Executive Director

John Moore, LPC

John earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health from Western Seminary in Sacramento, CA. As a licensed mental health counselor with more than 10 years of clinical experience, John appreciates the transformational ability of individualized, relationship-based therapy and holistic programming unique to residential treatment centers. He also believes in the healing power of nature, supported by his own outdoor adventures growing up and now raising a family in Western North Carolina.

John has held a variety of roles in residential treatment programs including Therapist, Program Manager, Clinical Director, Operations Director, and Executive Director. Additionally, he has a diverse clinical background that encompasses outpatient, in-home, and school-based treatment. Throughout his career, John has worked with high-risk populations including Juvenile Justice, victims of sex trafficking, and clients with significant behavioral and developmental disorders. Through a trauma-informed lens, John pairs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Motivational Interviewing and EMDR to build resiliency in clients.

When John is off-campus, he enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, mountain and road biking, and building furniture in his woodshop.

Equinox Clinical Director

Dr. Mike Feeney, PhD

Dr. Mike Feeney, PhD. is a Licensed Psychologist with a passion for working with young people and their families, especially those affected by challenging behaviors, adverse events, or trauma. He values the level of treatment residential services can provide, and has a genuine appreciation of the trust families give when seeking support.

Mike earned his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from East Tennessee State University and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, part of VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. He started working with young people in out of home placements ten years ago as a field guide in a wilderness program, learning the value of new experiences to support change. Since then, his clinical training and work has spanned acute, residential, and outpatient care, juvenile justice, and medical settings. He has provided clinical supervision and trainings, administrative management of services, and has been fortunate enough to work alongside numerous specialists as a part of integrated treatment teams. He has a solid foundation in psychological testing, developing treatment plans, assessing risk factors, determining appropriate levels of care, and supporting school recommendations for young people. He has also conducted research examining how relationships influence self-identity in teens and young adults.

Through a developmental lens and trauma informed approach, he works to help young men create meaningful change and feel joy and acceptance in their relationships with others and themselves. Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Family Systems Therapy are a few of the evidence-based interventions he draws from. Mike works well with young men who get “stuck,” whether that be in a pattern of behavior, an unhelpful mindset, or with big emotions. He approaches clients with validation and curiosity, finding positive intentions, and always working to connect, then correct. With an emphasis on experiential and holistic programming, and evidence based treatment, Mike supports the team at Equinox to ensure that each young man and family receives quality care.

In his personal time, Mike enjoys cooking for his wife and loved ones, running, mountain biking, learning to play the guitar, and looking for new fishing holes.

Director of Business Development, Founding Partner

Bryan Tomes

Bryan, founding partner at Equinox RTC, also helped found Asheville Academy for Girls as well as assist in the startup of Solstice East. He has managed the development of the academy (Timbersong) associated with all three programs. He also has historically supported in operations and business development. Bryan’s prior experience includes work in multiple therapeutic and traditional school settings, residential and day. Bryan has taught classes, led schools, managed accreditation, and developed therapeutic programs from the ground up, including marketing, budgeting, infrastructure development, systems, and client referrals. Bryan’s education focused on History, Secondary Education, and School Administration. Bryan is married with one child. Most of his free time is spent hiking, biking, kayaking or whatever outside activities he can bully his family into joining. “I believe that we find our way to this work from a place of a deep-felt intention to make a difference in the world. I am so grateful that I have been able to find a place where I can fulfill that personal mission while also being able to manage the school outside the normal bureaucratic challenges of the public sector. We run a responsive, creative, outcomes dependent program that is and must be great at what we do. I love the challenge of merging mission and practice.”

Marketing & Admissions Director

Laura G. Storey, MPA, MBA

Early in her career, Laura recognized her passion for helping others. That led her to Asheville Academy, where she was able to connect families and referral sources needing the best mental health resources for their children, with a program that truly changed lives.

That passion brought Laura to Equinox, where her focus is connecting families and referral sources with a program focused on relational trauma. Laura has a unique ability to truly connect with others, understand challenges, and find real solutions for sustainable change.

Outside of work, she enjoys baking, running, live music, biking on the Peloton, attempting DIY projects, and spoiling her nieces. She believes there is a Tom Petty song for every moment in life. Laura lives in Asheville, NC with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Addie Lou.

