Sharyl Ronan is the Chief Executive Officer of Hillcrest, joining the organization in 2018. A veteran of the U.S. Army, Sharyl has experience in the senior living and geriatric post-acute space for over 25 years. She has served as a leader for organizations including a small owner-operated venture as well as an Executive Senior Leader in two of the largest publicly-traded senior living companies in the US. Her experience in senior housing and health care began as a Certified Nursing Assistant, where her passion for the elderly and commitment to enhancing the lives of aging adults developed. She has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and is a credentialed Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in two states. She also holds a Residential Care Administrator’s license in California. Her experiences includes working on the original pilot project with the State of California in creation of the first Alzheimer’s programs in the residential assisted living environment. She helped to develop a hospice agency and home health agency early in her career for an owner-operated provider. Her commitment and experience led her to be a strong advocate for the ‘frailest of the frail’ in which she became a young Vice President serving the post-acute and skilled nursing market. She was hired by Emeritus Senior Living, one of the largest assisted living providers in the country, to develop, oversee and run their new skilled nursing platform and roll out in preparation for national growth. It was there that she led 33 CCRC’s (Continuing Care Retirement Communities with independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing neighborhoods) over 10 states with 5,800 team members while supervising four regional teams and overseeing the national skilled nursing team. Prior to Hillcrest, she was most recently the Vice President for Brookdale Senior Living, overseeing their CCRC’s for the state of California. Her strong background in post-acute and long-term care brought her closer to her Midwest roots to serve as the CEO of Hillcrest Health Services in Bellevue, NE.

Kevin Mulhearn joined Hillcrest as Chief Financial Officer in late 2013 with 22 years of operational and financial experience in the senior living industry. Previously, Mr. Mulhearn was Director of Finance for Riverside Health System’s Lifelong Health Division in Newport News, Va., where he oversaw financial operations for multiple lines of business and was instrumental in developing financial pro-formas for key growth programs. Prior to that, Mr. Mulhearn spent 17 years in various financial leadership positions, including 15 years as CFO, for Alexian Brothers Health System in Elk Grove Village, Ill. He holds an MBA in Healthcare Administration and Finance from Lewis University and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from North Central College, both located in Illinois. Mr. Mulhearn has been a certified Resident Housing Professional and served as the chairperson of the Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)/Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CCAC) for six years.  

Anthony Hatcher, DO, is a board certified family physician and the Chief Medical Officer at Hillcrest Health Services. He received a Bachelor of Science from Truman State University, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri, and a Master’s degree in Executive Leadership from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Dr. Hatcher completed his Family Medicine residency at Creighton University and served in the United States Air Force as a Flight Surgeon stationed at Offutt AFB. Prior to joining Hillcrest Health Services, Dr. Hatcher spent more than 20 years working  for Alegent /CHI Health as a practicing clinical physician. He also served on the Alegent Health Board of Directors and as the Chief Administrative Officer of Alegent Health Clinic.  

As Vice President of Home and Community Services, Reggie Ripple leads the operations of Hillcrest’s hospice and home health services, including skilled nursing, in-home personal care, telehealth, and palliative care. Mr. Ripple has served as a dynamic and effective leader in the home health industry since 1997, where he began his career as an occupational therapist for St. John Health System in Tulsa, Okla. He quickly progressed into management overseeing therapy and clinical services, and as Home Care Director, managed the home health, hospice and inpatient/outpatient palliative care programs serving five hospitals in Northeastern Oklahoma. Mr. Ripple received a Bachelor’s of Science in occupation therapy and psychology from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Oklahoma – Tulsa. He is a Licensed Home Care Administrator, unique to Oklahoma, and was recognized as one of eight national recipients of The Catholic Health Association’s “Tomorrow’s Leaders of the Catholic Health Ministry” for outstanding leadership, community service and passionate commitment to the mission of Catholic healthcare. Mr. Ripple, his wife Tina and three children relocated from Oklahoma to Papillion, Neb. in August 2014 to join the Hillcrest family.  

