Chief Executive Officer

Laurie is an accomplished nonprofit executive with more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit behavioral health field. Her previous executive positions with the Center include, Division Director/Residential Program, Division Director/Non-Public School, Vice President of Operations, IT, Finance and Accounting. Laurie served as the Chief Operations Officer from July 2008 to August 2010 before taking the CEO position in September 2010. Laurie earned her Bachelor’s degree from the California State University at Chico. In her role as CEO Laurie is responsible for running all facets of the business, as well program development with the Board of Directors.

Chief Program Officer

Pronouns: She, her, and hers

Amy has worked at River Oak since 1999. A licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, she received her M.A. from Fuller Seminary School of Psychology. Amy is a graduate of Class III of the Sierra Health Foundation’s Health Leadership Program (HLP). As the Chief Program Officer she oversees the provision of clinical services in both divisions and monitors contract compliance. Collaborating with community partners and maintaining an effective interface with a referral network are also primary responsibilities.

Chief Information Officer

Scott received a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management from California State University, Sacramento in 1994. He joined River Oak in 1995, serving in a number of positions before becoming Director of Business Support and Operations in 2006. In this role, Scott is responsible for the oversight of River Oak’s information technology, facilities, and business support departments and serves as the HIPPA Security Officer. He also helps to develop and implement agency-wide policies as a member of the Executive Management Team.

Chief Financial Officer

Kathleen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Accounting from California State University, Stanislaus. She also possesses a CPA license issued by the California State Board of Accountancy. She has achieved more than10 years accounting and financial reporting experience in the healthcare industry. She joined River Oak as Controller in 2013 and is responsible for the successful oversight and direction of the Agency’s Accounting Department and proper and accurate recordkeeping/reporting.

Chief Operations Officer

Roland has a Masters of Social Work degree from California State University, Sacramento and a career that includes program development, collaboration and executive management for nonprofits focusing on the health and well-being of children and families. Roland joined River Oak in 2012 and is responsible for the development and implementation of the Quality Management and Compliance Plan to include maintaining accreditation by the Joint Commission, HIPAA privacy and risk management, utilization review, evaluation and outcome monitoring of individual programs and evidence-based practices.

Integrated Therapeutic Services Division Director

Pronouns: She, her, and hers

Dr. Traxler has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oregon. She previously served as the child and family specialist in a rural mental health clinic, supervised psychological evaluations of youth to help them prevent re-arrest, and managed several programs at River Oak since 2002. Dr. Traxler oversees services in our Flexible Integrated Treatment (FIT) Division, with a culturally responsive, inclusive, strength-based leadership style. She champions best practices within the context of youths’ and families’ personal value systems. She provides trainings on ethics and boundaries, treatment of anxiety disorders, and more. She coordinates the agency post-graduate practicum and internship programs for MFT, SW, PhD, and PsyD students.

Intensive Community Based Services Division Director

Pronouns: She, her, and hers

Rene is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and received her Master’s in Counseling at the University of Phoenix. Previously, Rene served as the Clinical Director in a community non-profit organization and has direct experience working with clients identified with Co-Occurring Disorders. Joining the River Oak team in 2017, Rene has direct oversight of the daily operations in our Juvenile Justice Diversion and Treatment Program, (JJDTP) and our Wraparound Program. Rene ensures client centered services are utilized throughout the treatment process and promotes a “whatever it takes” philosophy for all individuals.

Integrated Therapeutic Services Division Director

Pronouns: She, her, and hers

Betty has worked at River Oak since 2004 across multiple programs.  Betty is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who obtained her M.A. in Counseling Psychology at the University of San Francisco. Betty has extensive experience working with the 0-6 population and more recently working with youth connected to child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Betty is trained and certified in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT).  Betty provides clinical oversight for specialized therapies for post-traumatic stress disorders and day to day operations of the North Integrated Therapeutic Services Division.