In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of South Carolina, as well as a Masters of Public Administration, Laura recently graduated from the Executive MBA program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Tarheels!).

Prior to behavioral health, she was an intern at The White House, and subsequently, a grassroots organizer for the Obama 2012 re-election campaign.

Academic Director

Bonnie Richardson M.A.

Bonnie has over 10 years of experience working in secondary and higher education. For a number of years she has served as an academic director at a wilderness therapy residential treatment center and short-term therapeutic boarding school and has also held administrative and leadership roles in international education. She earned her Masters in Critical & Cultural Theory from Cardiff University in the U.K. and her B.A. in Interpersonal Communication from UCF. Bonnie’s time as a Wilderness First Aid/Responder Instructor and volunteer experiences teaching abroad have only further enriched her time in the classroom where she enjoys teaching English and tutoring in mathematics.
Bonnie is committed to supporting and guiding teachers and building relationships with students, supporting them and encouraging them to find their strengths, address their challenges, and push themselves to harness their full potential. In her spare time, Bonnie enjoys spending time with family, adventuring in the outdoors, binge listening to podcasts, exploring countries abroad, travel photography, and skating.

Program Director

Tracy Gibbs

Psychiatry Provider

Bennett Harris, LCMHC, PA-C

Bennett’s entire professional career has been spent in the passionate pursuit of providing world class behavioral health care. He is a graduate of the Wingate University Physician Assistant program as well as the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Counseling Psychology program. His training includes EMDR, TRM and DBT. With more than a decade of experience as both a prescribing provider and a licensed professional counselor, his therapeutic approach combines trauma-focused modalities and psychiatric interventions in a holistic manner. As a trauma-informed clinician, Bennett is adept at viewing the individuals he serves through a lens of compassionate understanding. His theoretical orientation is aligned with biology, not pathology and seeks to involve the family system in the healing process. Bennett believes that the family system can be the catalyst of unparalleled healing when appropriate support and nurturing is involved. His training in both psychiatry and counseling allow him to seamlessly integrate with the therapeutic approach at Equinox to optimally support both the students and family alike. His love of the mountains recently attracted him to the Asheville area. Bennett is an avid rock climber and outdoorsman.

Primary Therapist

Chris Murray LCMHC-A, LCAS-A

Chris Murray is a licensed clinical mental health counselor associate and a licensed clinical addictions specialist associate. Chris utilizes psychodynamic theory, which is a background focused approach that emphasizes the understanding of human behaviors, feelings, and emotions. He holds a strong belief in the development of a collaborative relationship between the therapist and the client, seeing it as vital for the client to develop long-lasting healing and mental health. Chris started out his career working in hospitals and residential treatment centers working with all ages. He specializes in addressing concerns such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, panic, sleep issues, trauma, and substance use. Chris’ work with adolescents focuses on increasing the client’s insight into themselves, in order to identify new patterns of relating to others and developing adaptive coping mechanisms. Chris strives to provide culturally sensitive treatment to clients of all backgrounds. He believes therapy provides empowerment towards self-acceptance and resilience. In his free time Chris enjoys spending time with his wife exploring new restaurants, traveling and playing cards. He also enjoys painting oils on canvas, writing prose, and playing the guitar.

Primary Therapist

Angie Curtis, MSW, LCSWA, Equine Specialist

Angela graduated from Western Carolina University with a Master’s Degree in Social Work. She has been practicing social work for 7 years. She is licensed in Social Work in the state of North Carolina. Angela is a strong believer that consistent, clear, and compassionate boundaries lead to freedom in relationships. Angela is passionate about experiential and equine therapy. She believes that connections to the outdoors and animals are two keys to adolescents giving human relationships a second chance. Angela has experience in working with families who have complex family systems. Angela’s passion and work is centered on helping clients find a voice and a healthier way to maneuver their difficult circumstances. Outside of work, Angela’s passions are riding horses, faith, using the outdoors as a playground, and spending time with her husband and two little girls.

Nurse

Tina Carpentier, RN

Tina has been a registered nurse for 24 years with various experiences in hospital and patient care settings. She grew up in Rhode Island and moved to North Carolina in 2017. She enjoys music, travel, and spending time with her son.

