Aquacare is proud to be a family-first organization where our focus is on providing exceptional care for our patients, delivering that WOW factor, and allowing our team to grow and thrive.
Cara Konlian, MSPT, CEO and Physical Therapist
Physical therapy has been part of Cara Konlian’s future since middle school. She attended Elizabethtown College for two years before completing Thomas Jefferson University’s PT program. She quickly came to love Philadelphia and the collaboration with my peers forming lifelong friendships.
After graduating from PT school, she worked in an orthopedic surgery office. It was this experience that helped her develop the basis of my evaluation and orthopedic skills. She then had the incredible opportunity to work at the Center for Aquatic Rehabilitation in Philadelphia. It was there she met her mentor – Robert Babb, PT – and became passionate about aquatic physical therapy. Within two months, she was promoted to clinical director in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The location had four pools, four depths, and four temperatures.
In 1997, Cara and her husband, Steve, relocated to the Eastern Shore of Maryland with the dream of opening a physical therapy practice. For six months, she worked at various locations, but knew her heart was in starting her own practice.
In June of 1998, Cara, Steve, and Cara’s parents opened their first location in Salisbury on Milford Street. “In the first week, we had over 25 evaluations! It was the creation of Aquacare with my parents and husband that has led to a visceral desire to create a ‘family’ both for our patients and our team,” Cara said.
Cara also realized the need in the area for pelvic floor therapy, and so she became certified as a pelvic floor therapist. Now, Aquacare boasts the largest number of pelvic floor therapists in the region!
Steve Konlian, MD, Chief Financial Officer
Steve Konlian, MD, is the Chief Financial Officer for Aquacare Physical Therapy. Born and raised in New York, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Union College in Schenectady, New York.
He then went on and graduated with honors from Jefferson Medical College, followed by a surgical residency at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
A resident of Salisbury for the last quarter century, Steve retired from the practice of surgery to assist Aquacare’s founder, his wife Cara, in growing Aquacare from one location to 11 and counting!
His focus is on maintaining the financial health of Aquacare through growth; while, at the same time, maintaining the identity of a treasured, patient-focused resource for communities throughout Delmarva.
Jennifer O’Neill, MPT, Chief Operations Officer
A native of Salisbury, Jennifer O’Neill, MPT, is the Chief Operating Officer of Aquacare Physical Therapy.
She received her bachelor of science degree from Salisbury University and a graduate degree in physical therapy from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Jennifer oversees daily operations for all 11 clinics in Maryland and Delaware ensuring the highest quality of patient care possible.
In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her friends and family, traveling, and relaxing at the beach.
Jennifer and Cara have worked together to build a company of physical therapy professionals who feel like a family and strive to deliver the WOW factor in physical therapy every day.
Bryan Morgan, Director of Business Analytics
Bryan Morgan started his career as an account, but after several years, decided he wanted to change careers. He graduated with honors from Delaware Technical Community College in 2019, receiving the Sigama Cum Laude award, earning his Physical Therapist Assistant degree.
Bryan has been with Aquacare Physical Therapy for more than six years performing a multitude of duties such as exercise specialist, physical therapist, administrative assistant, and finance and analytics specialist.
In his current role, Bryan is responsible for analyzing and presenting weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly operational metric reports for each clinic. He oversees therapist billing practices, visit utilization, schedule utilization and capacity utilization.
He also assists in operational training, and staff education for Delaware clinics, with the objective to improve proficiencies, and he is highly involved with the MIPS and MEDICARE audit procedures.
Bryan continues to treat patients at various clinics in the Delaware region for about 20 hours a week.
When he isn’t at work or at home with his family, Bryan can be found on the golf course; he is currently an 9 handicap!
Janice Baldwin, Regional Office Manager (Director of Medical Records & Credentialing)
Janice has been with Aquacare since the beginning and is considered the company’s mom.
She has grown in her responsibilities over the years and now oversees IT issues for all the offices, troubleshoots numerous issues with all of the offices, is in charge of all records requests, manages credentialing for all new providers, and maintains the credentialing requirements.
She also works with attorneys to make sure they have everything they need for personal injury and workers comp cases.
Janice recently celebrated her 25-year anniversary during the company’s 25th anniversary celebration in the summer of 2023.
Thank you, Janice, for your dedication to our team!
