Introducing the Dragonfly Team of Professionals

Glenn White — Program Director/Founder/Co-Owner

Glenn, a graduate of Old Dominion University with a B.S. degree in Education and Outdoor Recreation, is also a certified Wilderness First Responder and has over twenty years experience leading wilderness trips on both coasts of the United States, as well as in Alaska, Mexico, and Tanzania. He has designed and implemented adventure programming for college students, corporate management teams, high schools, the general public, and has extensive experience working with troubled adolescents in the outdoors.

Glenn’s knack for building community and helping students discover meaning in their lives is central to the Dragonfly curriculum. Having struggled himself as a young adult, Glenn found his calling helping young people rediscover themselves, take responsibility for their lives, and find their own unique path. He motivates and inspires young adults using an insight-oriented approach that allows students to discover themselves, articulating their own beliefs, values, gifts and strengths.

In addition to mentoring students and staff, Glenn manages the day-to-day Dragonfly operations and is responsible for staff training. He also guides students and families on wilderness journeys.

Mona Treadway, MSW, CADC I— Treatment Coordinator & Admissions Director & Co-Owner/Founder

Mona is a graduate of Portland State University with a Masters in Social Work and a graduate of Prescott College with a B.A. in Human Development and Wilderness Leadership. She has worked with a variety of populations, including women survivors of breast cancer and Native Alaskan teenagers dealing with substance abuse issues. Mona has led therapeutic wilderness trips, taught college level outdoor courses and wilderness skills such as rock climbing, skiing, kayaking, glacier travel, and backpacking. Her graduate internships included work at Hospice, a drug and alcohol outpatient program and as a counselor at Oregon Institute of Technology. While at OIT she received training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Suicide Assessment and Prevention.

Mona loves working with people and is a natural-born therapist with a knack for helping young adults "let go" and accept their situation so that they can begin building meaningful lives. Mona has a clear understanding of family dynamics and an ability to help families move from crisis into stability.

Mona manages treatment coordination, admissions, marketing and accounting and is responsible for Dragonfly's family program.

Jennifer Mason, M.A. — Therapist for Dragonfly Transitions

Jennifer received her M.A in counseling psychology from Lewis and Clark College. She received a B.S in nursing from Linfield College. She has over twelve years of experience working with "at risk" and traumatized youth and families. Jennifer sees her practice through the lense of the family systems model. She believes that family of origin work can be very powerful and revealing in self discovery. Jennifer approaches her work objectively, meeting her client's where they are, and empowering them to guide their own treatment. Jennifer has worked in schools, in residential programs, in the court system as an expert witness, and in clinic settings with youth and families. She has extensive training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Collaborative Problem Solving, Seeking Safety Suicide Assessment and Treatment, and Understanding and Treating Those Who Harm Themselves. Jennifer is eclectic in nature and will often try many different approaches to help clients find success. One size certainly does not fit all!

Jennifer was raised in the Klamath County on a working cattle ranch. She is returning to the area after seventeen years away. She enjoys yoga, hiking, traveling, great music and spending time with friends and family. She is excited to be back in town and to be joining the Dragonfly team.

Sharon Melnick, M.D. — Psychiatrist/ Medical and Clinical Director

Dr. Sharon Melnick has provided psychiatric services to Dragonfly Adventures since it’s inception and became the Medical Director in January, 2005. As Medical Director, Dr. Melnick provides psychiatric oversight to the program and Transitions students, including psychiatric evaluations, medication management, group therapy, psychotherapy, five element acupuncture and staff training. Dr. Melnick’s program involvement goes beyond the traditional office visit that typically occurs in most therapeutic schools and programs. She interacts with psychiatrists and therapists who have previously worked with Transitions students to gain insights that can be incorporated into the work the student does here at Dragonfly. Dr. Melnick’s focus is bio-psychosocial and spiritual, using medications not to “fix” the problem, but rather to decrease symptoms so that the individual can continue his/her work of healing, growth and development. Dr. Melnick interacts with students on their level, using plain language to help a student experience themselves in a new light.

Dr. Melnick is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and has worked extensively with adolescents and young adults. She completed a psychiatry residency at UCLA/San Fernando Valley, with additional training at the Los Angeles Family Therapy Institute and the Los Angeles Jung Institute. Before practicing in Klamath Falls, Dr. Melnick was Assistant Training Director at the UCLA/SFV Psychiatry Training Program, had a private practice of psychiatry and psychotherapy in both California and Montana, and worked with Clackamas County Mental Health outside of Portland, Oregon.

Kate Gillespie — Transitions Mentor & Wilderness Counselor

As a lifetime resident of the Pacific Northwest, Kate graduated from Eastern Washington University with a BA in Therapeutic Recreation and an emphasis in Outdoor Recreation. She completed an extensive internship as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist providing interventions for adults with acute mental illness at Eastern State Hospital in Spokane County, Washington. An avid outdoors enthusiast, Kate has provided wilderness therapy for at-risk youth in Southern Idaho and holds certifications in CPR, Wilderness First Responder, Emergency First Responder. Somewhat unique to the hiking venue, Kate has two American Alpine wether goats trained to carry packsaddles and assist in the hiking experience. Kate believes that nature, nutrition, and physical activity are key elements to a persons’ overall health.

