SHERRY AVERY

Sherry Avery, BSN, RN-BC, is currently a Nurse Trainer at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital on the Nottoway Campus. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and is certified in Nursing Professional Development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Mrs. Avery is certified as a Parent Education Group Leader. Her work with clients and teaching in various psychiatric settings culminates in over 30 years experience in psychiatric nursing.

PEARL BOWLIN

Pearl Bowlin is an Instructor and Trainer for Piedmont Geriatric Hospital and the Virginia Center for Behavior Rehabilitation. She has a Master of Science in Administration Degree from Central Michigan University and teaching experience with Southside Virginia Community College.

SEAN GOODWIN

Dr. Sean Goodwin is a licensed Clinical Psychologist at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital and has spent the past year working on the Admissions Unit. Dr. Goodwin graduated from University of Central Florida in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. In 2016, he received his Master’s and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Hawaii School of Professional Psychology. He focuses his clinical work in the area of Severe and Persistent Mental Illness. Dr. Goodwin has worked in diverse settings ranging from community mental health centers, an emergency room, private and state inpatient hospitals serving adult and geriatric populations, and a forensic private practice.

STEPHANIE GREENAWALT

Stephanie Greenawalt, CTRS, is a Nationally Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist who has worked at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital (PGH) since 2010. She is a graduate of Slippery Rock University and completed her internship with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in Seneca, PA. She has experience working with and providing services for adults and geriatrics in a mental health setting. Currently, she works on the admissions unit at PGH and serves as internship coordinator/supervisor. She has supervised interns and assisted students to advance their knowledge in the field of Recreation Therapy. She has presented various educational sessions at the Slippery Rock University Annual Therapeutic Recreation workshop and the North Carolina Recreation Therapy Conference. She is also a member of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association.

LEWIS HACKETT

Lewis Hackett Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital. He completed his Doctorate of Psychology at the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology (VCPCP) in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Hackett’s clinical experiences include working with older adults in both inpatient and outpatient settings, working in the neuropsychological setting with adults and older adults, and working in an inpatient psychiatric hospital with civil and forensic patients.

SADIE HAWTHORNE

Sadie C. Hawthorne has a MS in Supervision and Administration of Schools and a MS in Counseling from Longwood University. She has taught a range of students from kindergarten to college and has worked as a counselor in a therapeutic community and in a school setting. She continues to offer professional training and workshops, along with individual counseling.

STEPHEN KEITH

Dr. Stephen Keith, SLP, Certificate of Clinical Competence-American Speech and Hearing Association. Stephen has nearly 50 years of experience including initially a public school and PRN speech pathologist, school administrator, and professor of education. Despite many varied national and international experiences, he has always maintained an interest and practice with infants and toddlers, hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities. His primary areas of specialization are behavioral interventions for children and adults with eating and swallowing disorders.

EMMA LOWRY

Emma Lowry, Psy.D, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who has extensive experience working with adults and older adults in inpatient mental health settings. She currently serves as the Clinical Director at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital. Dr. Lowry is an experienced educator and has previously assumed the role of clinical training director, overseeing the training of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students in psychology. Over her career, Dr. Lowry has developed and presented workshops on a wide range of clinical topics, such as the management of challenging behavior problems and the assessment / treatment of serious mental illnesses, as well as workshops on self-care strategies for treatment providers. She also has a strong interest in the development of early-career clinicians and on the development of effective supervisory skills.

ANDREA MORAN

Andrea Moran, MT-BC, is a Board Certified Music Therapist with 15 + years of experience and currently serves as the Director of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Department at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music therapy from Elizabethtown College. She has worked as a music therapist at two inpatient psychiatric hospitals and for the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. The focus of most of her career has been with the geriatric population. She is an accomplished musician, proficient on over 10 instruments.

