Management | Key Rehabilitation, Inc.

Leadership

Meet our Senior Leadership Team

CEO

Jan Irwin, SLP

Jan Irwin is the owner and CEO/President of Key Rehabilitation and is one of the original founders in 1999. She is a speech language pathologist and received her master’s degree from the University of Iowa and maintains her ASHA certificate of clinical competency. Jan has been honored to serve in various capacities for several state and national associations including the board of directors for ADVION. She has also been appointed by the governors of both Tennessee and Iowa to serve on the Board of Examiners for Speech Pathology and Audiology. She is a life-long advocate for healthcare professionals in long term care.

Jan has worked in a variety of settings including skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, subacute rehabilitation, long term care, traumatic brain injury, home health and outpatient. She has a passion for growing clinicians in both skill set and leadership. This is evidenced by the implementation of Key Rehab’s clinical extender program. This allows for career paths for clinicians within Key Rehab to develop leadership skills in both clinical and management areas. Jan also enjoys many long-term client relationships she’s built over the years. Key Rehab has several client partnerships that span 20+ years.

Jan lives in Murfreesboro, TN with her husband and her two Australian Shepherds, Grover and Maggie. They have one daughter, whose family lives close by so they can enjoy watching their two grandchildren grow up.

Chief Financial and Information Officer

Gary Scott

Gary Scott is the chief financial and information officer for Key Rehab. Gary graduated from Middle Tennessee University and has been working in the information technology field since 1998. He holds certifications in MCSE, Network Plus, and in A Plus. Gary joined Key Rehab in May 2002. His responsibilities include developing network infrastructure, overseeing and managing the network security, and managing overall financial operations.

Gary has been married since 1998 and has two wonderful children.

Executive VP

Mike Gorman, OTR

Mike Gorman is the executive vice president for Key Rehab, and a licensed occupational therapist. He is also Key Rehab’s corporate and HIPAA compliance officer and leads the GeroPsych division. Mike has also completed the AANAC certification course for MDS 2.0 and 3.0 giving him a good working knowledge of the Medicare MDS process. In his role, he provides education and training on concepts in Medicare in the Long Term Care setting. In addition, Mike provides training in the areas of documentation, Medicare and PPS issues, HIPAA and Corporate Compliance. Mike has worked for Key Rehabilitation since its formation in 1999 and has been active with ADVION and was a founding Advisory Board member for the Southeast Advocacy Center for Elder Rights (SACFER) based in Chattanooga, TN.

SENIOR VP OF STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

Zach Kanis, DPT, MHA

Zach Kanis is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations for Key Rehabilitation and is a registered physical therapist. He earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy and Masters of Healthcare Administration from Des Moines University in 2008. Zach is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association, the Iowa Physical Therapy Association, and LeadingAge.

Zach has held clinical and operational leadership roles in a variety of healthcare settings. His experience includes skilled care, home health, hospice, outpatient, acute care, ICU, and acute rehab. He has a passion for serving the older adult population. He enjoys mentoring and training other therapists to deliver the upmost quality of care.

A native to Central Iowa, Zach lives in Pella, IA with his wife and four boys. They enjoy playing sports, watching sports, fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, and taking care of their cat, dog, and chickens.

Executive VP of MDS Solutions

Marilyn Ramirez, RN, MSN, RAC-CT, WCC

The division is led by Marilyn Ramirez, RN, MSN, RAC-CT, WCC, Executive Vice President of MDS Solutions. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Saint Catherine University. She has served in various healthcare leadership positions in post-acute care, emphasizing clinical training, quality programming, education, and reimbursement systems.

Having worked as a chief nursing officer for a multi-site non for profit and regional director of clinical reimbursement for a multi-state for-profit provider, she was instrumental in advancing clinical training and programming, quality of care outcomes, and maximizing nursing facility reimbursement. She has extensive experience training and mentoring MDS nurses on Medicare requirements and reimbursement. In addition, she has a track record of building education and systems surrounding the MDS process while incorporating nursing evidence-based practice and regulatory compliance.

Senior VP of Human Resources and Compliance

Elyria Sinclair, MPH, SHRM-CP

Elyria Sinclair is the senior vice president of human resources and compliance for Key Rehab. Elyria has a Master of Public Health (MPH) with emphasis in Health Education/Health Care Administration/Management from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is an experienced HR Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the health care industry including community mental health and acute-care hospital settings. With over 20 years of experience, Elyria is skilled in policy development, talent acquisition, employee relations, legal and regulatory compliance, and general HR Operations. In this role, Elyria is responsible for oversight of the HR Team, facilitating process improvement and organizational development exercises to ensure the HR function aligns with Key Rehab’s mission, vision and values.

Elyria is originally from Mississippi but has made Tennessee home since 2019. When not working, Elyria enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and reading.

SENIOR VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Stephanie Signore

Stephanie Signore is the senior vice president of business development and communications and received a bachelor’s in business management and certificate in business communications from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She has served in various healthcare sales leadership positions in post-acute care for the past 20 years. She has extensive experience leading high-caliber, multi-state sales teams of regional and divisional breadth, on a national level. She is also experienced working with payors & value-based purchasing arrangements and contract negotiation. Stephanie has also led marketing teams with multi-faceted skill sets that complement and enhance the sales team’s efforts. Her experience spans multi-state senior living and skilled nursing providers.

In her role at Key Rehab, the focus is to drive competitive positioning and brand awareness. She leads a team that is focused on company growth and client satisfaction. She has a passion for strategic growth, partnerships and mentoring sales teams to reach their full potential.

