Meet our Staff at Ozark Trails Academy:
Richard Jones
Executive Director
M.S. – Social Work, Mental Health
B.S. – Exercise and Wellness
Richard Jones holds a Bachelor’s degree in exercise and wellness and a Master’s in social work with an emphasis in mental health.
He loves the outdoors, music, and sports, and played sports all through high school and college. He even had the opportunity to play rugby after college for a few years. Richard grew up on a horse ranch, taking on many responsibilities, including caring for and feeding the horses. He also gained an appreciation and love for the outdoors through hunting and fishing with his dad. As the 6th of 10 kids, Richard feels very blessed to have grown up in a home that valued family, relationships, and the opportunity to learn from experiences and mistakes.
Charlie G. Christensen
Program Director
M.S. – Counseling – University of Phoenix
B.S. – Psychology – Utah Valley University
Charlie brings a wealth of knowledge and refined experience to our Ozark team. Working with adolescents and families for over a decade, his passion guiding youth is unmatchable. Charlie’s unconditional love for each person has an innate way of influencing others for good.
His individualized, relationship-focused approach mirrors the Ozark model. He deeply believes everyone has value and purpose to offer the world and Ozark Trails is a supportive stepping stone that can benefits countless lives.
Charlie feels Ozark Trails Academy offers an incomparable environment of treatment. He has said, “The opportunities students have to be able to learn life skills, resilience, and self-confidence here is like no other in the therapeutic industry.”
From the intentional variety of outdoor adventure, equine therapy, and active sports, to the individualized treatment families receive – healing is balanced and long-term. Charlie loves the outdoors; including hunting and playing any sport. His highest and ultimate delights are Heather, his sweet wife, and their precious children.
Micah Jones
Assistant Program Director
Micah Jones comes to us with 11 years experience working with struggling teens in residential treatment settings. He came to Ozark Trails from Stillwater Academy in Utah. Micah is a favorite with the students. His gentle soft spoken way brings a calm to the group. He is also great one on one providing support where needed. He is trained in the Arbinger Institute Anatomy of Peace and lives the principles with our students as well as his personal life.
He is currently seeking a degree in Marriage and Family Relationships with Brigham Young University. He plans to continue his education and become a licensed clinical therapist.
He and his wife Dez moved their family to Missouri from Utah to become an essential part of the Ozark Team. Dez is a primary coach for the girls.
When he is not at work, he is busy playing with his twin girls. He loves to play and watch sports. He also loves to play his ukulele and sing. He gives freely of his many talents to enrich the lives of the students at Ozark Trails and he’s a great asset to our leadership team.
Dr. Tracy Dockler
DSW, LCSW, BCD
Tracy Dockler is a certified and licensed social worker with over 25 years of experience in the clinical treatment of adolescents and their families. She is a Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (BCD), which demonstrates an advanced-practice status with a high level of clinical competency. Tracy holds certifications in social work and as a behavioral health consultant. Currently, she has been trained in EMDR and is working on certification, while she is also receiving training in NMT to complete brain mapping and increased knowledge of developmental trauma and the impact on the brain. Academically, Tracy has a Bachelor and a Masters in Social Work, and she is in the research portion of her doctorate in social work with a research interest in wilderness therapy and a specialization in Clinical Expertise.
Tracy’s career has focused on trauma in children and youth with a strong emphasis on behavioral disorders, inclusive of attachment struggles, and mental health issues. She has a specialization in family therapy with a focus on troubled teens and their families, including a history of working with violent abusive families encompassing sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and the death of a child. Tracy has had a diverse career history with schools, shelters, residential treatment centers, private practice, clinic settings, and psychiatry hospitals. These settings have resulted in Tracy developing policies, consulting, training, advocating, developing new operating standards, group treatment, and individual and family therapy. Her passion is youth and their families and making a change in their personal growth and wellness.
Jon Bishop
Director of Outdoor Behavioral Health/Individual Therapist
M.S. – Clinical Mental Health Counseling – University of Phoenix
B.S. – Psychology, Minor in Sociology – University of Utah
Jon began his career working in the corrections system with adolescents and their families. He had the privilege of working at Discovery Ranch for Boys, where he was able to use and develop both clinical skills, and his passion to use data to inform the treatment process as a Research Director and primary therapist. He continued to work with clients in the community as well. Jon’s experience has ranged from working with severely and persistently mentally ill clients to those struggling with compulsion, addiction as well as trauma.
