Our Team

L. Richard Stephenson, RPT
Physical Therapist | Owner

Rick received his B.S. in Physical Therapy in 1971 from California State University, Long Beach, graduating on the Dean’s Honor List. His love for outpatient therapy developed quickly after school while working for a small private practice in Watsonville, California. His clinical skills and entrapanural desires blended themselves together perfectly when he purchased that office in 1974. By his leadership this practice developed into the largest therapy group in Watsonville. Then in 1995 he made the move to a little town called Minden in Northern Nevada, with the intent to “slow down.” That didn’t last long as his expertise helped him to open and develop High Desert Therapists. This practice has grown to include clinics in Carson City, Sparks, and Dayton.

Rick is known not only for his clinical excellence, but also for his knowledge of human pathology and clinical diagnostics. He believes one of the most important tools a physical therapist has is the ability to take a proper and thorough history and then to combine that information with their diagnostic skills to accurately identify the true pain generator. He loves taking on the “difficult” and “unusual” cases.

Outside of work, Rick loves spending time with his wife, Gina, their three adult children, and their six grandchildren. He is passionate about philanthropy, and enjoys donating his time, talent, and treasure to organizations near and dear to him, such as Let ‘Em Run and The Thunderbird Lodge.

Steven Bruce, PT
Physical Therapist | Owner

Steven has spent his entire career in outpatient orthopedics after graduating from Fresno State in 1997. His never ending desire to learn and improve has been the driving force behind his emphasis on continuing education that focuses on clinical diagnostics and manual therapy. He believes positive outcomes are the result of spending the time to find the true source of pain from mechanical dysfunctions.

In addition to his passion for orthopedics, he has pursued advanced certifications in sports. He has an Medical 2 Certification through the Titleist Performance Institute, is in the process of achieving his Pitching Certification through Driveline Baseball, is a former Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and has spent the last 2 years as the pitching coach for Monte Vista High School.

Shenea Strader, MBA, PMP®, CSM
Administrator

Shenea was born in Watsonville, CA and then moved to Northern Nevada with her family in 1995. She attended the University of Nevada, Reno and earned bachelor’s degrees in International Business, Marketing, and Spanish, and minoring in Economics in 2005. Then, in 2007, she also earned a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of Nevada. After graduating, she worked as a Project Manager for International Game Technology in Reno, before moving to San Mateo, CA to work as a Program Manager for Electronic Arts. Shenea moved back to Reno, NV in 2018, following the birth of her twins. She enjoys spending time with her husband Chris, her twins, Siena and Silas, traveling, and volunteering for organizations that are near and dear to her heart.

Tiffany Thompson
Staff Accountant

Tiffany was born in LA, California and moved to Carson City when she was in Kindergarten with her family where they established roots. After graduating in 2005 from Carson High School, she continued her education and received her Associates in Business from Western Nevada College. In addition to continuing her education she also built a career as a bookkeeper, and she raised two beautiful daughters in Carson until they were 4 and 2. She wanted to continue her education and expand her opportunities, and so she decided to move to Reno and finish her Bachelor’s in Accounting at UNR in 2014. Since then, Tiffany has added to her family (with an addition of a boy in 2017) in the thriving Spanish Springs area. In 2020 she found a passion for yoga and became a certified yoga teacher at Temple Yoga in Reno. Finally her passions of yoga and accounting aligned when she joined the High Desert Therapy team in May of 2022, where she can contribute to a dynamic health care business and furthermore flourish her career, her family and her passions.

Laurie DeMaine
Corporate Operations Manager

Laurie has an extensive resume, including Human Resources, Accounting/Payroll, Employee Culture and has served on Executive Boards as Secretary. She brings this valuable experience to our practice, to assist us in the daily operations of the company. Laurie relocated to Reno, Nevada in 2018, to be closer to her son and daughter in law. Reno has been home to her on several occasions and that made it easy to return. Her son is currently an active-duty member of the Army National Guard in Reno, and her daughter in law is the Assistant County Manager for Douglas County. Her daughter is a Real Estate Broker and resides in San Diego CA, with her three Grandchildren. In addition, Laurie has a 2-year-old Granddaughter here in Reno, that she gets to spoil on a regular basis. She has a fur baby, Bella who is almost 6 years old. Bella is a Chocolate Cockapoo, who is such an amazing, friendly, loving dog. Everyone in the neighborhood knows Bella.

Delaney Bruce
Assistant Administrator

Delaney is a native Nevadan; born and raised in Eureka, Nevada. College brought her to the Reno/Tahoe area, and she is currently finishing up her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing at UNR. Delaney is just beginning her career in marketing/administrative work but is excited to see what this career has in store for her. Healthy living is very important to her, and she loves to help others live a healthy life, making High Desert a perfect fit. In her free time, you can find her drawing or painting, playing board games, going on walks, or spending time with her friends and family.

Carson City Location

Sarah Stokes, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist | Area Director

Sarah is originally from Gainesville, GA and is new to the Reno/Tahoe area. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of West Georgia. After accompanying her mother to several Physical Therapy appointments, she chose PT as a career and received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Mercer University in Atlanta, GA in 2015. Sarah has been practicing Physical Therapy for over 6 years now and loves spending time with patients and helping them reach their full potential. In her free time, Sarah enjoys running, watching UGA football, and spending time with friends, family, and pets.

