Staff Updates At In Balance Ranch Academy

In Balance has a couple of announcements to make.

First, Lynda Hendricks is no longer employed by In Balance Continuum of Care. We are grateful for Lynda's years of service and she will be missed. We feel indebted to her for turning In Balance's academic department into a reputable institution, San Pedro Valley Academy. She has helped hundreds of students obtain seemingly impossible high school diplomas and college admissions. Please rest assured that our academics at In Balance Ranch Academy are a team effort and that no one person holds all the information regarding our students' academic progress.

Until the new director, Wendy Morgando, MAT, is able to take over the helm at San Pedro Valley Academy, Anthony Barrasso, MPS, M.L.S., will be stepping in to ensure that the school program continues to run seamlessly. He will be assisted by the exceptionally competent skills of Jackie Ridge, San Pedro Valley Academy's Administrative Assistant. They in turn will be assisted by the experienced teaching staff. You may already be familiar with Anthony as he has been our long-time Expeditions Director and has planned and executed all of In Balance's successful international trips. He has Master's Degrees in Legal Studies and Public Administration and is abundantly familiar with the students, the Ranch, and the academic program. He has been meeting with Jackie Ridge and will spend a large part of tomorrow meeting with teachers and setting up to act as interim Academic Director. We feel confident that during this time, he will adeptly run the high caliber school In Balance has maintained throughout the years.

These transitions are always challenging when you have had someone who has been in that role for such a long time, but I feel more enthusiastic about the direction of San Pedro Valley Academy today than I have in the last few years. As I've mentioned before, we look at each aspect of In Balance and ask ourselves, moving forward, how can we recruit people who have the passion and energy for the work, and share our vision of providing the most dynamic opportunities possible for the students and the families we serve?

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at 520-390-4426, and I will do my very best to talk through any concerns that you may have. I think everybody will agree that it's a tremendously exciting opportunity for San Pedro Valley Academy.

As always, I continue to be grateful to the people that we serve and the trust they bestow upon us. In the past as we've had staff transitions, the feedback I've gotten has been 100% positive, that people trust in my leadership, trust in the vision, and know that each step I take will create a better experience for your son and your family.

Also, we would like to announce the addition of two more employees to the In Balance Continuum of Care family.

We are extremely excited to announce the hiring of our new Academic Director, Wendy Morgando. Wendy has been a professional educator since 1991. She has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College, an M.A.T. from Simmons College. She holds Secondary English and Social Studies certifications in both Arizona and Nevada. For 17 years Wendy taught History at an independent college preparatory boarding school in California and upon leaving became the first recipient of an award, named in her honor, which is given annually to a member of the faculty who exhibits "enthusiasm, leadership, and dedication to students." Before moving to Sierra Vista, she taught both English and Social Studies at a college preparatory charter school in Nevada. She joined the San Pedro Valley faculty as a teacher in 2011, and after a brief hiatus, is thrilled to return to the community as the Director of Academics.

Wendy has chosen to work in schools which maintain high standards while stressing an individualistic approach. She models passion for learning and strives to create a positive student-centered environment, using a "teacher as coach" approach. Her primary goal is to help students learn how to learn by providing them with a variety of tools and options so they can figure out what works best for them.

She is committed to the mission of In Balance Ranch and sees San Pedro Valley Academy as an integral part of recovery and a dynamic learning environment in which young men rediscover that the world is full of wonder and that they are capable of great things. She believes that every member of the community is responsible for the success of the program, and the health and growth of each and every young man. To that end, she will strive to maintain a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment. Wendy has had success as a supervisor and mentor to other teachers and looks forward to sharing her zeal for professional development with the faculty at SPVA. To Wendy education is both science and art, and she believes that being an educator requires creativity, enthusiasm, and dogged determination. She is excited about the opportunity to apply her knowledge of teaching and learning to the school at large, and is honored to be part of the In Balance family.

Wendy enjoys spending time with her husband and teenage daughter, reading, taking walks in the Arizona sunshine, and listening to podcasts about archeology, history, literature, psychology, and currents events.

Finally, Daniel Barrasso, the youngest son of Patrick and Betsy, will be joining In Balance with a Bachelor's in Psychology from the University of Arizona and is currently in the process of completing his Masters in Social Work through Arizona State University. He comes to the team with plenty of relevant life and work experience. He previously worked at In Balance during its early stages, for 6 years, as a life coach at In Balance Ranch Academy, a group facilitator at In Balance Intensive Outpatient and as a life coach for In Balance Transitional Living. He decided to take a three year hiatus in which he worked for a nationally recognized leader in adult residential treatment, where he proved to be a vital member of their team. After becoming lead of their Intake department and garnering extensive professional experience he has chosen to come back to In Balance to further his career. His primary role initially will be to set up systems of admission for our Intensive Outpatient program, our Sober Living homes, and our Transitional Living program. This is a huge responsibility and an integral part of the overall operation of In Balance Continuum of Care. He will also serve as our Outreach Coordinator, for which his primary role will be to establish relationships in Tucson, nationally, and internationally. The feedback from professionals all across the country has been that he is outstanding in both his clinical knowledge of what clients need, and in his ability to develop relationships and be authentic in his desire to get help to those in need.

"I am extremely excited about my return to In Balance. I grew up with an intense passion to help others, whether that meant volunteering at the Children's Hospital, staying overnight at a homeless shelter every Thanksgiving or helping a stranger on the side of the road. I've always known that I wanted to make a significant impact on young peoples' lives specifically; I just didn't know how I wanted to do it. I started off my college career looking to get a degree in education, become a teacher and have the ability to make a positive change in my students. My career path took an unexpected turn when I was asked to come work at In Balance one summer 6 years ago. From the second I came into contact with the population we serve and the dream that is In Balance I absolutely, positively knew that I could not see myself doing anything other than this. I believe full heartedly in the vision of In Balance and am thrilled to be part of the team again."

One of Daniel's first projects was to create and launch our In Balance Facebook page. Feel free to check it out at In Balance Continuum of Care Facebook Page and like the page.

Thank you,
Patrick

In Balance Ranch Academy is a therapeutic boarding school developed around a clinically sophisticated model that effectively blends traditional therapy and the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. In Balance Ranch serves young men, ages 13-17, who are suffering from substance abuse and other co-occurring disorders.