Nancy Reese

LITTLE ROCK — Professionalism defines Nancy Reese.

Her longtime friend turned sister-in-law, Deborah Barnes, said it always has. The two were roommates in college, and Barnes was thrilled when Reese married Barnes’ brother David.

“She became part of the family, even though she was like family before that,” Barnes explained. “I would say she is the model professional. She doesn’t lose her temper. She’s the epitome of someone you think of when you think of a professional woman.”

Reese has been working toward a career in physical therapy and academics since she transferred to the University of Central Arkansas from Hendrix College.

Now the chair of the physical therapy department at UCA, Reese said the program has changed quite a bit since she started there in the late ’70s.

“The program was actually housed in the old Baptist Hospital on Wolf Streetin Little Rock,” Reese said. “UCA funded the program, and Baptist provided the facilities. At the time, Baptist wanted to support the program because there were just a handful of physical therapists in Arkansas, and we needed more of them.”

Reese completed the program and worked as a physical therapist for about six years before returning to school at UALR to earn a master’s degree in health services administration.

“What I liked about practicing was the relationships you build with patients,” she said.

Reese worked in rehabilitation and often saw the same patients daily for three to four months.

“We both cried when they went home,” she said. “You get so close to them, their family and their situation. That was the best part of it.”

After Reese completed her master’s degree, she made her way back to UCA, this time as an instructor.

“We were still in the facility at Baptist when I came back to teach the program,” she said.

Reese knew that if she decided to stay on as a faculty member, she would have to get a doctorate, so she worked on a thesis in neuroscience and anatomy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences while she continued teaching. She was granted a doctorate in 2000 and continued teaching in the UCA Physical Therapy Department, which by that time had moved into a new facility on the Conway campus.

In 2006, Reese was promoted to chair of the department.

“My belief is that part of my role in the program is to ensure that the quality of physical therapy in the state of Arkansas is the highest it can be,” she said. “We work very hard to try to be better all the time. We want to improve the quality of our students and program. We think we put out some wonderful physical therapists, but we can always get better.”

Reese said working with students is one of her favorite parts of the job.

“I get to teach brilliant people,” she said. “People who apply to the physical therapy program are very smart. They have to be. It’s fun to teach people who get it really quickly.”

Another group Reese enjoys spending time with is her peers. Reese and several of her UCA colleagues are active members of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Reese is a past president and treasurer of the organization. She is a member of the organizing committee for the Academic Council of the American Physical Therapy Association, the board of directors of the Political Action Committee and serves as treasurer of the Academic Council as well.

“The pieces of the organization that I’ve been involved in have been pretty varied,” Reese admitted. “The education-related aspects are a natural fit for me, from where I sit. Right now, I’m a site team leader for an accreditation team that goes to visit other physical-therapy programs to determine how well they are meeting standards.”

Reese said her participation in the American Physical Therapy Association helps her, as well as the UCA program.

“The more I learn about accreditation, the better our program can be,” she said.

Recently, Reese became the second member of the UCA physical therapy program to be honored with the Lucy Blair Service Award from the therapy association. She was nominated for the award by her colleague Bill Bandy, a UCA professor who won the award last year.

“Her service to the APTA is exceptional,” he said. “She is well-deserving of the award. It shows the administration at UCA is supportive of us providing service to professional organizations. It increases respect for the department as well, and helps us be recognized and get the best students into the program.”

Barnes agreed that Reese’s award is well-deserved.

“I know how hard she works for the organization,” Barnes said. “She gives a lot of her time and energy to work with them, and I know she’s volunteered a lot, so she’s earned it.”

up

close

getting to know Nancy Reese My family is: My husband and our two daughters. They are 22 and 13.

My favorite book is: Anything by Pat Conroy. I think he’s wonderful.

My favorite movies are: The Shawshank Redemption and The Jerk My worst habit is: Procrastination My role models are: My friend Kathy Earney. She is probably one of the most caring and considerate people I have ever met. Deborah Barnes is another role model. She is very organized and gets things done.

People might not know: I used to want to be a classical dancer (ballet). I never had dance lessons as a child. I took ballet in college, but it was too late by then. Dancing seems like pure joy to me.

Someday I will: Travel to all seven continents. I’ve been to North America, Europe and Asia so far, so I have four left to go.