Jim Janicki is Chief Administrative Officer for Hillcrest Health Services. He is responsible for recruiting, education, leadership development, marketing, advertising, public relations, customer navigation/admissions and business development for all Hillcrest service lines. He joined Hillcrest in 2012 as Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Prior to Hillcrest, Mr. Janicki served as Executive Director of Marketing for Riverside Health System in Newport News, Virginia, a $950-million, physician-led not-for-profit organization that served over 5,000 older adults every day. In the past, Mr. Janicki worked as a Senior Account Manager and national consultant for SB&A in Richmond, Virginia (now Attane). In that role, he helped clients in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Delaware, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada and Oregon build new CCRCs and Active Adult Communities, as well as reposition failing CCRCs for successful turnarounds. Mr. Janicki is a native of Buffalo, New York, where he served as Director of Marketing and Communications for ElderWood Senior Care for six years and as an Account Executive with ad agency Eric Mower and Associates for five years. He is a BA graduate of SUNY Geneseo, near Rochester, NY, and he is an accredited public relations professional (APR) through PRSA. A resident of Papillion, Mr. Janicki is a Board Member of the Alzheimer’s Association Nebraska, a founding Board Member of the Hillcrest Foundation for Enhancing Lives, Board President of Grow Sarpy (Sarpy County’s economic development agency), and a national Executive Board Member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Health Academy.

Matt Oestmann is Vice President of Rehab and Post-Acute Services for Hillcrest Health Services. Prior to joining Hillcrest in 2007, Dr. Oestmann worked with an outpatient orthopaedic clinic and a community hospital in Iowa. He was promoted to the Director of Therapy Services in late 2007 and then Administrator of Home Care in 2011 prior to his move to the Executive Team as a Vice President in 2016. His accomplishments have included building a strong team of dedicated therapists with decades of experience in home health and orthopaedics. He is active in American Physical Therapy Association and National Association of Rehab Agencies, serving on various committees over the years. He has also served the Nebraska Home Care Association as a Board Member and Legislative committee member. He was selected as one of the Midlands Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” in 2016. Dr. Oestmann received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology from Dana College and his Masters in Physical Therapy and his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from UNMC. He is currently working on his MBA at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Dr. Oestmann is a Nebraska native and currently lives in the Papillion area with his wife, Mylissa, and their five children.  

Dave Creal joined Hillcrest in 2016 as a Regional Administrator, responsible for the operations and performance of Hillcrest Firethorn, Hillcrest Mable Rose, Hillcrest Millard and Hillcrest Shadow Lake. Prior to joining Hillcrest, Mr. Creal was the Vice President of Franchise Support for Right at Home, an in-home senior care franchise with more than 450 offices in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Ireland, Australia, Japan and the Netherlands. His previous experience also includes serving as Operations Coordinator for Vetter Health Services in Omaha as well as Administrator of nursing facilities in Bridgeport, Nebraska and Winner, South Dakota. Early in his career, Mr. Creal was the Administrator of Philip Health Services in Philip, South Dakota, where he provided oversight to a hospital, nursing facility and two clinics. Mr. Creal received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Black Hills State University. He also served as President of the Nebraska Health Care Association and Chair of the Nebraska Board of Examiners in Nursing Home Administration. He currently lives in Omaha with his wife Deb.

Spencer Bartlett joined Hillcrest Health Services in March of 2020 as the Regional Director of Customer Navigation. As a fourth generation Omaha native, Spencer has a love for the metro area and all that it has to offer. With a background in skilled nursing administration, he came to us from a regional director of operations role supporting six skilled nursing facilities and three assisted living facilities. Spencer’s passion for senior care was developed more deeply when he became the administrator at the very facility where his great grandmother lived. In addition to senior care, Spencer has experience as a veteran of the armed forces, having served a one year tour in Afghanistan during his service. His hobbies include traveling with his wife and three children, hunting and sport shooting with his son and riding dirt bikes with his brothers.

Dottie Rice joined Hillcrest in 2018 as a Regional Director of Clinical Operations, responsible for leading of clinical care services and reimbursement programs for the skilled, assisted living, memory support and independent living services. She has her Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing and graduated Magna Cum Laude.  She has been a licensed Registered Nurse for more than 22 years. She has worked with the senior population for more than 15 years. She has experience with senior nursing care facilities, post-acute care, acute care and assisted living facilities. She is a member of the National Association of Associate Degree Nursing, National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Nursing Society.

Nicole Ellermeier joined Hillcrest Health Services as the Administrator of Hillcrest Mable Rose in 2020. She is from Bennington and attended Midland Lutheran University in Fremont. There, she earned a degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Management and Marketing.  She has been serving seniors in a professional capacity for 11 years. Her favorite things to do are spending time with friends and family, cooking, golfing, exercising and watching sports. She also enjoys playing with her dog Zeus.