Throughout his career, Jon has worked with adolescents and families. The experience of being part of helping remove barriers to healthy relationships within a family system and witnessing a family become whole again is an awe-inspiring event for him. His passion is the family, the first step is helping youth return to a state of peace from which they can launch back into a sense of belonging with their family. He believes that one of the most effective and powerful ways to accomplish calming a youth’s nervous system and emotional state is to use the power of nature and perfecting primitive skills. The resulting mind-body connection opens the door to healing.
Allie Newman
Individual Therapist
PLPC
MS – Clinical Mental Health Counseling – Evangel University, Springfield, MO
Allie believes in the healing power of building relationships with others and using her empathy and positive regard as a foundation for change in the adolescents she works with. She enjoys helping individuals who are struggling with trauma from past relationships because she loves helping them create healthier relationships with the people around them. She also has a heart for individuals who are struggling to find meaning in their current life circumstances.
Allie is currently Provisionally Licensed through the state of Missouri while working towards her LPC. Allie is married and has five sisters and one brother who have been her support throughout the process of becoming a counselor. She has experience working with young adults and adolescents. She was born and raised in the Ozarks where she enjoyed fishing with her dad, swimming, running a farm, and hiking. She enjoys spending time with her students at Ozark Trails by participating in outdoor activities with them. In her free time she runs a small family farm with her husband and parents. She likes nature, raising sheep and goats, and spending time with her family, friends, and two dogs. She decided to become a therapist because of her own experience with therapy which helped her change her life.
Sonya Swope
Individual Therapist
PLPC
MS – Counseling, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
BS – Communications, minor in Psychology – Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
Sonya is a Missouri native who grew up in the southwest corner of the state. With a gentle nudge from her husband, Sonya went back to college to pursue a degree in Business Administration. She quickly discovered her passion after being placed in a Psychology class and changed her major. Sonya received her Bachelor of Science in Communication with a minor in Psychology, Conflict and Dispute Resolution Certificate, and Master of Science in Counseling from Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. Sonya’s desire was to work with adolescents or young adults because she remembers how difficult those years can be. In 2021, Sonya and her husband, Scott, moved to Scott’s hometown of West Plains to be closer to his family, and was introduced to Ozark Trails through a mutual friend of Richard Jones. Sonya feels that working at Ozark Trails is a true blessing because she has a passion for helping teens overcome their struggles and make changes that will have positive impacts on the rest of their lives.
Sonya and her husband have four grown children and three grandchildren. They enjoy outdoor activities such as riding four-wheelers, camping, fishing, hunting, and hiking.
Amanda Acree
Family Therapist
MSW, LCSW
Amanda has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for the past nine years. She has a Bachelors and Masters in Social Work. She is going to begin a Doctorate in Psychology program in the upcoming Spring Semester. She has 11 years of experience in the social services field through her work with Children’s Division and in her private therapy practice. Amanda is EMDR and TF-CBT trained.
Amanda has also adopted 7 children from foster care with various mental health diagnoses. This provides her with a great understanding of the challenges children and families experience due to mental health crises. She loves working with the whole family to provide support and problem-solve to help children and families be successful.
LeAnna Fowlds
Family Therapist
LCSW
Often, when people meet LeAnna Fowlds, it’s not long before they detect her passion for serving others. After being involved in the small business environment for several years, LeAnna turned that passion into a business with the motto “Our Greatest Accomplishment is YOUR Success!” This has become a personal mantra for LeAnna as she extends this motto to every endeavor and task that she undertakes.
Born and raised in the Midwest, many of LeAnna’s years there were spent in Northeast Missouri. She began her college education at Truman State University, followed by Business Management Training at Iowa Management Systems. In 2000, she moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas metroplex returning to Missouri in 2020.
