BARBARA BENNETT
MSN, RN, LNC, CARN-AP, LCAS, CEOBarbara Bennett oversees Pavillon’s daily operations as Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Bennett served for 9 years as the Chief Operating Officer at Pavillon prior to her appointment as CEO. Previously she was the Executive Director of the NC Caring Dental Professionals Program, a state-wide advocacy and monitoring program for dental professionals. Ms. Bennett has also been an administrator over a behavioral health services division within a healthcare system, providing a full continuum of psychiatric and substance use disorder services.
Her career includes 10 years of teaching in higher educational venues at the University of Kentucky and Western Carolina University. She has several articles and chapters published in refereed health journals, books and clinical publications. Ms. Bennett has a Chemical Dependency Certificate from Union College in Kentucky, is a Certified Addictions Registered Nurse- Advanced Practice (CARN-AP) nurse and also a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS) in North Carolina.
KENT SPEAR
CFOAs Chief Financial Officer, Kent oversees all financial operations for Pavillon. His responsibilities include overseeing financial planning/forecasting, establishing of financial policies/procedures, risk management, banking and investment relationships, as well as providing daily financial oversight.
A graduate of Western Michigan University, Kent began his career in public accounting at BDO USA, LLC in Grand Rapids, MI. He has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, most recently, as financial controller for Reid Health, in Richmond, IN.
BRIAN COON
MA, LCAS, CCS, MACBrian is Pavillon’s Chief Clinical Officer. He received both his undergraduate degree in psychology and his master’s degree in community-clinical psychology from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Brian began his full-time clinical work with substance use disorders during his graduate internship in 1988. Following his graduate internship he worked with a focus on primary substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions in roles ranging from clinician, to clinical supervisor, and manager of multiple treatment programs. Brian came to Pavillon in 2008 and served as Clinical Director for ten years beginning in 2011. His current duties include ongoing development of organization-wide clinical programing, clinical staff education, internal and external training, outcome evaluation, research and publication. Brian assists in direction of Pavillon’s organization-wide clinical services, including the evaluation and treatment of the medical, legal, and other professionals served at Pavillon. He is a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, Certified Clinical Supervisor, and nationally credentialed as a Master Addiction Counselor. His clinical background is in cognitive-behavioral psychology and evidence-based treatment of co-occurring disorders in various residential and outpatient modalities and levels of care.
TRUDY AVERY
Development OfficerAs Pavillon’s Development Officer, Trudy oversees all of its’ fundraising programs, which helps to support our patients along with their family members. Trudy brings over two decades of development experience to Pavillon, including the past ten years in the substance use field. She received her BA from SUNY Excelsior College and has a graduate certificate in Meeting Management from Bentley University.
In addition to her professional career, Trudy sits on several boards, including the Let’s Give It Up Foundation, MOAR (Massachusetts Organization of Addiction Recovery) and the Aids Support Group of Cape Cod. She is also a member of the National Institute of Health’s HEAL Study, Faces and Voices of Recovery, Bourne Substance Free Coalition, Barnstable County Regional Substance Use Council and has testified both at the state and federal level on mental health parity and access to substance use treatment.
Trudy and her husband, Rick, live on Cape Cod and are the parents of four sons. As a very grateful mother of a son in long-term recovery, Trudy’s passion is reflected in every aspect of her work.
NENA BUTTERFIELD
RN, BSN, PhDNena obtained her PhD in Experimental Psychology from University of Bristol in England in 2010 in the field of executive function in children with autism. She completed a 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Alabama where she assisted in diagnostics at the Alabama Autism Clinic, managed the University of Alabama Intellectual Disabilities Participant Registry, and was formally trained in grant writing for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In 2012, at the conclusion of her postdoctoral fellowship, she returned to her stomping grounds in Western Carolina. As an adult child of addiction and someone with a keen interest in the clinical side of psychology, she joined the Pavillon Admissions Team in 2012. After 2 years working in Admissions and as The Director of the Children of Addiction Program at Pavillon she worked as a Director of Behavioral Modification and Family Support Services at a Community Mental Health Center in Greenville, SC for 2 years while pursuing a BSN at USC Upstate.
