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Vanessa Wilder, LCMHCS, LCAS-A
Clinical Director
Vanessa has been working as a liaison, advocate, and community support working with youth and adults for over 18 years. Vanessa began her journey as a behavioral support technician in 2007. Since, Vanessa has completed her Bachelor's degree at Peace College, later completing her Master's degree at Liberty University.
As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and a Certified Forensic Evaluator. Vanessa is also certified in Trauma Focused Therapy and provisionally licensed as a Clinical Addiction's Specialist. Vanessa has worked as a direct support, clinical coordinator, community based supervisor, outpatient therapist, and clinical director. Vanessa also provides Clinical Supervision for provisionally licensed clinical mental health counselors.
Vanessa has dedicated her life to helping others in any capacity she can, building upon strengths and developing areas of weaknesses. Vanessa has supported in developing youth emotionally and professionally, and supported parents through educational programs including Triple P Parenting.
Vanessa enjoys spending time with loved ones, traveling, and identifying opportunities for others' to thrive.
LaRonn Zimmerman
Director of Operations
Zimmerman is a dynamic, mission-driven individual with a strong foundation in behavioral support, team leadership, and youth development. He brings over a decade of experience guiding individuals toward personal growth through structured support, mentorship, and evidence-based programming. With a background as a behavioral support specialist and a respected athletic coach at both the prep school and professional levels, Zimmerman is known for fostering discipline, resilience, and teamwork in youth and young adults.
Zimmerman’s passion reflects a deep commitment to accountability, collaboration, and community impact. He successfully founded and led a community-based youth mentorship group focused on life skills, academic support, and emotional regulation, further solidifying his role as a trusted advocate for underserved populations. Zimmerman brings strategic insight, operational excellence, and a deep passion for empowering individuals and strengthening communities through mental health services.
Outside of his professional responsibilities, Zimmerman is a dedicated family man. He finds balance and renewal through football, which remains a lifelong passion and personal outlet. Whether coaching on the field or watching a game with his family, football continues to fuel his drive, discipline, and connection to community. Zimmerman's ability to blend professional excellence with personal grounding makes him a relatable and impactful leader in the field.
Emily Hodge
Director of Operations
Emily serves as the Director of Operations at our agency, bringing over a decade of experience in community support services. Known for her compassionate leadership and commitment to excellence, Emily is deeply passionate about creating accessible, person-centered care that uplifts individuals and strengthens communities. Emily's background reflects a long-standing dedication to supporting underserved populations through collaborative, outcomes-driven service delivery.
Beyond her professional role, Emily is a devoted mother who finds joy and creativity in everyday moments with her family. She enjoys DIY projects with her children, often turning weekends into hands-on learning and bonding experiences. A lifelong basketball fan, she values the teamwork and discipline the game instills—qualities that she brings into her leadership style every day. Emily’s ability to balance operational oversight with heartfelt connection makes her an integral part of our mission and a trusted support to both staff and clients alike.
Jamila Battle, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Jamila Battle, MD is a triple board-certified physician with specialties in family medicine, sleep medicine, and addiction medicine. Her extensive medical expertise is complemented by a deep, personal understanding of trauma and resilience, which has shaped her mission to help individuals and families achieve full restoration of their emotional, physical, and mental health.
Raised amidst the challenges of a traumatic upbringing, Dr. Battle’s journey fuels her passion for restorative health. Despite these early hardships, she defied the odds and reclaimed her sense of inner strength and balance. She graduated from Duke University with her undergraduate degree, earned her medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and completed her residency at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She returned to North Carolina as a Consulting Associate at Duke University. Throughout her career, Dr. Battle has honed a holistic, patient-centered approach, believing that true healing involves addressing the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.
Dr. Battle’s leadership extends beyond clinical practice. Having transitioned from direct care to healthcare leadership, she is now a visionary on strategic initiatives to improve the integration of multidisciplinary care. Her philosophy aligns with a comprehensive approach to addressing trauma, addiction, physical and emotional/mental health while utilizing digital health solutions and innovative care models. In her prior roles, she has demonstrated a strong ability to collaborate on patient-centered, cost-effective, and outcome-driven strategies to optimize care delivery. She has led teams in digital health and is a strong advocate for value-based care models. Dr. Battle’s deep understanding of trauma-informed care and patient-centered approaches brings a unique lens to her leadership style.
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Nadia Forte
Qualified Professional
Nadia Forte is a compassionate and strategic professional with deep roots in the healthcare industry and a heart for service. With over 20 years of experience leading support teams, she’s helped organizations streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and support underserved communities, especially through roles focused on patient advocacy and access to care.
Nadia’s leadership style is hands-on and empathetic, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and accountability. She’s led high-performing teams across healthcare, customer success, and operations, always keeping people at the center of her work.
Equally passionate about innovation, Nadia thrives in startup environments where she can build, adapt, and help teams grow from the ground up. Whether she’s implementing a new ticketing system or helping uninsured patients gain access to critical medications, she brings heart, hustle, and a deep sense of purpose to everything she does.
Erich MacLaren, LCMHC-A
Therapist
Erich is a licensed clinical mental health counselor associate (LCMHC-A). He received his Batchelor of Arts (B.A). in psychology from North Carolina State University in 2013 and his Masters in Education (M.Ed) in school counseling also from North Carolina State University in 2022. The past few years he started his counseling journey working within multiple school districts as a school counselor. Passionate about working with
children mostly adolescent ages but also looking forward to working with all people and backgrounds in this role.
Erich primarily has experience theoretically from person/client centered counseling and solution focused counseling. He also looks at different theories to create a holistic approach to counseling and is very open to different theories/approaches in counseling.
When not counseling Erich enjoys spending time with friends and family. Erich also is very much into sports and still plays a few and attends sporting events; mostly rooting for any NC State sport and his home state of Arizona professional teams.
Ken Wolf, LCSW-A
Therapist
Ken Wolf is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate. He holds Master’s degrees in Social Work from the University of Southern California and in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
As a therapist, Ken believes in meeting people exactly where they are in life. He understands that reaching out for help is a vulnerable act, and he strives to offer compassion, patience, and gentle guidance. Ken believes each person carries inner strengths that can be used to navigate current or long-standing challenges, heal from trauma, and move toward a more fulfilling life.
He has experience working with teens facing alienation and thoughts of running away, as well as individuals who have survived domestic violence and sexual assault.
Outside of counseling, Ken enjoys the outdoors, biking with his dog Red, and photography.