Melanie Holt, Regional Billing Manager
Melanie Holt has been an essential part of the Aquacare team for over 22 years. Melanie started in our Easton and Salisbury offices as a Patient Coordinator until 2008 when she was instrumental in starting our Regional Billing Office. Melanie has served as the Regional Billing Manager since this time where her expertise in all things billing and Aquacare are immeasurable and widely consulted throughout the company.
When not at work, Melanie spends time with her husband and three daughters. Her twins are enjoying college at the University of Delaware, and her youngest is finishing up high school.
Lori Anders Mitchell, Chief Administrative Officer
Lori joined Aquacare Physical Therapy over 20-years ago as a Patient Coordinator while on break from college in the summer of 2003.
While completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (Salisbury University), Lori continued to work for Aquacare Physical Therapy throughout her educational journey, and after, transitioning to progressive roles including Office Manager, Regional Billing Manager, Business Manager, and lastly in 2014, the Director of Operations and Human Resource.
Lori manages many operations for Aquacare Physical Therapy, including human resources, accounts payable, and daily operational functions.
Outside of work, Lori enjoys spending time with her husband and son on their farm in Easton, Maryland. Born and raised on a dairy and grain farm in Easton, Lori continues to be an advocate for her agricultural roots by serving as an officer and director for the Talbot County Farm Bureau Board since 2011.
Amanda Adkins, Chief Strategy Officer
Adkins, who worked for Aquacare many years ago as an exercise tech, rejoins the company with 17 years of experience in clinical operations, performance management, program development, and strategic development. She prides herself in developing strong, high-performing teams through mentoring, staff engagement, and establishing relationships with internal and external stakeholders to reach goals.
Adkins earned her master’s degree in business administration and healthcare management from the University of Delaware and her master’s degree in physical therapy from The University of Maryland – Eastern Shore. She also has a Green Belt certification in Lean Six Sigma Methodology that she has successfully applied to performance improvement projects and initiatives throughout her career. In 2019, Amanda received the Anne Arundel Medical Center Values Leadership Award and the Oncology Community Service Award for her achievements in leadership and community service.
While away from work, Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband, family, and friends and playing with her golden retriever, Crosby. She is also a big sports fan of the Maryland Terrapins, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Capitals. She enjoys traveling, as well as giving back to the community by participating in a nonprofit charity, called Santa’s Angels.
Connor Drislane, Regional Clinical Director for Delaware
Connor Drislane, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist, clinical director of Aquacare – Millville, and Regional Clinical Director for Delaware.
He graduated from Ithaca College in 2018 where he received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy while minoring in Psychology. While at Ithaca, he played on the Division III football team and worked as a personal trainer. Dr. Drislane has completed 2 of 4 parts on his way to obtaining a McKenzie certification, which emphasizes advanced treatment for the spine and extremities.
He became a certified vestibular therapist in 2019, specializing in vestibular pathologies and concussion rehabilitation. He became a certified Titleist Performance Instructor in 2022, specializing in golf-specific injury assessment and rehabilitation.
Dr. Drislane has a special interest in working in sports medicine and general orthopedics, in addition to his specializations.
Larry DeFrancisco, Chief Marketing Officer
Sales and marketing positions have been Larry’s career for over 40 years.
Growing up in the Philadelphia area, he attended Thomas Jefferson University and shortly afterwards took his first of many sales and marketing positions in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.
Over the following 35 years he has held management positions in medical and pharmaceutical companies being promoted from a territory sales representative to Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Larry relocated 20 years ago to Sussex County Delaware and has done sales consulting as well as holding marketing management positions. His ongoing focus is maintaining the day-to-day marketing responsibilities for Aquacare Physical Therapy.
Rachel Swick Mavity, Director of Digital Communications
Rachel spent 10 years working as a newspaper journalist for publications in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. She has written for publications including, the Cape Gazette, Delaware Beach Life, Delaware Today, and others. For going on 10 years, she has served as the editor and content coordinator for Lewes Neighbors magazine in Delaware.
She served as the digital communications coordinator for Beebe Healthcare for eight years and has been the director of digital communications for Aquacare and Fitness Forum since 2023.
In her free time, Rachel enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering for Coastal Concerts and many school events, as she has a special interest in connecting children to music. She lives in Lewes with her husband, Ryan, two children, Alex and Jane, and multiple fur babies.