Karen Nielson— Transitions Mentor

Karen is a graduate of the culinary institute in Portland, Oregon and uses those skills to teach Dragonfly students food safety and cooking skills. She is currently enrolled at Oregon Institute of Technology and is pursuing a Bachelors in Applied Psychology. Karen recently received the Ford Foundation Scholarship which will extend through a Masters program.

She is the mother of three young adults. Karen works as a mentor and her personal goal is to help each individual student find his or her strengths and passions which can be built upon to create a happy and healthy life. Karen believes that everyone should have a sense of humor and a hobby that they enjoy during their spare time. She believes this will help with social skills, healthy down time, and that it will help improve self-esteem.

Karen's favorite saying: Blessed is she who laughs at herself, for she will never cease to be amused!

Ross Enyart— Night Transitions Mentor

Ross was born in Oregon and lived most his life in the valley (where it's wet). He worked as a school bus mechanic and did heavy construction prior to returning to school to obtain a BS in Communication with a minor in Psychology. Ross also holds an AAS in Computer Science. Ross is married and has an 18-year old son and a step-daughter with four children who fondly call him “Umpa”.

Ross loves the wilderness of Oregon and is an avid rock-hound and fisherman. He enjoys getting “off the beaten path” and has always considered the wilderness of Oregon as his personal back-yard. Ross brings a great deal of knowledge of Oregon and Klamath Falls to Dragonfly. Students often seek Ross out when seeking job opportunities.

Ross feels privileged to be able to work at Dragonfly Transitions. He enjoys the family atmosphere of the program and the teamwork and professionalism of the staff.

Zach Dunlap— Transitions Mentor

Zach is currently a senior studying Applied Psychology at Oregon Institute of Technology and will graduate in June, 2008. He plans to earn a PhD in Clinical Psychology so that he may teach at the university level. Zach spent four years serving in the United States Marine Corps, including two tours of duty in Iraq. Through his service, he gained significant experience in wilderness survival and first aid. Zach is also an avid amateur boxer and a part time DJ at a local radio station. He is passionate about sharing his boxing knowledge with Dragonfly students.

Zach is driven in his career by his desire to help others live happy, healthy lives. He finds the work at Dragonfly particularly rewarding because of the one-on-one time he gets to spend with the students in a real-world setting. His belief is that personal change and growth is a never ending process and involves making good choices and learning from others.

Zach is inspired by his Native American heritage to incorporate some of this unique culture and spirituality into his work. He is the father of a three year old son, Malachi.

Tia Patterson— Transitions Mentor

Tia was born and raised in Klamath Falls and has lived most of her life in Southern Oregon. Tia graduated with a BS in Social Science Human Services from Southern Oregon University while also providing resource advocacy, crisis intervention, peer counseling, and educational programming to college age women through the Women's Resource Center.

Tia's first career was fighting wildland fires. Tia fought fires for seven years throughout Oregon and in Yosemite National Park where she also was a member of Yosemite's Helitack Crew and National Search and Rescue Team.

Following Tia's firefighting days and achievement of her baccalaureate degree, she spent three years living in Southeast Alaska. There she worked to help Alaska Native communities, schools and businesses improve their overall health through implementation of programs and public health policies related to physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco prevention.

Tia loves backpacking, hiking, whole foods, spiritual exploration and growth, knitting, biking, running, laughing, and spending time with family and friends.

Shannon Mason— Transitions & Addictions Mentor

Shannon "grew up" in the Detroit area of Michigan. At the age of 18 she moved to Flagstaff, Arizona. She received a bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University in 2000. Currently, Shannon is enrolled at Klamath Community College, taking courses in preparation for the Nursing Program at OHSU.

In 2004, Shannon arrived in Klamath Falls as a student of Dragonfly. She spent her teenage years and early adulthood battling issues of depression and anxiety which, though 'self-medicating', developed into alcoholism and drug addiction. In 2006, Shannon returned to Dragonfly as an active member of the recovery community, volunteering to host an open discussion group on problems and solutions with drug and alcohol abuse. She brings to Dragonfly her story: what it was like then, what it is like now, what she had to do in order for that change to happen what she has to do in order to truly "grow up". She believes her struggles and victories allow her the caring, tolerance and understanding to be a great addition to the team.

Dan Wohl — Program Coordinator

Dan graduated from college in Colorado with a degree in cultural anthropology, followed by the Peace Corps, where he lived and worked in Guatemala, implementing the aquaculture program. After his return to the states, he began a 22 year career, working with diverse populations of "at risk" youth and young adults in therapeutic adventure, and residential programs. He has led more than 100 expeditions involving backpacking, cycling, rock climbing, caving, backcountry skiing, and white water rivers throughout the western United States, Mexico, and Canada. Dan has helped with program development and curriculum, as well as staff training, for programs in Arizona, Alabama and Idaho. He also has extensive experience with managing rock climbing sites, ropes courses, rock and river rescue techniques, and is a certified instructor in "Leave No Trace" (Outdoor Skills & Ethics), formerly a PSIA certified ski instructor and a wilderness first responder. Dan has made high altitude peak ascents in the US, Ecuador and Argentina and continues an active lifestyle mountain biking, backpacking, skiing and mountaineering.

He is dedicated to professionalism, high standards, and above all, to creating and maintaining a safe, supportive environment for the clients and staff of the Dragonfly programs.