Understanding she has always had a greater calling on her life LeAnna completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Tarleton State University and a Master of Social Work at University of Texas, Arlington. LeAnna completed over 4000 hours of practicum and supervision working at a Youth Center and Juvenile residential substance use treatment facility in inner city Fort Worth. Focused on children with varying trauma and mental health disorders, and as a Substance Use therapist, LeAnna, completed her licensure as a Clinical Social Worker.
Before returning to Missouri in 2020, LeAnna worked alongside Tarrant County Juvenile Probation and Parole in an intensive habilitation program working with youth ages 10 to 17. This intensive program focused on youth with co-occurring mental health and substance use diagnosis including reactive attachment disorder, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, ADHD, complex trauma and other varying diagnosis.
LeAnna has extensive training in Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®). A trauma-informed therapeutic modality designed to meet the needs of youth with a history of complex trauma. The intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research with a focus on connection (child.tcu.edu).
LeAnna is an advocate in the fight against Human Trafficking is a member of the Tarrant County Five Stones Task Force. Stopping the exploitation of children as well as educating others regarding this global crisis; LeAnna has been trained to recognize indications of youth being trafficked.
LeAnna’s other interests include spending time at the lake swimming and boating, canoeing, horseback riding, hiking and bicycling. LeAnna’s endeavors have included a three-year term as a Licensed Private Investigator in the State of Texas. She is an accomplished public speaker and aspires to be a published author.
Kelsey Evans
Certified Recreational Therapist
Kelsey is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. She specializes in using a variety of recreation activities to help students learn of and apply more from their therapy. She has worked with youth since 2015. Kelsey is high energy and bases all her interactions on compassion. She helps students lead groups based on their passions and gets them out of their comfort zones.
Kelsey facilitated groups at a high adventure camp during her studies.She did rafting, horseback riding, high ropes, and more. Elsewhere she has led camping trips, volunteer services, writing, yoga, music, art, exercise, and bibliotherapies. She is thrilled to be a part of our team at Ozark Trails Academy.
Austin Evans
Research Coordinator, Outdoor Recreation and Experiential Education Coordinator
Austin is married to Kelsey our recreational therapist. They are truly a power couple when it comes to helping youth in crisis.
He was born in Rexburg, Idaho but grew up in Augusta, Georgia. He was raised in a loving family with strong family values.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Health Psychology from BYU-Idaho. He also spent two years in Brazil and speaks fluent Portuguese.
He worked in sales while going to college and then got a job at Provo Canyon School where he gained valuable experience.
Couples like the Evans make Ozark Trails Academy a part of their life and passion. They also model a happy and loving marriage relationship for our students. Austin says this about working at Ozark, “I enjoy the variation in the work here as well as the challenges and opportunity to build relationships and give back to others.”
When he is not at the Academy he loves to hike, backpack, play with and collect LEGO, and study/learn new things.
Morgan Hamblin
Equine Therapy Facilitator
Morgan plans, coordinates, and executes our equine program activities while coaching students in individual behavior awareness and daily living skills. She organizes and helps lead group activities such as animal husbandry, gardening, peer culture, caving, river safety, nature trips, horseback/trail rides, and team bonding activities. She adds personal experience as a former client and suggestions to improve our program every day!
Morgan believes that anybody will and could benefit from engaging in understanding themselves better through several modalities of mental health treatment. Behavior awareness and application are critical to one’s happiness and feelings of success. She personally enjoys the humbling experience of working with animals as they mirror and expose areas of herself and others that need improvement and attention. She believes in encouraging a person’s strength and personal power by inviting and tasking them with in the moment confrontation to the things that they avoid progressing in and are unconfident about. She does this by coaching them and showing them, that they are capable of overcoming and thriving through their own step by step success and goal achievement.
Morgan has been involved with several volunteer therapeutic riding centers and worked at ranches for seven years. She enjoys training horses to be ridden and in specialized modes like jumping, barrel racing, pole bending, trails, and overall cattle horse. She enjoys spending my time at home with her family of nine dogs, four cats, a horse, and a plethora of rabbits, chickens, pigs that sje raises. She recently married her husband Hunter and they are expecting our first child in March. She values her role in her own life and others’ lives, and strives to be outstanding every day. She loves working with animals and youth of all ages. She aspires to be a certified full-time Equine Therapist and run her own training and treatment center revolving around personal accountability and empathy.
