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Rob

Rob - Co-Owner

Rob is best friends and Husband to Dr. Nicole Nelson (The real doctor, as Rob likes to say), a Neuroradiologist at Mercy-St. Ritas, Head of the women’s wellness center and next Chief of Staff.  Dad to three, sometimes, more, kids who all proudly attend the Lima City Schools. 

Rob was adopted by two wonderful people, Rich, and Marge Nelson, who raised him, with his grandmother, on a dead end street in a greatly diverse neighborhood on Chicago’s northwest side.  Grew up a Cubs fan (don’t hold that against him Indian and Reds fans), loves day baseball games, and learned how to cook, dance, pull weeds, not to talk back and curse from his grandmother, who lived upstairs in their two-flat watching the Cubs and listening to Harry Carry every day.

Rob attended Notre Dame High School in Chicago. He wanted to go to public school but Rob’s dad, Rich, a Chicago Cop, said Rob was too soft and wouldn’t last 1 day in the public school without getting beat up. He may have been right, who knows.

Rob graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati with a BA in History and a BS in Psychology. It was here at XU, where Rob met Nicole.

After Xavier, it was on to Morgantown WV where he received his MA in Counseling Psychology. At West Virginia University Rob focused on rural Mental health issues with pre-college kids in Appalachia as well as adjudicated minors of severe crimes and the criminally insane.
After his work in WVA, it was on to Loyola University in Maryland where he received his Ph.D. in Philosophy with a concentration in Pastoral Counseling and Statistics all while being a full-time nanny for two young girls and then a live-in caregiver for an elderly businessman.

His therapy work in Maryland and DC revolved around working with Veterans and the University of Maryland Medical Center and Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, Maryland with issues of PTSD, substance abuse, Schizophrenia and severe mental illness.

His research focus is on Structural Equation modeling (boring) and how people make meaning in their lives (The not so boring stuff) and how it relates to health and well-being. 

Rob taught at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, Assumption College, Leslie College and Loyola University where he continued his scientific research on health, wellness, and spirituality and taught mostly upper level and doctoral research and statistics classes.
 

He, Nicole, and their kids have been in Lima for 12 years and as many of you know, love to redevelop, under the guidance of the MacDonnell Family, old buildings in our City.

Rob still does statistical consulting, owns a real estate development and property management business, Is Lima Senior’s Varsity Softball Head Coach, is the director of Lima City Softball Havoc Travel Softball, bartends at The Met, is in the final planning stages of another establishment (Lima Brewing Company) in the downtown and more recently, he and Nicole started S Cubed (Science, smarties and softball) Foundation.  The Nelson’s time and philanthropy center around the Lima City Schools and urban kids, especially girls, who are interested in science, medicine, and Math.
 

They currently have 55 girls in their program that uses softball as a conduit to reach kids and get them interested in STEM programs concomitantly mentored by successful women in the area, some of which, may be in this room right now.