Lead Teacher, History & ELA

Shane Parker M.A.

Shane Parker received his Bachelor’s degree in History Education from Appalachian State University in 2013 before returning to the same institution to receive his Masters Degree in History in 2015. Before coming to Equinox in 2017, Shane worked as the director of a small private school, and he was also an English and History instructor at Coastal Community College in Jacksonville, NC. Shane teaches all of the English and History classes at Equinox. His goal is to challenge his students to be critical thinkers through vigorous discussion and debate. Furthermore, with history and English alike, Shane works to engage his students by making the past come alive in his lessons.

Humanities Teacher

Melissa Kohr

Melissa graduated from Troy University. She has many years of experience working with children in the classroom and in a social work setting. Melissa has taught in the United States as well as in South Korea and Taiwan. What drew her to Equinox is the ability to combine her experiences in education with the social work components. When Melissa is not teaching, she likes to study plants and herbalism. She also loves cats, wild crafting, gardening, graphic design, and anything DIY.

Chef

Tibz Chance

Team Manager

Michael Riemer

Michael received his Bachelor’s degree in Human Services from University of Phoenix, Washington Campus in 2016. He started working at Equinox in 2019 as a Mentor and is now our Residential Supervisor. I’m addition to to his work at Equinox, Michael has worked with children on the autism spectrum with a specific focus in Applied Behavioral Analysis. Michael was interested in working at Equinox because he wanted to help young people work through the struggles they face and the trauma that they carry. When not working, Michael enjoys to read, tend to his plants, and create art through image manipulation and mixed media while spending time with his wife.

Office Manager

Kevin Holliday

Kevin grew up in the mountains of West Virginia working the farm with his family. He attended Marshall University and moved to Asheville, NC in 2006. Kevin is a dedicated father of two children and a dog named Penelope. He believes family is the most important thing in life. Most weekends you will find him at the softball fields cheering on his daughter and her travel team. He likes spending free time with the love of his life Les, playing golf, hunting, fishing, or anything outdoors.

Maintenance Technician

Chris Justus

IT Administrator

Colt Wight, B.A., QMHP

Colt enjoys preparing and supporting new hires for their direct care role as well as keeping emails and print jobs flowing. Colt has many years of direct care and supervisorial experience with wilderness and residential therapy, and holds a Bachelors of Arts in Recreation Administration. In his free time, Colt enjoys hiking, trail running and rock climbing with his wife and two daughters.

Co-Founding Partner

Kyle Gillett, PhD, LMFT

Kyle received his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Texas Tech University. As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Kyle has worked in a variety of clinical settings over the last twenty years. His career has focused on treating both boys and girls, with specialization in trauma, depression, anxiety, processing difficulties, eating disorders, OCD and difficult family systems.

Kyle is a founder of the Solstice family of programs—located in Layton, UT and Asheville, NC. He has served in many roles including Primary Therapist, Clinical Director, Admissions Director, Program Director, and Executive Director. He is thrilled to have founded Equinox with a group of wonderful partners, and once again serve in the role of Executive Director.

His favorite things include spending time with his beautiful wife, Julie, four wonderful sons, and his sweet daughter—engaging in all sorts of games, mountain biking, hiking, playing at the lake and watching movies among other fun activities.

Therapy Dog

Connor

Therapy Dog

Twyla

Addie Lou

Director of Recreational Therapy

Natalie Stark, CTRS, LRT

Natalie graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Recreational Therapy. She has been working with adolescents in residential treatment since 2009. She is a licensed Recreation Therapist in the state of North Carolina and is nationally certified through the National Council of Therapeutic Recreation. Natalie is an avid believer that healthy, strong, and fulfilling relationships set the foundation for long lasting emotional well-being. She is creating a program that will provide students with a variety of recreational activities that will empower them to live in the moment and focus on the journey, not just the destination. Natalie understands how vital a full and exciting recreational lifestyle is to living a life of well-being. Her passion lies in helping others develop skills and assets they may need on their journey. Some of Natalie’s favorite activities are snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking, fishing, and hanging out with her Australian Shepard, Stella.