Sharla has more than 30 years of healthcare experience and has served as CEO of CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital since 1998. She promotes an environment of clinical excellence and her inspiration comes from working with a dynamic team that centers their attention on getting every patient back to their greatest level of independence. Sharla has improved performance in patient outcomes, employee engagement and patient experience. Sharla holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from The University of Oklahoma. She also earned a master’s degree in public health administration with an emphasis in healthcare administration from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Dr. Merritt received his medical degree in 1993 from the University of California at Irvine. He completed an internship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California and his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Merritt is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and is a member of the American Academy of Physician Medicine and Rehabilitation, as well as the Association of Academic Physiatrists, Texas Medical Association and Smith County Medical Association.

Dr. Merritt is an independent private practice physician.

Becky Barr serves as director of pharmacy for Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, then a Doctorate of Pharmacy from University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy. Becky has a strong interest in pharmacy education. She has spoken to students of all ages as well as precepted PharmD students in early practice experiences and fourth year rotations. With more than 25 years’ experience in pharmacy settings ranging from retail and remote pharmacy to hospital pharmacies small and large, she enjoys leading a strong pharmacy staff that is united in focus on excellent care tailored to the needs of inpatient rehabilitation hospital patients.

Joel serves as the human resources director for Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital. Joel joined the team in late 2022 after gaining six years of human resources experience in the behavioral healthcare setting. Joel is a leader in cultivating a positive workplace culture through celebrating diversity, encouraging healthy communication, and ensuring that all staff are welcome and feel heard and cared for. Joel has a passion for people fueled by supporting the many efforts that our staff make to provide the best patient care available.

Vicki joined CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital in 2006. She has held leadership positions in our home health and care management departments and has been the CNO since 2013. A graduate of Ball State University, Vicki has more than 25 years of nursing experience in areas of acute care, critical care, home health care and case management. She earned a master’s degree in nursing from Chamberlain College of Nursing and holds certifications in rehabilitation nursing and case management. Vicki and her team strive to deliver exceptional patient care to promote optimal outcomes and an overall, excellent patient experience.

Larissa has been with Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital since 1995. She has more than 30 years of healthcare experience, serving in various capacities from medical transcriptionist to regional leadership. In addition to her current role as health information management services director, she also serves as the hospital HIPPA officer. Larissa and her team work behind the scenes to provide data coordination and accuracy for billing, reporting and support of patient outcomes while also ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of each patient’s health information. Larissa holds a bachelor’s degree in life sciences with an emphasis in medical records administration from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.

Crystal serves as the director of case management and has more than 10 years’ experience as a registered nurse case manager. She graduated with honors from University of Texas at Tyler with a bachelor's degree in nursing degree in 2009 and has held an advanced certification in case management since 2013. Crystal leads a team of highly educated case managers who are passionate about collaborating with our patients, their caregivers, and the entire healthcare team to ensure our patients are successful at meeting their rehabilitation goals and patients and their families feel prepared for discharge home.

Bonnie has been the director of therapy operations at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital since its opening in 1993 and has helped lead her team to national recognition as a leader in positive patient outcomes through the use of state-of-the-art technology and a highly educated group of therapists. After serving as a physical therapist in the United States Navy, Bonnie worked in home health and acute care until 1986 when she started working in inpatient rehabilitation. Bonnie graduated with a bachelor’s degree from California State University at Long Beach and earned a master’s degree in human resources management from Pepperdine University.

Marianna joined the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital team in December of 2013 as the business development director. She has over sixteen years of experience in sales, operations and leadership specific to healthcare. In her current role, she is responsible for the rehab liaison marketing team, as well as admissions and transportation. Her team is devoted to educating the community about the benefits of inpatient rehabilitation and is passionate about helping patients reach their full potential. Marianna holds a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in healthcare administration from the University of Texas at Tyler.

April joined Encompass Health in May 2017 as director of quality and risk management. She has 26 years of healthcare experience with leadership roles in emergency management, trauma and quality/risk. April promotes a culture that is positive, values individual strengths, and is committed to optimal patient care through the compliance of quality standards.

Nelda joined Encompass Health in June 2019 as the director of facilities management and is a certified life safety specialist for healthcare. She has 20 years of experience in healthcare facilities management, safety, emergency management and environment of care compliance. Nelda’s team consists of maintenance, environmental services, nutrition services and biomedical. Nelda and her team are committed to ensuring a clean, comfortable environment for all patients, visitors and staff.

Mike has served as CFO at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital since 2001 and has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare administration. Mike and his team are responsible for budgeting, accounts payable, capital acquisitions, reimbursement and payroll, as well as equipment and supply management to assure the hospital meets the needs for treating our patients. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in business administration from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.