Kathy Thompson, MA/CCC/SLP, MHA has more than 40 years of experience working in the field of Rehabilitation. Roles include both clinical and management. Settings include acute hospital, inpatient rehabilitation hospital, outpatient rehabilitation, wound care and homecare programs. As a CARF (The Rehabilitation Commission) Surveyor for more than 15 years, Kathy conducts CARF accreditation surveys of rehabilitation programs and services, both nationally and internationally.
Kathy received a Masters of Speech Pathology in 1982 from the University of Cincinnati, and additionally, a Masters of Healthcare Administration in 2007 from Pfeiffer University. Professional experience, includes 32 years at WakeMed Rehab in Raleigh, North Carolina performing multiple leadership and clinical roles, including additionally serving as Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Program, from 1999 to 2021. Her expertise includes program development, human resources, staff and patient education, strategic planning, quality management, policy and procedure development, and environment of care processes across the continuum of care.
Since 2003, Kathy serves as Vice-Chair of the board for the North Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association. Her work in this role focuses on the community of people with spinal cord injury or disease, in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, information, and communication. Her passion is to maximize quality of life for all people with spinal cord injury or disease.