David Neeser, PTA
Physical Therapists Assistant 

David brings a lifetime of multi health-care disciplines and experiential skill sets to the role of PTA at High Desert Therapists, Inc. Because optimal movement and recovery from injury can at times feel like an obstacle course, his approach is never paint-by-numbers, but an empathetic strategy where the sum of every movement is informed by science and guided with sense. Along his path, he has been both an educator for the Chicago Department of Public Health, and consultant to the Wesley Pavilion at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago Illinois, where he helped to script corrective and functional exercise programs for chronic and reparative health issues. As the executive fitness director for Lakeshore Management Group, he sat on Mayor Daley’s Chicago Fitness Council, the International Health and Racquet Sports Associations round-table for workplace wellness, and served as an expert fitness witness to several private health clubs. As early as 2000, David practiced functional health and movement therapy as a board certified Medical Exercise Specialist, though has recently advanced his practice as a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant.

Liz Wood
Clinical Coordinator

Liz has been working for High Desert Therapists for over 10 years at the front desk. She works in both the Carson and Dayton offices. Liz is a very knowledgeable and valuable part of the High Desert Team.

Dayton Location

Makenna Lommorri, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist | Clinical Director

Makenna grew up in Yerington, Nevada where she was very active in sports. She made the decision in high school to pursue a career in Physical Therapy. After graduation she continued her volleyball career at Central Connecticut State University, while completing her bachelor’s degree in exercise science. She then went on the earn her Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy at the University of Hartford. Shortly after graduation she and her then fiancé moved back to Nevada. She has worked in outpatient and home health settings ultimately circling back to her passion, outpatient therapy. She enjoys hiking, kayaking, and any outdoor activities with her husband and dog, Rocky. She loves to spend time with her family and friends. Family is very important to Makenna.

Brooks Wardrip, PTA
Physical Therapist Assistant | Assistant Clinical Director

Brooks is a native Nevadan with time living in Arizona. Brooks pursued Physical Therapy with encouragement from his mother, a nurse, and saw a PT himself for a fractured hand. Brooks became a Certified Personal Trainer and then pursued his PTA degree in 2009. Brooks has been practicing as a PTA for 10 years and has worked in a multitude of settings; Aquatic Therapy, Pediatrics, Outpatient, and Post-Acute. Brooks has spent the last seven years in Carson City, NV, both as a PTA and Assistant Director of Rehab in the skilled nursing facility setting. Brooks enjoys spending time with his wife, family, animals, and friends in his off time. Brooks enjoys seeing patients feel better and get back to an enjoyable life.

David Neeser, PTA
Physical Therapists Assistant

David brings a lifetime of multi health-care disciplines and experiential skill sets to the role of PTA at High Desert Therapists, Inc. Because optimal movement and recovery from injury can at times feel like an obstacle course, his approach is never paint-by-numbers, but an empathetic strategy where the sum of every movement is informed by science and guided with sense. Along his path, he has been both an educator for the Chicago Department of Public Health, and consultant to the Wesley Pavilion at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago Illinois, where he helped to script corrective and functional exercise programs for chronic and reparative health issues. As the executive fitness director for Lakeshore Management Group, he sat on Mayor Daley’s Chicago Fitness Council, the International Health and Racquet Sports Associations round-table for workplace wellness, and served as an expert fitness witness to several private health clubs. As early as 2000, David practiced functional health and movement therapy as a board certified Medical Exercise Specialist, though has recently advanced his practice as a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant.

Alexa Meza
Physical Therapy Aide

Alexa is a Californian, who grew up in Guadalajara, Jalisco. After spending 3 years attending a private school there, she traveled back to the United States to her grandparents’ home town of Carson City, NV. Alexa became a bilingual student at a young age, which helped her gain a background in Health Care as a Medical Bilingual Interpreter. Her fluency abilities have inspired her to help out Spanish-speaking communities. Being bilingual helped her land a job as a Physical Therapy Administrative Assistant. In her spare time, Alexa loves to spend time with her family, enjoys exercising at her local gym, and traveling to many parts of Mexico.

Gage Payton
Administrative Assistant

Gage was born and raised in Columbia Tennessee. Gage has spent the last 10 years in the HealthCare environment working in multiple different roles from Nursing Assistant, Rehabilitation Assistant, to Business Office broadening his vision on the recovery process. In his free time Gage spends his time building computers and web design.

Sparks Location

Linda Wolfe, PT
Physical Therapist | Clinical Director

Linda is originally from Connecticut where she graduated from the University of Connecticut with her PT degree. After working for Yale-New Haven Hospital, she had the urge to move West. She worked for Easter Seals in North Dakota for 2 years and then moved to Reno, where she has worked primarily in outpatient orthopedics. She enjoys physical therapy and helping restore people to the best functional level they can achieve. When not working, she enjoys camping, hiking, crafts or curling up with a good book.

Sarah Stokes, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist | Area Director

Sarah is originally from Gainesville, GA and is new to the Reno/Tahoe area. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of West Georgia. After accompanying her mother to several Physical Therapy appointments, she chose PT as a career and received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Mercer University in Atlanta, GA in 2015. Sarah has been practicing Physical Therapy for over 6 years now and loves spending time with patients and helping them reach their full potential. In her free time, Sarah enjoys running, watching UGA football, and spending time with friends, family, and pets.

Anthony Franco
Physical Therapy Aide

Anthony was born and raised in Northern Nevada. He recently graduated at the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelors in Kinesiology. Anthony plans to go to Physical Therapy school after a bit of experience working in the clinic. During his free time, Anthony likes to play his guitar and likes to be outdoors to do things like camping, hiking, fishing, and scuba diving.

Bezaida Bueno
Administrative Assistant

Bezaida was born and raised here in Nevada, and grew up in the town of Carson City. She is a current nursing student, who is invested in providing the best work and care to everyone around her. She believes that Physical Therapy is the most important part to helping people of any age live healthy. In her free time Bezaida enjoys photographing landscapes, learning to paint more every day, and spending time with her dog.