She worked as a Psychiatric RN for the last 4 years in various departments. Most recently, she worked in urban areas of Massachusetts, with a focus on emergency mental healthcare and crisis intervention for homeless populations suffering from substance use and mental health disorders. She brings 15 years of behavioral health and research experience upon her return to Pavillon, where she now works as Director of Resource Development and Community Relations. Nena’s current topics of research interest and investment include examining patterns of cognition and intelligence in physicians suffering from addiction, the impact of adverse childhood events on addiction outcomes and co-occurring mental health disorders, and how information from clinical data surrounding these topics informs high quality care moving forward. In collaboration with Pavillon’s Innovation, Training, and Research Department, Nena contributes to authorship of peer reviewed articles, original experimental work, and presentation of findings on these topics on a national level.
Nena grew up in Polk County, NC and is dedicated to community outreach and enriching quality of life, especially for the underserved populations, of Polk and surrounding Western Carolina counties. She is currently pursuing her Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) and looks forward to contributing to Pavillon’s clinical, development, and community outreach goals for the future.
DENISE KAGAN
PhD, Clinical PsychologistDenise Kagan received her master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology at Adelphi University’s Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies in Garden City, NY. She completed her internship at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset NY; she went on to complete pre-doctoral fellowships at both SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn NY and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Boston MA before completing an intensive four-year post-doctoral fellowship at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge MA. Her post-doctoral training focused on intensive psychodynamic psychotherapy, family and group systems, psychological assessment, and therapeutic milieu treatment with patients considered “treatment-resistant”.
Dr. Kagan served as a psychologist at The Menninger Clinic in Houston TX, on the Professionals In Crisis Unit. She also served as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston TX where she supervised post-doctoral psychology students.
Her work at Pavillon includes working across all therapeutic programs towards initial assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning for all patients, as well as consulting to the multi-disciplinary treatment teams. She also conducts psychological testing, provides group lectures, and conducts individual and group therapy.
NICOLE MCLEAN
LCMHCS, CCS, LCASNicole is Director of Community Clinical Services. Prior to her current role she managed both Primary and Extended Care treatment programs. Her current duties include provision of clinical supervision and assisting in direction of the evaluation and treatment of professionals within Pavillon’s outpatient services. Before joining Pavillon, Nicole had nine years of experience in outpatient services and private practice, in both primary mental health and primary substance use disorders. She has served a variety of populations that include military families, adults and children/adolescents. Nicole received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Master of Arts degree in Counseling. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor, Certified Clinical Supervisor and a Licensed Certified Addictions Specialist. She specializes in working with adults who are dealing with addiction, anxiety, codependency, relationship issues, and other life stressors. Nicole has specific training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Gestalt Therapy.
RHETT OWENSBY
LCMHCA, LCASRhett serves as Manager of Pavillon’s Young Men’s Program in Mill Spring, NC. He began his career in the recovery field working as a Recovery Coach while completing his Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Upon completion of his studies at Gardner Webb University, Rhett has taken his personal experiences and passion for working with young adults into the continued development of the Young Men’s Program. Rhett believes the power of community will help people achieve their personal goals. He embodies Pavillon’s commitment to individualized care by providing young men with a personalized experience that allows them to grow and affords them the opportunity to flourish in recovery.
CHARLIE DENNIS
MA, LCMHC, LCAS, CSICharlie is Pavillon’s Director of Treatment Services. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2010 and began his clinical career working as a field guide in wilderness therapy in Utah, providing services for adolescents and young adults experiencing co-occurring substance use and mental health disorder. In 2014 he moved back to Chicago to attend graduate school. He earned an MA in Clinical Psychology within a psychodynamically-oriented degree program and a post-graduate certificate in Mindfulness in Psychotherapy. During his graduate training his year-long clinical internship was at the Northern Illinois Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, a community-based provider of substance-related and mental health services, including court referrals from within the county and State criminal justice system. After Charlie completed a year of doctoral work in the PsyD at Roosevelt University, he went a different direction and moved to North Carolina in 2017. Charlie has been with Pavillon since 2017, while he took a short hiatus to revisit working in the wilderness therapy industry, he returned to Pavillon shortly thereafter.
