Who We Are

Francois J. Van Der Watt, CPO

Practitioner/Owner

Francois was born in South Africa and graduated from the Technikon Pretoria in 1996 with a National Diploma in Medical Orthotics and Prosthetics, he immigrated to the USA in 2002, moved to the Greenwood, AR in 2014 and became a US Citizen in 2018.

Francois worked over the years as a Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist and Clinical office manager for numerous privately and nationally owned companies across the US and abroad, he also held various positions as a Clinical Specialist and Clinical Manager for Ossur, a global prosthetic manufacturer from 2006-2014.

In 2017, Francois started Van Der Watt Prosthetics & Orthotics in Greenwood and Barling in 2022 where he brings his passion, experience, and extensive knowledge in general prosthetic and orthotic care to patients of all ages and functional levels.

Francois specializes in high-performance sport prosthetics and has been part of the US Paralympic Track & Field Team and was the Team Prosthetist for the 2012 London, 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

Francois authored chapter 50 “Adaptive Lower Limb Prostheses for Sports and Recreation” in the 5th edition of the Atlas of Amputations and Limb Deficiencies: Surgical, Prosthetic, and Rehabilitation Principles, 5th Edition, an academic publication by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Since 2023 he has serves as an Adjunct-Instructor at the Arkansas College of Health Education – DPT program in Fort Smith, AR.

In 2024, he was appointed by Gov. Sanders to the Arkansas Orthotic, Prosthetic & Pedorthic Advisory Board overseeing State OPP Licensing.

He also volunteers as an American Board of Certification Examiner for the Clinical Practice Management Examinations.

In his spare time, he likes to volunteer as an assistant coach for the Greenwood Bulldogs Trapshooting Team as well as enjoying the outdoors, camping or riding his side-by-side.

Shawn L. Van Der Watt

Office Manager

Shawn joined our Greenwood AR office as the Office Manager in Oct 2018. She became an MRI technician before meeting Francois in 2005. Shawn is overseeing all the office administration obligations including billing and accounts receivable for the Greenwood and Barling locations. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family at home or outdoors, camping and riding her horse.

Donovan Jones, CP

Certified Prosthetist

Donavan is a Certified Prosthetist who began his career in 2007 as an orthotic and prosthetic technician. He completed his Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician training at Francis Tuttle in Oklahoma City, along with receiving his Associate of Applied Science in Orthotics & Prosthetics. Donavan worked for Hanger as an O&P technician for nearly two years before starting practitioner school and receiving his Bachelors in O&P. After practitioner school he worked in Oklahoma City then Dallas for Scott Sabolich Prosthetics for 5 years where he completed his Residency and passed his boards to become an ABC certified Prosthetist. He then worked for Baker O&P in Dallas where he managed an office for several years where he was able to create ideal patient care solutions, using PMR and PT’s to help generate optimal solutions to patients and insurance companies. In 2018 Donavan went to work for Ossur as an Area Manager/Clinical Specialist where he traveled around the US helping train clinicians on new technologies. More recently he worked with US based prosthetic manufacturer WillowWood where he oversaw the launch of a Powered Microprocessor Prosthetic knee called the Intuy Knee into the market where he provided education, demonstrations and training. Donavan is the father of one daughter and enjoys traveling, camping, sports and working on old vehicles in his spare time.

Heather London

Certified Therapeutic Shoe Fitter

Heather joined the Van Der Watt Team in 2022 and became a Certified Therapeutic Shoe Fitter in 2023. She is a Greenwood native who is passionate about helping others and is the proud mother of 2 boys. When she is not working at VDWPO you can find her doing hair, working at local Bulldogs sporting events or volunteering at her church. Since becoming a CF-ts she has found it to be one of the most rewarding experiences of her career. She is excited about the learning opportunities and working with the latest technology that this profession provides and can’t imagine doing anything else!

Brandon Parker

Brandon is a native to the River Valley area and graduated Southside Highschool in 2003 and received his B.Sc Business Administration from UAFS in 2007, he joined the Van Der Watt Team in 2022. Brandon’s primary role is day-to-day front office administration in the Barling location, but he also took the responsibility for being the Patient-to-Patient Liaison. In his spare time, Brandon likes talking about cars, but also assists his wife Jessica, managing a Large Breed Animal Sanctuary and Rescue farm in Lavaca, AR.

Wade Restine

Prosthetic/Orthotic Assistant

Wade grew up in Southeast Oklahoma and joined the Van Der Watt Team in the fall of 2023. He graduated from McCurtain Public High School in 2018 and earned his B.Sc Biology from the East Central University in Ada, OK in 2022. Wade is a Prosthetic/Orthotic Assistant in our Greenwood and Barling locations. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, working on the family farm or watching sports.