Our Team

L. Richard Stephenson, PT 
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.