Chris Mantell
Chief Financial Officer
Chris is the CFO of Ozark Trails. He manages and oversees the financials and operations for the organization. Chris helps to handle the insurance between Client’s and the facility.
Chris played football and lacrosse at Southern Virginia University where he met his now his wife, Alison. They moved out to Utah where he continued studies at Utah State University. While in Utah, Chris started his career in medical administration and grew a passion for the industry.
He loves being a part of the Ozark Trails team where teen lives are changed and a greater purpose is being served. He sees the vision for Ozark Trails as innovative and revolutionary for the industry. Chris and Alison have five children. They enjoy family movie nights and being active by playing sports.
Desiree Jones
Primary Coach
Dez and Micah came to Ozark Trails As one of several couples who decided to make Ozark Trails a team effort. For these couples Ozark Trails is not just a job it is a way of life.
These couples make sacrifices because they love the mission of healing families.
Desiree is the wife of Micah Jones our Assistant program director. Dez was born In Brooklyn, New York and when she was young her family moved to Long Island. After school she moved to Utah to attend the University. That is where she met Micah her husband.
Micah says
“Dez Is the right amount of spicy and sweet. That’s what makes her so good with the Ozark students. They really love her.”
She is currently doing online school with Utah Valley University majoring in psychology. She comes to Ozark with various kinds of work experience. Most recently she worked in daycare. She loves kids and teens. Desiree not only knows the principles of relationships taught in the anatomy of peace but she lives them in her daily life. She does a great job of holding boundaries but also has a passion for caring for “the one”. Building relationships that are meaningful help facilitate change in the students.
When she is not at the facility working for Ozark Trails she can be found reading good books and cooking good food. Her favorite thing is to hang out with Micah and the twins. She and Micah also serve the children and youth in their church.
Katherine Bruns
Yoga Instructor and Massage Therapist
Certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor, Personal Trainer, Spinning Instructor, Certified and Licensed Massage Therapist.
Kathie loves coaching our clients, as well as leading them in Trauma-Informed Yoga Groups, Progressive Muscle Relaxation Groups, Recreational Activities, Exercise Activities, and working individually with clients utilizing Touch Therapy Techniques – non-invasive massage techniques, such as hand massage – to reacquaint clients to touch in a safe environment.
Kathie’s personal philosophy with our clients is recognizing their individual needs emotionally, educationally, and physically – and offering guidance and encouragement to be the best selves they can be.
Kathie has over 25 years of experience guiding clients in the area of health and wellness. She has also raised one child and fostered another, and has personal experience with teens with traumatic life experiences. She has overcome, and continues to work with past trauma, which provides her with a personal understanding, and compassion for the experiences of others.
Joseph Ostergren
Weekend Manager
AS Administration of Justice – Shasta College, Redding, CA
Joe approaches his work with love and kindness. He wants to see kids being kids and learning life lessons that they are able to use as healthy adults.
He loves working with kids and young adults. He has over 25 years of work experience working with at-risk youth. He has also had 58 foster children placed in his home through the years, of which, he has adopted four. Joe also has a photography business, and many of the beautiful pictures parents receive of their students were taken by Joe.
Larry Williams
Academic Director
Larry has worked in the education field for over 20 plus years. He received his master’s in education in 2008. Larry brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with education as he has worked in the education department as a teacher, administrator, and director. Larry also brings experience working with adolescents in a treatment setting. He and his wife have experience as family teachers and a house parent with boys’ town. He was a director at a local children’s crisis center for five years. Larry worked as a teacher and administrator for an alternative school doing this for three years.
Larry brings rounded and extensive experience to our academics with an obvious passion for helping adolescents. We are thrilled to have Larry on our team, assisting and creating academic success.
Scott Salvesen
Quality Assurance and Compliance Coordinator, Internship Coordinator
MS Tourism and Recreation Management – University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
BS Outdoor Recreation Management – Utah Valley University, Orem, UT
Scott comes to us with a strong business background, and has worked in many different settings, including multi-million dollar start-ups. He grew up in South Africa, and moved to the USA as a teenager. Scott’s passion for the outdoors started as a child, where he frequently visited the African veld with his family. These experiences would shape his love of the outdoors and travel. Scott has worked in outdoor settings for over 8 years, and has worked with youth or in educational settings for 4 of those years. In his role, he ensures that our program is following all industry standards, and is determined to have our program be counted among the best in the world.
