Dawn Watts was named chief executive officer on July 28, 2014 of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Smith. From April 2008 to July 2014, she served in a number of senior management positions with CHS formerly HMA of Florida including director for case/resource management, cardiopulmonary services and various medical/surgical units. From 2000 to 2008 Dawn served as the chief nursing officer for the Fort Smith hospital. During that time she served on the national board for Encompass Health nursing and as a regional CNO for two years. Dawn received her bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's in business administration from Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Dr. Bradley Short is the Medical Director of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Smith. Dr. Short is a graduate of The University of Arizona and completed his medical studies at The University of Osteopathic Medicine. He went on to do his internship at The University of Arkansas for Medical Services. Additionally, Dr. Short completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at The University of Arkansas for Medical Services. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is board certified and a Fellow with the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. In addition to his medical experience, Dr. Short has served in the Armed Forces.

Dr. Bradley is an independent private practice physician.

Jason joined the hospital team as chief financial officer in April 2016. He joined Encompass Health Fort Smith with 17 years’ experience, after holding roles in the areas of accounting, Medicaid reimbursement and operational finance. A graduate of Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, he completed a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Jason works closely with the chief executive officer in improving the hospital’s financial performance and supports the leadership team with the information they need to successfully complete their jobs.

Stephen joined the leadership team in August 2021. Prior to engineering and facilities management, Stephen practiced MRI and nuclear medicine clinically for 20 years. He also served as the IT director for a local healthcare system. He holds certifications in radiology/MRI, outpatient coding, healthcare facility management and healthcare safety. Stephen completed his master’s degree in leadership and ethics in 2018 through John Brown University and earned his bachelor’s degree in radiology management from UAFS. He serves on the board for the Arkansas Association of Healthcare Engineers and was the former president of the Fort Smith AAPC Chapter of Professional Coders.

Brandi joined Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Smith in 2013 and serves as a resource to all employees as well as a recruiter of new talent. She received her bachelor's degree in business administration with a major in human resources management in 2012. Brandi was active duty in the United States Army from 2005-2008 where she served during Operation Enduring Freedom in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Jay serves as the director of therapy operations for Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Smith. He has been a practicing occupational therapist since 1998 and has served in multiple clinical settings throughout his career including inpatient rehabilitation, home health, critical access, outpatient, SNF and LTACH. His roles have included that of occupational therapist, therapy lead, director of rehabilitation, corporate director of rehabilitation and director of therapy operations. Jay also has additional experience in sales and marketing within the healthcare industry. He graduated from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, holds an MBA from Belhaven University and a Doctorate of Healthcare Administration from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He is a native of South Mississippi and has thoroughly enjoyed his relocation to Arkansas. He subscribes most to servant leadership principles, believing that we work to serve our patients and our co-workers for the best outcomes.

Dr. Meade has been affiliated with Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Smith since 2001 and has also been a principal investigator for pulmonary clinical trials since 2005. Dr. Meade is a graduate of the Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi Faculty of Medicine and completed his transitional in 1991 at Frankfort Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the Medical College of Pennsylvania from 1991-1994 and was board certified in Internal Medicine in 1994. Dr. Meade also attended the Medical College of Pennsylvania from 1994-1995 and 1998-1999 for Pulmonary Medicine and received his board certification in 1999. Dr. Meade was board certified in Sleep Medicine in 2006 by the American Board of Sleep Medicine and in 2009 by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Brad graduated with a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Arkansas at Ft. Smith in 2011. Since then he has worked as a psychiatric charge nurse, taught psychiatric clinicals for the ADN program at Northwest Arkansas Community College, and spent seven years with Encompass Health. While with Encompass Health, Brad has worked in both rehab nursing and case management. He is a certified case manager and recently graduated with a master of business administration from Harding University with a concentration in Health Care Administration.

Brian joined Encompass Health Fort Smith in March 2018 and is responsible for quality, survey and risk management and overall compliance. He brings nearly 25 years of experience in healthcare quality from working in local acute care hospitals and clinics. He also recently held the position of Safety Officer and Emergency Management Coordinator for several years. He holds bachelor’s degrees in health information management from Arkansas Tech University and business administration from Arkansas State University. He is a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), and a member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the National Association of Healthcare Quality (NAHQ).

Dr. Darin Wilbourn, a Pleasant View High School graduate, has been a part of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Smith since April 2015, and is an admitting Physiatrist. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Dr. Wilbourn then obtained his Medical Degree at The University of Arkansas College of Medicine in Little Rock. He completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Wilbourn is an independent private practice physician.