Our talented alumni team members are here for you. Each one is committed to using their skills and personal experience to provide alumni of all MBH programs with ongoing resources and education while helping them find community and support to empower them to continue the work they began during treatment.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Aleah Johnson earned her undergraduate degree from Washington State University in leadership and professional studies with an emphasis on event design. Prior to joining the Meadows Behavioral Healthcare team, she worked as an event planner, where weddings and social gatherings were her specialty. It was only after she found that planning parties and being the life of the party went hand in hand with addiction for her, that she knew it was time to seek help. Through her own recovery journey, Johnson felt there had to be a higher purpose for her life and work.
Wanting to make a change, she applied for a job with MBH, packed what she could fit in her car, and headed for Arizona. Now she channels those event planning skills into recovery-related events and programs. Being able to spend time with alumni after they complete treatment, hearing about their accomplishments, and helping them overcome setbacks are highlights of the job. Johnson’s primary focuses are connection and community, using those to provide safe places and platforms for alum from any of our programs to be able to gain knowledge and connect with others to be successful on their recovery journey.
Joining MBH is January 2022, Rachele Rogers is originally from Omaha, Nebraska, but she grew up in Colorado before moving to San Diego for high school and college. She earned a BA in psychology from San Diego State University then became a manager in the hospitality industry in 2005.
Looking for a change from the hotel business and always passionate about helping people, the role of alumni outreach specialist seemed like a perfect fit for Rogers. Today, she works with the management team to implement initiatives that increase company visibility within the alumni community, providing support for their recovery journey.
Married, with four dogs, Rogers enjoys yoga, reading, sewing and anything outside, from “Jeeping” and gardening to nature walks, kayaking, and more.
Deena Harless has called many places home. She was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina and raised in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida before spending two decades in Anchorage, Alaska. She then moved to Texas in 2019 to support her recovery journey. After studying at Northwest Florida State, Harless spent 20 years working with individuals with disabilities. In recovery since August 2018, she is a Meadows alum herself, and a 2022 “What’s Your Story?” motivational speaker. Joining the MBH staff in 2020 as a behavioral health tech, she moved over to the Alumni team in 2022. As an alumni outreach specialist, Harless focuses on alumni outreach, virtual groups (Power of Words in Recovery and Become Recovery Comfortable), facilitating Recovery Enhancement groups, and facilitating the Friday afternoon lectures at The Meadows Texas.
A mother of three and grandmother to three more, Harless admits she is easily distracted by dogs and Jeeps, and she’s obsessed with her dog, Buddy. She also enjoys hiking, swimming, reading, and is extremely passionate about working with Alumni and their recovery.
Born and raised in Southern California, Angie Milius studied at Mt. San Antonio College and Citrus College and is a licensed administrator for adult residential facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities. After more than two decades in that field, she was looking for a new challenge and joined the Meadows team in 2023, initially as an administrative assistant The Meadows Outpatient Center-Scottsdale. Now, as an alumni outreach specialist, Milius oversees commencement ceremonies at The Meadows, Claudia Black Young Adult Center, Willow House, and Gentle Path, as well as helping alumni with aftercare resources and organizing events.
Happily married since 1997, she and her husband have one teenage daughter, adopted at birth. Downtime is spent hanging out with family, playing with their four dogs and two cats, and pursuing hobbies that include photography, crafts, and baking.
Coastal Oregon native Chris Conlee holds a BA in business and a BS in exercise science from The College of Idaho. He really wanted to find a job where he could really help people and not just sell them something, so, knowing Meadows Behavioral Healthcare’s reputation for helping change lives, he joined the MBH team in early 2023. In his role as an alumni outreach specialist, Conlee assists with on-campus commencement ceremonies at our Arizona campuses. He also helps alumni navigate finding help and support beyond treatment.
Married with two kids, Conlee enjoys coaching, hunting, fishing, and gardening. He also loves interacting with people and listening to their journey.
A certified recovery coach, Kirk Hamilton grew up in Michigan and earned a business degree from Western Michigan University. An airborne infantry platoon leader during the Vietnam era, his professional career was made up of a series of positions in the auto industry, including for General Motors and as an independent sales agent. Hamilton joined the Alumni team at MBH in 2022, where he works with those who’ve completed the Gentle Path program. He also visits that campus regularly to share his experience dealing with life at home after sex addiction treatment and facilitates a weekly call on the same subject.
Married with two daughters and five grandkids, he enjoys weightlifting and cycling, while reading and recovery are also a huge part of his life.
Arizona native Lisa Steele graduated from Arizona State University (forks up!) summa cum laude with a BS in behavioral sciences before earning a master’s in social work-advanced clinical practice. An independently Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), her certifications include Certified Partner Trauma Therapist (CPTT), Post Induction Therapy (PIT), and IITAP Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT). Steele worked for the Phoenix VA Healthcare System in various social worker roles, and as a clinician and in-home therapist.
After raising her children, she wanted to find something where she could assist others in removing obstacles in their lives. She joined the MBH team in 2018, originally as a Family Therapist at Gentle Path before transitioning to the Alumni program. In her role as an alumni outreach specialist, Steele develops and facilitates alumni support groups and provides consultation for program development. Married for 25 years, she has six adult children and enjoys kayaking, traveling, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Anne McQuaid joined MBH back in 1999 as a family therapist before becoming a primary therapist and eventually going on to work in the Alumni program. A graduate of Ottawa University, she holds a bachelor’s degree in human services and a master’s in professional counseling as well as two chemical dependency certificates.
Originally from Mankato, Minnesota, McQuaid has served as a family counselor at Phoenix Shanti, a center for people living with HIV/AIDS, and Dignity Program, designed for prostitutes who have been arrested and choose to participate in a self-help program in lieu of serving jail time. She has also been part of Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, a program to allow the daughters of incarcerated women to belong to a Girl Scout troop and visit their mothers in jail.
Growing up in an alcoholic, dysfunctional home, McQuaid says she developed her own dysfunctional behaviors. Many years of personal therapy left her wanting to give back. She’s spent her career doing just that, and her current role allows her to connect with alumni from all over the world and to assist them in connecting with each other.
Passionate about wanting to empower people to be able to connect with themselves and have a voice, McQuaid has many other passions as well. Divorced with two grown children and two granddaughters, she enjoys reading, paint by number, watching TV, and attending concerts, plays, and movies.