Graduate: 1985

After treatment for a knee injury she suffered as a high school cheerleader, Cassie Lackey, PT, ATC-r, CPT, knew she wanted to become a physical therapist. Lackey said she should have been able to fully recover from her injury. “Improper exercises and techniques during therapy caused permanent damage to my knee,” she added. Lackey never cheered again and still struggles with knee problems to this day.

Now, Lackey is the CEO and founder of SporTherapy, which has eight locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. At all of her clinics, Lackey, along with her husband and business partner, Steve Lackey, led their team to provide clinical excellence, customer service and quality physical therapy.

Lackey’s experiences inspired her to specialize in sports physical therapy, and she published a two-year study on rehabilitation of the same injury she endured.

Looking back on her career, Lackey finds peace in knowing that her clinics are enriching the lives of others, including the TTUHSC family. She’s hired more graduates from TTUHSC than all other schools combined and serves as a preceptor for TTUHSC students — one of the many reasons she received the 2018 TTUHSC Presidential Distinguished Alumni award. -Caroline Wahl