In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, watching movies, reading books, and doing anything involving water.
Sadie Young
Admissions Director
Sadie was born and raised in Utah and has been around the treatment program industry her whole life. She developed a passion for psychology and working with teenagers when she was practically a teenager herself.
Sadie started her first job in treatment in 2010 in pursuit of her passion. She has a natural talent and insight for working with struggling teenagers. She started working as support staff and later designed training protocols for that department. She knew early on that this was her career path of choice, so she went to school to earn a degree in psychology.
Sadie started working in program admissions in 2015. “I love answering the phone or responding to an email of a parent searching for help and hope and being able to tell them they’ve called the right place!” She has been with Ozark since the ground break in 2020.
“When I visited the facility just before the opening, I was blown away by the healing power the surrounding nature and environment could provide. I knew it was going to change lives and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. There is something magical about the Ozark Mountains.”
When Sadie is not working at Ozark Trails she enjoys, baking fancy desserts, health, and fitness, and having fun with her husband, kids, and two yellow labs.
Chelsie Rodeback
Admissions Specialist
Chelsie Skye Rodeback has been working in treatment since 2019. She has three spirited children and a loving husband. She grew up in Salt Lake City and loves to escape to rural Southern Utah as often as she can to visit family. When she isn’t working you can find her anywhere there is live music and sunshine.
Chelsie’s passion for working with adolescents comes from her own struggles being a rebellious teenager and having low confidence in the classroom. Chelsie believes that it is a gift to receive treatment at a young age and brings that message to the teens with whom she works. “If I had received help in school at that age, it would have helped my self-esteem immensely.”
Chelsie’s past experience has been working as “front line staff” in positions of Support Staff and Case Management. These are positions where she interacted daily with the students as a leader and mentor.
She enjoyed watching students grow from their first days in the program, all the way to graduation. On graduation days, she was usually misty-eyed “this is why I do this job!” Chelsie also co-facilitated several groups including addictions 12-step program, Stages of Change, and Why Try curriculum. As a certified teacher in AEGIS (safety and crisis intervention) she led training for staff to better handle high-stress situations and skills to properly de-escalate clients.
She believes in change, and that the students CAN recover from trauma. Chelsie has a passion for the skills taught at Ozark Trails and uses those principles in her own personal life.
Chelsie has always connected with the parents of the students with whom she worked and enjoyed helping them acclimate to the program. It was always a goal to move into an admissions position to better help parents with struggling teens. Chelsie joined the Ozark Admissions Team in 2022, where she brings a new perspective with her knowledge from working on “the front line” with the students face to face each day.
Chelsie loves the opportunity that comes with treatment in the beautiful Ozark mountains. “Some of my favorite experiences are kayaking the river and watching the fireflies at dusk.”
Victoria Howerton
Nurse
Victoria enjoys being somewhat adventurous and appreciates variety. Her scariest professional experience took place long before she became a nurse: one month as an English Summer Camp Teacher in Madrid, Spain, with 26 students, ages 6 to 12. There were no books, no computers, no air conditioning, no teaching assistant, and no bean bags. Survival Rate: 100%. Besides an ASN from Missouri State University in West Plains, Victoria holds a BA in Latin American Studies, a BJ in journalism, and an MA in Spanish, all from University of Missouri-Columbia.
While living in Washington, D.C., she worked as an HIV/AIDS educator for La Salud, as a housing coordinator for Adelante Advocacy Inc., and as coordinator of HIV/AIDS outreach at National Council of La Raza. Victoria has served as a Spanish interpreter in courtrooms, hospitals, and police departments, and she interpreted for former Ecuadorian president Rodrigo Borja when he visited Columbia, Missouri, in 2005. She has taught Spanish at MU and at North Arkansas College, and her journalism, editorials, translations, book reviews, and interviews have appeared in a variety of newspapers and journals.
Her greatest achievement is raising two high spirited daughters who are now adults and still on speaking terms with their mother.