Lauren Wright is the Administrator of Hillcrest Home Care, joining the organization in 2017. She is a licensed physical therapist, and has practiced in the acute care, outpatient and home care settings. Prior to joining Hillcrest, she owned and operated a successful physical therapy practice and served in clinical leadership roles for Methodist Health System, Visiting Nurse Association and Kindred at Home. Lauren holds a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science from Creighton University, where she is an alumni member of the collegiate athletic department and the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit honor society. She has previously served as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy Education at UNMC and also as an independent reviewer for the Nebraska State Board of Physical Therapy. Lauren hails from Scottsdale, Arizona and is a die-hard Creighton Bluejay fan.

Thomas McCulley joined the Hillcrest team in 2018 and is now the Administrator of Hillcrest Caring Companions. Thomas moved his entire family from the warm climate of southern California to the enjoyable four seasons of the midwest. Knowing the immense value of a healthcare continuum and understanding the mission and values of Hillcrest Health Services, it was an easy decision to make. In California, Thomas ran a Home Instead Senior Care franchise that rapidly grew into the second largest franchise in the entire state. He understands the importance and value of private duty in-home care and the agin-in-place culture. Thomas is also a healthcare pioneer in the realm of innovation and business development, especially bringing awareness to the value of caregiving and non-medical services to a much broader clinical and acute market. Thomas is also a published author of three books, two fiction and one non-fiction. His latest book is about leadership and the value of leading yourself before you can lead others effectively. Thomas is married and has five amazing children.  

Tammy Weston joined Hillcrest Health & Rehab in April 2018 as the Administrator. She has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator for 18 years and came to us from the Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home. She has worked a number of years in the post-acute setting and is passionate about the care that we provide. She has been recognized throughout her career for her dedication and perseverance to ensure the best  quality of care to those served. Tammy received her Bachelor’s degree from Bellevue University in 2000. She is a veteran of the United States Army and served in Desert Storm. Tammy has three beautiful daughters and two lovely grandchildren. She lives in Millard but can often be found kayaking on one of our local lakes or riding the highways of Nebraska and Southwest Iowa, where she was born and raised. Go Packers!

Barry Emerson joined the Hillcrest family as Administrator of Hillcrest Firethorn in 2020. He began his health care adventure in 1999 in rural Nebraska. He served as the Senior Administrator for several locations, both big and small. He has a background in retail, ministry and education, which helps him fulfill his passion for serving guests (patients) and residents with excellence and heart. He has been married to his wife Angela for more than 25 years and they have four children. Barry grew up in Omaha and graduated from Millard North. He went on to receive a Bachelors in Business Management and a Bachelors in Marketing from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. He loves spending time with his family and watching movies.

Mike Rehfeldt, M.A. joined Hillcrest Hospice in late July 2018 as the Administrator. Mike began in hospice in 1993 working as a Social Service Counselor for one of the five largest hospices in the country. He has held various roles in his career, including Administrator for a hospice of more than 600 average daily census, Vice President of Care for a single provider in Florida with multiple regions and as a nationwide traveling administrator.

Matt Lucero joined Hillcrest as the Administrator for Hillcrest Silver Ridge in January 2023. Matt moved to the area from Colorado, where he has spent more than 13 years in senior living as an executive director and had experience early in his career as a marketing director and social services director. Matt grew up in rural southeast Colorado and spent most of his life in the state. He attended Colorado State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He now owns a cattle ranch in Colorado.

Jessica Fredrickson became the Administrator of Hillcrest Country Estates Grand Lodge and Signature Villas in 2020. Prior to this position she was in marketing with the Hillcrest Country Estates continuing care retirement community for seven years, across all levels of care. She has a background in skilled care management and marketing in both the private and not-for-profit sector.  Jessica was born and raised on a farm in Wakefield, Nebraska. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota in Communication Disorders/ Health Services Administration and then moved to Omaha for Graduate School at the University of Nebraska Omaha, earning a M.S. in Gerontology. She is licensed in Nebraska as an Assisted Living Administrator. Jessica is passionate about seniors and helping them to live their life to the fullest with the highest standard of quality and customer service. Papillion is where she met her husband and they have since made it their home and community. They enjoy watching Husker football & volleyball, hiking and traveling.

Chris Sobrilsky joined Hillcrest in October 2021. He is currently the Administrator of Hillcrest Shadow Lake. He has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator for over three years and spent over 11 years in acute care healthcare operations. Chris received his bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management and master’s degree in Health Services Administration. He is passionate about providing quality care to aging adults. His family includes his wife and four children. His hobbies include fishing, golfing and spending time with family and friends.