CHINA RAGSDALE

CHINA RAGSDALE is the Lead Trainer for Piedmont Geriatric Hospital. She has over 10 years of experience in youth and adult mental health rehabilitation. She is a certified life coach. She is a certified instructor for both Therapeutic Options of Virginia (TOVA) and CPR. She is the administrator of the Direct Support Professionals (DSP) and College of Recovery and Community Inclusion (CRCI). She has completed level 1 of the Virginia Public Sector Leadership Program (VPSL). She trains by the motto “no one ever stood so tall until they stoop to help someone else.”

DEIRDRE RAMIREZ

Deirdre Ramirez, RN, MSN, is a Nurse Educator at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital. She has over 30 years of work experience in various health care settings. She has a Master’s Degree in Nursing Education and a BA in Counseling.

JESSICA ROANE

Jessica Roane is a Doctoral Candidate in the Clinical Health Psychology doctoral program at Virginia State University. She is currently completing her internship at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital. She earned her Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Virginia State University and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is registered with the state of Virginia as a Qualified Mental Health Professional in both adults and children.

KATHLEEN RUHL

Kathleen Ruhl, MSN, PMHNP, CNP, offers 50 years of diverse healthcare experience. She began by rotating in NYS community hospital departments and then earned a BS degree with a double major in Biology and English from Allegheny College, Meadville, PA. She moved to Vermont, became a registered dental assistant, managed dental and chiropractic offices, and put herself through LPN school selling Tupperware. She worked with high tech preemies, children with multiple handicaps, Hospice, and the VA. The fire ignited, she went to Southern VT College and left with an Associate Degree in Nursing cum laude. National certifications as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, a Nurse Case Manager and a Disability Management Specialist followed. Her work focused on severely injured worker’s comp clients by a tiny company, which grew into a giant, Concentra. In 2003, she earned her BSN/MSN magna cum laude from SUNY at Stony Brook, specializing as a psychiatric NP for ages 13 and up. As a NP, she has worked in outpatient, inpatient, juvenile detention, group homes, long term care, private and state facilities, including the Mayo Clinic. She has owned her own business, been an RN and NP clinical instructor, as well as a Locum Tenens provider.

DIANE SCHMIDT

Diane Schmidt, OTR/L, is the Allied Health Manager and currently an LPTA at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital. Diane earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy from Loma Linda University, CA. In her 34 years of professional experience she has worked in a variety of settings to include pediatrics ages 4-18 in the school systems, and with the ID/DD community in ICF/MR as well as skilled care settings. Areas of specialized training include feeding, positioning, sensory integration and textured diet preparation. In her role as Occupational Therapy Director at the Central Virginia Training Center, she enjoyed Program Development, Community Training, Staff Development and coordinating and supporting Occupational Therapy Student Field Work Affiliations

STEPHANIE THOMPSON

Stephanie Thompson is a graduate of John Tyler Community College, where she earned her degree as a Physical Therapist Assistant. She has been practicing for over 22 years at both state and private practices. She currently instructs new hires in Therapeutic Options of Virginia and Safe Patient Handling.

ROBERT WILLIAMSON

Robert Williamson, PT, MPT, GCS is a physical therapist with over twenty years of experience working with the geriatric population in long term care, home health, outpatient and institutional settings. Mr. Williamson is an American Physical Therapy Association board certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist. Within that specialization, he has focused on maintaining mobility and improving balance for geriatric patients with intellectual disabilities. Working with patients with intellectual disabilities requires a nuanced approach in order to secure beneficial improvements..

MICHELLE WINGO

Michelle Wingo is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and holds both her undergraduate and graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Communication and Human Resources. She has over 20 years of human resources experience from Corporate America and State government. She is known as a Human Resources professional recognized for being a valued business partner in diverse environments. Outstanding “generalist” experience in multi-site business locations with particular experience and expertise in a wide variety of business and human resources areas. Michelle enjoys traveling, taking quilting/sewing, visiting museums, movies along with spending time with family and friends. She is a continuous learner and loves presenting and facilitation seminars and workshops that will inform and inspire others.