Stephanie is married and has 3 children. Her spare time is spent attending her kid’s various sports and musical activities.

VP of Clinical Processes

Allison Christian, RPT

Allison Christian is the vice president of clinical processes for Key Rehab. She is a physical therapist licensed in both Missouri and Kansas. Allison received her master’s degree in physical therapy from Saint Louis University. She has extensive supervisory and management experience having worked as a regional director and vice president of operations for large rehab companies. Her role is to lead initiatives around clinical skills development, training/education and review processes that enhance our therapists’ continuing education. She works closely with senior clinical leaders to ensure all Key Rehab therapists are in compliance with Medicare and other professional standards of practice. As part of Key Rehab’s quality assurance program, Allison plays an active role in ensuring Key Rehab’s senior leadership is up to date with all local, state and federal changes in regulations. She is a seasoned presenter on a number of clinical educational topics. Allison was chosen by ADVION to be a part of their Emerging Leaders program.

Allison lives in Kansas City, Missouri with her husband, 2 daughters and 3 dogs. During her time away from work, she enjoys traveling to volleyball tournaments with her daughters and cheering on all Kansas City professional sports teams!

Director of Clinical Education

Mecah Falk, OTR

Mecah Falk is the director of clinical education with Key Rehab. Mecah received her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 2003 and a bachelor in biology from Drury University. She has been with Key Rehab since 2007. In her role, she works directly with the therapists on training and education in various areas including documentation, skill development and client operations. In addition, she works hand in hand with Key’s clinical extenders and creates clinical strength with the train the trainer program. She also has a specific focus on client processes and clinical performance with an emphasis on functional outcomes. She has practiced as an OTR in acute care, outpatient neuro-rehab, skilled nursing facilities, and long-term care. She has also held multiple roles with Key Rehab including regional supervisor in the Kansas City market. Mecah is an integral part of Key Rehab’s clinical successes.

In her spare time, Mecah enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Vice President of Operations

VP of Operations, North Kansas & Northwest Missouri

Jodi Foster, RPT

Jodi Foster is the vice president of operations for North Kansas and Northwest Missouri. She obtained her master’s degree in physical therapy from Wichita State University. She has been with Key Rehab since 2001 years and first joined us as a staff therapist. Jodi continues to be an integral part of Key’s success and currently manages a fast-paced, multi-state region. Jodi excels in utilizing her strengths of therapist mentoring and education in addition to program development while maintaining a high level of quality patient care. Her specialized skill set includes working with facilities to ensure seamless therapy department processes.

Jodi and her husband Trent, have two sons. One is an active-duty United States Marine and the other is currently in high school preparing to attend college. As a family hobby, they engage in restoration of classic cars.

VP of Operations, Western Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota

Kristen Klaus, pTA

Kristen Klaus is vice president of operations for Western Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. She has been with Key Rehab since 2014 and worked as both an area coordinator and regional supervisor. She attended Clarkson College in Omaha where she received her occupational therapy assistant degree. Prior to Key Rehab, Kristen worked in Occupational Health where was certified in Job Demand Analysis. Kristen helped many companies develop safe work environments along with employee exercise and stretching programs. She is passionate about delivering quality care and building strong relationships between therapists and their patients for optimum operational outcomes.

Kristen is married with two boys. As a family, they enjoy many outdoor activities and sports throughout the summer and winter months.

VP of Operations, SE Kansas, SW Missouri and Oklahoma

Melissa Coester, PTA

Melissa Coester is Key Rehab’s vice president of operations for SE Kansas, Oklahoma, and SW Missouri. Melissa graduated from Pittsburg State University with a bachelors in biology with minors in chemistry and psychology. She received her PTA degree from NEO in Miami, OK. Melissa has worked with Key Rehab since 1999, beginning as a staff therapist. Melissa has a natural ability for leadership and rose quickly through the ranks of Key Rehab to her current position as vice president. Melissa excels at working with her managers to develop comprehensive plans of care and to meet clinical and budgetary goals while achieving quality therapy services. Melissa is process-oriented and works to strategically and methodically develop staff to their optimal potential.

Melissa has an amazing husband and is the mother of three beautiful children. She and her family live in rural SE Kansas in a location central to the territory that she oversees.

VP of Operations, Central and Eastern Iowa

Shayla Thomas, COTA

Shayla Thomas is vice president of operations for Key Rehab in Iowa. She has been with Key Rehab since 2002. She received her COTA degree after attending Kirkwood facility College and the University of Northern Iowa. She quickly rose through the ranks over her years with Key Rehab and now oversees a team of therapists in one of our largest territories. Shayla’s clinical experience spans hospital and skilled nursing settings with her passion being in long term care. Shayla’s strengths are working with patients with cognitive challenges and mentoring her staff in this area.

In her spare time, Shayla loves spending time with her family and pets, studying tae-kwon-do, and practicing mindfulness.

VP of Operations, Western Kansas

Tim Mathias, PTA

Tim Mathias is Key Rehab’s vice president of operations for Western Kansas. He has been with Key Rehab since 2009. Tim attended Hutchinson facility College (HCC) on a track scholarship and then went on to Washburn University and earned his PTA degree. After graduating from Washburn University Tim accepted a job with Key Rehab as a staff Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant. He quickly worked his way through the ranks from a Program Coordinator role to Regional Supervisor role, into his current vice president role.

Tim and his wife Julie, live in Hutchison, Kansas with their 2 sons and their white labrador named Gus. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, disc golf, and metal detecting. Tim says that what he loves most is “time spent with family. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful immediate family and in-laws that all live in the area.”