His clinical work focuses on specialized services for professionals (medicine, law, etc.) and young adults. His interests include a focus on program development, integrating technology and clinical support, recovery-oriented systems of care, leadership techniques, styles, and application. Charlie holds an MA in Clinical Psychology, is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC), a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS), and currently a Clinical Supervisor Intern (CSI).
KAYE BENEDUM
RNBC, Director of Nursing and Medical ServicesKaye is our Director of Nursing and Medical Services. She manages an all-RN Nursing Department as well as our physician assistants and coordinates clinical activities for our medical residents in training. A graduate of the University of NC-Greensboro School of Nursing, Kaye holds a National Certification in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. She is a member of the NC Chapter of the International Society of Nurses on Addiction.
Before coming to Pavillon in 2011, she worked in a number of inpatient psychiatric settings serving child, adolescent, and adult populations. She has 33 years of psychiatric and substance use treatment experience.
JAMES “WOLF” YOXALL
MA, CACJames “Wolf” Yoxall, MA, CSC and Ordained Minister, is the Spiritual/Wellness Director at Pavillon, a center for the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD), located in Mill Spring, N.C. Wolf provides spiritual direction and wellness counseling, spiritual group process and lectures on the importance of spirituality and mindfulness practices in SUD treatment. Wolf served as an adjunct professor at Mary Baldwin College in Virginia, teaching in the fields of world religions and Chinese history. Prior to that Wolf served as the Spiritual Director for the Center of Truth and Vision, as Regional Director of an intensive in-home counseling agency and operated a private counseling practice. He is a published author and artist. Wolf is certified in Outdoor Education, Martial Arts and worked extensively with Native American and Chinese cultures. Wolf has been guiding people in all walks of life spiritual guidance and practical wellness applications for over thirty years.
TARA HAMLIN
Joyfully serving Pavillon with over 10 years of continuous service and with over 20+ years of management experience, Tara Hamlin is the Director of Non-Clinical Support Services. Her pursuit of excellence has earned her opportunities in various management positions throughout her career, including the current oversight of such departments as Quality, Admission, Facilities, Housekeeping, Reception, Transportation, and the Recovery Corner Bookstore. With a background in hospitality operations, Tara’s expertise in customer and employee satisfaction benefits the organization as a whole. Her desire to explore new and innovative solutions to challenges is something Tara takes great pride in and she is committed to providing a positive experience for patients, their families, and Pavillon employees.
BRYAN KILBY
My name is Bryan Kilby. I am the Executive Chef of Pavillon International and have been for over 10 years. I have an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts/Baking & Pastry from Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College. I have been a Chef for more than 30 years! I have been married to my wife, Shara, for 20 years and we have two beautiful daughters, Ava, and Lia. I love my job at Pavillon! I love being a part of something bigger, a part of someone’s journey! I enjoy fitness, OCR (Spartan Racing), riding my mountain bike, and autocross racing in my Subaru. Over the last several years I lost 130#s and learned a lot about nutrition and exercise which is incorporated into the weekly menus I write for our patients. My favorite “food thing” to do is smoked meat and I really enjoy making sauces!
AMY LANCASTER
LCSW, LCASAmy began her career with Pavillon in August of 2017 as a continuing care case manager and soon took on additional responsibilities as a counselor and then as Quality Improvement Specialist. She was promoted to her current role of Clinical Support Manager in June of 2022. With previous experience in a variety of substance use treatment settings beginning in 2011 both as a counselor and a program director, she brings a passion for improving systems into her current role. This passion benefits the organization she works for, the field of substance use treatment, and most of all, the individuals in treatment settings. Amy earned her bachelor’s degree in Recreational Therapy from East Carolina University in 2011 and her Master of Social Work degree from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2015. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS), and holds a certificate as Clinical Supervisor Intern (CSI). Her major areas of interest include hiking, reading, traveling, spending time with family, and social justice advocacy.
