VOREE SMITH, MPT

Voree was raised in Burlington and has spent his entire professional career in Skagit and Island County. Graduated with a Masters degree from Loma Linda University in 2000 and moved back to his home town to start his career. In 2005, he and his associate Greg Fritz started Burlington Physical Therapy. He decided to go solo with Burlington PT in 2008 and has seen thousands of patients there since. In addition to being a well rounded physical therapist, Voree specializes in bicycle fitting, having been trained by former National Track champion Paul Swift and Katrina Vogel, DPT in addition to retailing Serotta Custom bikes in their hay day. Voree also works with Donkalope Bikes in Bellingham establishing custom frame measurements via his Serotta sizing cycle. In 2022, his former mentor Dr. Fritz retired from private PT practice and passed Voree the torch of his three practices, Anacortes PT, Oak Harbor PT, and Coupeville PT. Voree currently splits his time between the 4 practices.

TODD COOK, DPT

Todd graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. in Applied Mathematics. He continued his education by earning his Master’s of Physical Therapy from the College of St. Scholastica, and then his Doctor of Physical Therapy from The University of St. Augustine. In addition to his three degrees, he has a Sports Therapy Certification from the North American Sports Medicine Institute.

In Todd’s free time, he is traveling, enjoying everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer with his wife Monica and recently, remodeling his house from top to bottom. While living in Kodiak,AK Todd was the head coach for the high school football team for seven years. He coached games all over the state, from Juneau to Barrow.

GORDON “TAL” BLAIR, DPT

Tal graduated from the University of St. Augustine’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2010. Following, he completed an out-patient orthopedic residency program in Denver, Colorado.

Tal grew up in Southeast Alaska, and is happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest. He likes to spend time with his wife Morgan and daughter Norah, and enjoys trail running, snowboarding and being outside in general. His goal as a Physical Therapist is to give individual attention and education to people regarding their state of pain, and create a plan of action to return them to things they love doing.

KANDACE HABENICHT PT, MSPT

Kandy graduated from Andrews University with a Masters of Physical Therapy in 1994. With
experience in multiple areas of physical therapy, her evaluation and treatment plan focuses on
the client as a whole person and is client goal-driven. She applies a philosophy that healing and
progress begin when clients are engaged and their treatment plan is meaningful and personal.
She has experience in neurological dysfunction/ movement disorders and trauma injuries with a
passion for balance disorders/vestibular dysfunction/stroke and spinal cord injuries.

Kandy was born in the tropics but raised in the beautiful state of Michigan and considers herself
a “Great Lake’s girl”. She enjoys spending time with her family/pets, traveling, and outdoor
activities with a fondness for kayaking. Until now Kandy has practiced in Michigan and Indiana
raising a son, who has graduated from collage and moving on to his own new adventures.
Moving to the Great Pacific Northwest has fulfilled a long-time dream of Kandy’s to be closer to
the ocean, the mountains, and her family.

LORI JOHNSON, PTA

Lori has been with Anacortes PT since March of 2023. Prior to coming to APT she worked at Island Hospital in aquatic rehab and acute care. She is a licensed PTA and holds several aquatic certifications including ATRI, AEA, Aqua Stretch, Ai Chi, and Bad Ragaz. In addition to her role as aquatic therapist, Lori also works at Fidalgo Pool and Fitness Center as an aquatic group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and private swim instructor. She enjoys working with all ages and abilities.

Lori grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan and has spent most of her life either in, on, or under water. Prior to moving to the PNW she worked in the eco-tourism industry as a SCUBA Instructor and USCG boat captain.

She is passionate about the healing benefits of water and has seen incredible results from aquatic therapy over the years. Lori’s goals for her patients are to support their healing and wellbeing as well as teach them how to maintain the progress they have made.

On her days off Lori is often in the water either scuba diving, swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, or spending time with her 10 children and their families camping, exploring, and traveling.

CARLA DERIE, OPERATIONS MANAGER

Carla moved to Anacortes in 1998, relocating from the Tacoma
area with her husband, toddler son, and newborn daughter. After a few years as
a stay at home mom and then Lead Scheduling Coordinator at Island Hospital,
Carla pursued an opportunity to advance her career and accepted a position at
Skagit Island Rehab Group/Anacortes Physical Therapy as Operations Manager in 2010.

Carla splits her time between the four commonly owned physical therapy clinics; her duties have grown over the last 15 years to include office management, HR, bookkeeping, payroll, financial management, and staffing. In her free time she enjoys hiking, reading, walking her dog (Tilly), and traveling.

CHALIS FULTON, PATIENT COORDINATOR

Chalis originally hails from the southwest, moving to Bellingham from Flagstaff, Arizona because of her love for the Pacific Northwest.

She enjoys the people she gets to meet and work with here at Anacortes Physical Therapy.

In her free time, she is enjoying the great outdoors, reading, trying new recipes or exploring new places with her husband Jared.

ELIZABETH BRINER, PATIENT COORDINATOR

Elizabeth was born and raised in California. After having lived in Montana and New Mexico, she moved to Washington State with her 2 dogs 3-1/2 years ago to be closer to her sister and family.

When she is not at work, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her dogs, her family, and exploring all the great things this area has to offer.

RACHEL LIDDLE, EXERCISE TECHNICIAN

Rachel hails from Skagit County, having lived in nearly every town in the valley during childhood. She loves the slow pace and gorgeous scenery that Skagit Valley offers and being close to family. Her background in retail management and customer service at Hobby Lobby has served her well here at the clinic, as she seeks to provide an upbeat, welcoming atmosphere with each patient she gets to work with. She enjoys being a part of the APT team, whether it’s coaching a patient through a newer challenging exercise, keeping the clinic neat and tidy, or (occasionally) subbing at the front desk.

Rachel is currently a student of Whatcom Community College’s PTA program where she gets to fulfill two of her passions – helping people feel better and studying the amazing complexity of the human body and how it functions.

Off the clock, Rachel loves to be active outdoors and at her local church. She serves alongside her husband in various ministries including teaching Sunday School, leading a Kindergartners class in her church’s Awana Bible club, and coordinating church events throughout the year. Her favorite hobbies include minimalistic home interior design, cooking, teaching piano on the side, and spending quality time with her man and two adorably crazy kitties, Bagheera and Buttercup.

MADDY JAUSSI, EXERCISE TECHNICIAN

Maddy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Brigham Young University–Hawaii, with minors in Communication Studies and Health and Human Sciences. With a strong background in advocacy and therapeutic services, Maddy has worked with diverse populations.