Shalaura is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) leader with more than 15 years’ experience implementing employee relations-based business solutions in multi-state, start-up, legacy healthcare and hospitality organizations. She uses a conducive and collaborative approach to sustaining engagement to provide optimal employee encounters. Her philosophy is to support and mitigate risk for companies while ensuring the voice of the employee is highly regarded. She believes that diversity in a company’s leadership is tantamount to a diverse workforce and customer base. In her current role, she is responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of initiatives that promote a climate that fosters inclusion excellence. Shalaura is a member of ForbesBLK, championing a global community of Black entrepreneurs, professionals, leaders and creators that are driving systematic change in business, culture and society.

Kaydeese is a San Diego native who graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Kaydeese was fascinated with the study of I/O psychology, which focuses on how psychology can be used to create a happier and more productive work environment. She has leveraged her experience working in customer service and sales to help create a warm, welcoming space for patients and staff. Kaydeese has worked for Center for Discovery since 2019 and enjoys working closely with patients and their families. She strives to make sure that every person who steps through the doors feels included, safe and heard.

As a Black woman in leadership, Kaydeese believes that representation and understanding at every level is essential to making BIPOC patients and staff feel welcomed and validated in their experiences. She looks forward to creating a more inclusive space for all.

Rasheed has been employed with Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program (DMAP) since August 2011. Before he became an operations specialist, Rasheed was an on-call tech, full-time tech, school liaison and facility manager. Rasheed’s current role is within the Operations department.

Rasheed has always been committed to advancing diversity, equality and inclusion, directly and/or indirectly. Being a Black man, Rasheed said his biggest fear was being judged, misunderstood or labeled based on the color of his skin. Due to that fear, it drove him to be respectful to everyone he encountered regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion or political views. By joining Discovery’s DEI, Rasheed looks forward to working with individuals within this amazing company that share the same views and uphold the same standards as he does.

Karen has been serving as a member of the Clinical Services and Quality Management (CSQM) department team since 2019, specifically as the director of quality management where she oversees policy and procedure development as well as complaints and grievances for DBH.

Karen’s desire to serve on the DEI Committee was to help widen access to services through thoughtful inclusivity. “My hope is for us to grow to a place that promotes, grows and develops a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of our organization for both the patient, employee, leadership and, most importantly, the therapeutic alliance between patient and direct care staff.”

Johnna joined the Cliffside Malibu team in May 2014. She works in the Admissions department as an admissions advisor and the VA liaison. Johnna joined the Admissions department to provide counsel and support to patients suffering from drug and alcohol dependency and to educate families in the best ways to help in the recovery process.  She enjoys her position and cherishes the fact that she can be that soft voice on the other end of the phone guiding patients and their families with hope for a better future.

Johnna states that she is excited to be part of the DEI team and wants to assist in creating an environment that helps every employee be able to show up at work every day without fear of being themselves.

Dane is the executive director of Cliffside Malibu and Authentic Recovery Center (ARC) in Los Angeles, California. With a lifelong commitment to helping others, Dane began his career working in the field of international development after completing his graduate education at Columbia University in New York in 2010. He joined the team at Cliffside Malibu in 2014 and became certified as a drug and alcohol counselor in 2017.

Dane is responsible for the direction of the operations, nursing and alumni departments at Cliffside and ARC. His goal is to ensure that both nationally recognized programs offer patient care of the highest possible quality.

Dane is proud to work on a team that strives for continuous improvement, within an organization that values diversity. He has a passion for helping the team members at Cliffside Malibu and ARC grow and achieve their professional goals.

Alexia joined the Discovery team in 2007 as an outreach representative in the San Diego and Orange County communities. During her time in the field, she developed several key accounts and relationships that significantly contributed to the growth of Discovery programs. In 2010 Alexia was promoted to director of clinical outreach. During that time, Alexia focused on developing a world-class outreach team that served to support professionals who needed patients to access higher levels of care. As national director of clinical outreach, Alexia manages a team focused on ensuring patients are accessing the care they need, professionals are receiving top-notch customer service, and operations is collaborating with referral sources and outreach to ensure continuity of patient care. Alexia has played an instrumental role in Discovery’s growth –from five residential programs to over 100 residential and outpatient eating disorder and mental health programs – in the last 15 years. Her relationships with key behavioral health programs and providers and knowledge of the industry have been influential in identifying regions where behavioral health services are needed.

Alexia has served on the Board of Directors at several non-profit eating disorder organizations including Rock Recovery, a non-profit eating disorder organization providing affordable treatment in the DC Metro region and IAEDP. Throughout her career at Center for Discovery, she has served on a number of IAEDP chapter boards and has assisted the development of several chapters nationwide.

Prior to joining the Discovery, Alexia worked for several years as an account executive and new business development specialist in advertising in San Diego. She garnered experience in brand development, campaign management and execution, and creative strategy. Alexia also has experience teaching children and adolescents from her years as a substitute teacher in the San Diego School District. During her time as a teacher, she spent several months working with junior high school students who were classified as severely emotionally disturbed. It was during this time that her passion for assisting children and adolescents struggling with behavioral health issues ignited.

Alexia earned her bachelor’s degree at University of California, Santa Barbara in political science and English and her master’s degree at San Diego State University in communications with an emphasis in advertising and media. When Alexia is not working, her spare time is devoted to her two children, Jack and Sophie, and her husband Nick. Her family keeps her incredibly busy exploring, teaching and seeing the world through the eyes of little people. When she is able, Alexia enjoys traveling, yoga, reading and enjoying the California sunshine.

James has been working with Discovery Behavioral Health since 2021. Currently, he is regional director of outreach in Texas supporting New Hope Ranch, PaRC and our Texas family of facilities. He started in the field specializing in working with the young adult population. Since that time, he has expanded into being a well-known resource for all things behavioral health nationally. James is inspired to help create and be a part of the solution for those who need help from life’s issues. He has the ability to connect with people where they are at on their journey and support them through tough times. He strives to support his team and work alongside them to provide the best experience to all that they encounter. When James is not at work, he loves spending time with his family, his dog (Luna) and enjoys anything related to physical fitness.

Christina has been with Discovery Behavioral Health since 2019. She currently oversees a team of clinical outreach representatives who focus on helping find treatment for those with primary mental health and substance use disorders. Christina brings 20 years of experience in the medical and behavioral health field and has held multiple leadership roles throughout her sales and marketing career. Christina earned her B.S. in business administration from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a concentration in marketing. Her passion is helping those in need. She is a champion of improving access to care for patients who are struggling with behavioral health issues. Outside of work, Christina loves spending time with her family and her two chocolate labs at the many beautiful beaches in Southern California.