SUSAN “MAC” SUTHERLAND
SHRM-CPSusan “Mac” Sutherland has been a part of the Pavillon family for 9 years – beginning as the Admissions Manager and later moving into the role of Human Resources Manager, where she has worked for the last 7 years. Mac has a Master’s Degree in Legal Studies and is certified as an SHRM-CP. She is responsible for the overall management of the Human Resources department and strives to provide the highest level of support to Pavillon employees.
Mac enjoys reading, writing, and spending time exploring the beauty of Western North Carolina. She is the parent of two grown children and a granddaughter. Additionally, she loves walking the local trails with her amazing French Bulldog, Lexi Louise.
TOM EDWARDS
Tom has been involved personally and professionally in the addiction treatment and recovery field since 1986. For the past 26 years, he has worked for Pavillon Treatment Center, most specifically with professional monitoring organizations and collegiate professional student communities. Tom was one of the founding members of Pavillon when the center moved to Mill Spring, North Carolina from Canada. Tom has served on the Board of Directors for the Recovery Communities of North Carolina, (RCNC) and currently serves on the Board of Recovery Alliance Initiative. (RAI). Tom’s primary passion and focus is supporting individuals and families in connecting them with the most appropriate treatment and ongoing recovery resources specific to their particular needs.
FRANK SHEHEEN
MSFrank Sheheen has been a SUD professional beginning in 1988. He was named the Addiction Professional of the Year for South Carolina in 2010. He began as volunteer for the SC Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors in 1989. He was named Volunteer of the Year in 2003. He served on the Board for eight years culminating as President for two years.
In 2003 Frank became Director of the SC Recovering Professional Program. He remained in that position until 2018. At the beginning of his tenure as Director, the SCRPP monitored Health Care Professional with a diagnosis of SUD for four professions. The number in monitoring was 225. Over the next 15 years this grew to sixteen professions and 525 in monitoring. Frank has worked in several capacities in the treatment field. After his retirement from SCRPP he joined the Business Development team at Pavillon.
He resides in Columbia, SC with his partner Alice McCrory. Frank has a daughter and a son as well as two grandsons. Frank is an avid bicyclist and rides four to five thousand miles each year.
TOM ROMAN
JDAs a member of Pavillon’s Business Development and Outreach Team, Tom is responsible for building and maintaining the trust that families, referring professionals and behavioral health providers have found at Pavillon. He brings over 30 years of experience working with individuals and families struggling with substance use disorders and mental health issues to his role at Pavillon. In 2002, Tom finally accepted the help he needed to address his own personal struggle with addiction and entered a residential treatment program. Finding sobriety saved his life and his family. In 2004, he transitioned from an active legal practice that focused on children and families impacted by addiction to a more “hands-on role” in behavioral health. He has worked both privately and professionally over the last 19 years in the recovery community and has a passion for promoting attorney wellness. He knows the treatment provided at Pavillon works and that lifelong recovery and true healing can begin when you reach out your hand for help. Tom has personally benefited from his own participation in lawyers’ assistance groups and 12 Step Fellowships and has been active in lawyers’ recovery groups throughout the Mid-Atlantic since 2002. He has served as a volunteer/advisor with the American Bar Association’s Commission on Lawyers Assistance Programs since 2011.
Tom lives with his wife of 26 years, Adeline and is the proud, sober father of sons – Alec and Evan.
Board Members
- Mark Buthman – Chair
- Connie C. Mele – Vice Chair
- Pat Marriott – Secretary
- Lanier Cansler – Treasurer
- Cheryl Kaynard, JD, MPA
- David Truscott
- Julie Huneycutt
- Robert S. Goodale
- Bill Mance
- Bowman Gray, IV
- Keith Wood
- Verla Neslund