Instructors & Support Staff

For more than 30 years our Instructors and Support Staff have been the backbone of LSM; educating and inspiring Massage Therapists long before licensure was even required.

From the beginning, students who elected to attend LSM have sought out more education than was required to serve as massage therapists and, later, Licensed Massage Therapists. As a result, we have a rich pool of graduates who wish to pass that passion on to the next generation...this keeps our curriculum fresh, relevant, strong and most importantly inspired. Bios for each Instructor are below.

Our Support Staff are well-versed on the requirements to become Licensed Massage Therapists. This team brings an impressive history of process management, student affairs and governmental compliance to the table to ensure LSM runs efficiently and that our students have the answers they need as they travel their journey to licensure.

Our Inspired Staff

Adam Stephens

Adam is a recent graduate of LSM (c/o 2014). We were excited to engage Adam immediately, putting his background in the corporate and tech world to use with our Professional Development Classes. Adam entered Massage as a second career looking for something, "that would be less stressful and allow me to help others." In his spare time, Adam enjoys spending time with his family and throwing darts.

Rosie Toomey

Rosie entered Massage Therapy as a second career and has been in practice for 19 years. Rosie shares that after years of pushing and pulling from working in a factory, she wanted to avoid spinal surgery and sought out massage and chiropractic care. She continues to teach at LSM because she wante to "be a part of educating others, to pay it forward." In her spare time, you can find Rosie gardening, getting massage and having fun in the sun!

Marissa Holden

Marissa is BCMTB certified and has been in practice since 1999. She continues to massage because she is "awed by the power of touch and humbled each time a client trusts me with their vulnerability." She is passionate about Student Practicum and ensuring students have the skills to be practicing LMTs. In her spare time Marissa enjoys gardening, cooking, hiking and coloring on the sidewalk (with chalk) with her daughter and wife.

Rhonda Schladand

Rhonda is our most seasoned Instructor with 24 years of massage under her hands and 23 years of teaching Massage! In addition to being an LMT, she has advanced training in all kinds of group dynamics and facilitation. Hailing from Dominica, massage provides a level of healing that reminds her of the holistic approach of her childhood. When not impacting countless students, Rhonda enjoys being a foodie, the beach and Sunday matinee movies.

Richard Forsting

After an injury from a bike wreck, Richard found relief from pain by way of Massage. That massage (with Marissa, as an aside) set into motion for Richard the journey to become an LMT. 16 years later, Richard is still massaging and instructing. His passion for both Massage and Instructing are fueled by the pursuit and discovery "of ever-changing knowledge about the body. As science goes deeper, uncovering more mysteries about humans, my curiosity is both satisfied and piqued."

Ron Temple

Ron his a 2010 graduate of LSM and joins us with a BFA in Theater as well. He initially got into Massage Therapy to heal himself from 20+ years of manual labor, and now seeks to help others in their healing process. His "why" for Instructing is, "the 'AHA!' moment when a concept or technique clicks for a student." When he's not massaging or instructing, you can ind him hiking, reading or watching his favorite television shows.

Jessica Fletcher

Jessica has been licensed since 2015 and joins the LSM team with a passion for teaching, "I always wanted to be a teacher." She became an LMT to "make people feel the way I did when I got a massage." Her love of both reading and writing lend itself well to bringing to life our Anatomy & Physiology course in a way that students and non traditional learners can understand. Students can learn from her belief that "you can't take care of others if you don't take care of yourself."

Shannon Runke

Shannon has been a Massage Therapist since 2012, and brings 20+ years of experience in energy work prior to that. What inspires her to keep massaging is "the balance between science and the healing arts." She believes "each client is different, " and also applies this belief in her role as Student Clinic Director and rotating Professional Development Instructor. When she is not refining her teaching methods, you can find Shannon enjoying time with her son, riding horses and publishing curriculum newsletters for an area non profit.

Donald Taylor, Jr.

Donald graduated from LSM in 2014 after a long career in non profit management and youth development. After graduation, Donald opened a private practice and became LSM's Director after our beloved Founders retired full time to New Mexico. He seeks to bring a sense of balance in mind, body and spirit to his clients, colleagues and students. In Donald's spare time, he can be found making organic soap, camping/hiking, or on any number of random road trips with his teenage son.

Ronnie Hager

Ronnie has been an LMT for almost a decade following his service to our country in the United States Marine Corps. His "belief in the holistic theory of how helping the body heal is often the best way out of pain and disease," led him to pursue massage and his drive "to help people live easier" keeps him massaging. In his past time, Ronnie enjoys cycling, running and spending time with his wife and kiddo.

Chrissy Prather

Chrissy is the glue of the organization. She has served as the Administrative Coordinator for many years and excels at keeping LSM efficient and helping our students navigate their journey to become LMTs. While not a licensed massage therapist herself, Chrissy knows more than most in the industry about the ins and outs to become Licensed. If you have a question, chances are Chrissy has the answer.

Michelle Clemons

Michelle joined the LSM team in 2016 as Administrative Assistant as the organization began to grow. She comes to the table with an impressive history of student affairs at the University level. This lends itself perfectly to enhance the student experience at LSM, setting each student on the right path to academic success.

Kentucky's premier massage school since 1986!