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, pediatrics, hospitals, and adult developmentally disabled. Currently, Laura’s role is to assure that our staffing levels meet the needs of each patient and facility. She supervises the recruiting department including managing Key’s employee retention programs. She is also the primary contact for outside contract labor companies for the times that a little extra help is necessary.
In her spare time, she enjoys triathlon, hiking, traveling and spending time with her 2 grown sons. She and her husband reside in middle TN on a homestead with their 1 dog, 3 cats, 50+ egg laying chickens, and acres of vegetable gardens.
Larry Nickelson is the Regional Vice President of Marketing for Key Rehabilitation. He is responsible for developing relationships with potential clients, attending trade shows and conferences, meeting with potential clients and developing long term relationships. Larry has been a licensed PTA since 1996 and has been employed by Key Rehabilitation for over 20 years. During his career, he worked first as a treating PTA, then a regional supervisor, and finally as the Regional Vice President of Southcentral/Western Kansas before moving into his current position in marketing.
Larry lives in Wichita, KS with his wife, Annette. They have four children and presently nine grandchildren. Family is very important to Larry and spending time with his grown children and all of the grandchildren. Larry enjoys carpentry and landscaping and time spent outdoors.
Julye Smith, MBA, is our Director of Development for Key Rehab and GeroPsych. She is the main contact for new business development, sponsorships, and advertising for our entire service area. Her primary roles include listening to the needs and ideas of potential clients; organizing and structuring information within the development department; working closely with the CEO/President, Vice Presidents, and Recruiting Department to increase smart growth; registering and planning for the company's attendance at state and national conventions; building relationships with current and potential clients and vendors; and attending regional meetings. Julye has worked in the development department since 2007. Aside from work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two wonderful kids, cooking, and traveling. If you are interested in learning more about our services, she would love to hear from you!
