Marissa Sauer is the Clinical Director at Avenues Recover of Fort Wayne.  She has her Masters Degree in Education from Indiana University and is licensed in Marriage and Family as well as Mental Health Counseling.  Marissa has presented in the community about complex trauma and how mental health providers can work more efficiently with clients.  She is excited to continue to serve her community in this impactful roll.  Marissa enjoys group exercise, reading,  traveling and spending time with her husband.  

Jonathan Elia is the Administrator at Avenues Recovery of Fort Wayne. He was born and raised on the coast of Connecticut in a town called East Lyme. Jonathan made the move to Fort Wayne with his girlfriend and 3 lovely dogs and is excited to begin his journey working with Avenues Recovery. He strongly believes that recovery isn’t just about being sober, but also about finding happiness and joy in yourself and those around you. He is eternally grateful for the support of his amazing family and close group of friends. They have helped him reach the place where he is at. As someone in recovery himself, Jonathan looks forward to giving back to the recovery community.   

Holly Haft has been an impactful nurse in the mental health & addiction field for close to a decade. She received her ASN from Breckenridge School of Nursing and is furthering her education by pursuing a BSN at Purdue Northwest College. For 13 years, Holly served our country with distinction in the United States Navy as an E5 Military policewoman, and specialized in corrections.

Holly takes great pride in making our clients feel genuinely cared for. She is determined to help them realize that being addicted does not need to define them as a person and that recovery is possible.

Holly hails from Pasadena, California, and has made her home in Fort Wayne since 2011.

Brad has worked as an addiction counselor for over two decades. In that time, he has changed countless lives and supported an untold number of recovery journeys. Although Brad originally intended to move on to other areas of mental health counseling, he has found his work in substance use disorders so rewarding that he just can’t leave it.  

Brad still draws inspiration from a card he received years ago from the mother of a client thanking him “for giving me son back.”  He is driven by the idea that each individual life positively impacted by recovery, impacts an entire family for the better.  

He is known for the ubiquitous Hawaiian shirts he wears to work every day. To Brad, Aloha and Malāma means love, respect, and reverence for each person.  

 “Every morning, I wrap myself in a shirt that represents love, to remind me not personalize the resistance I encounter from people who are feeling down, afraid, even hopeless.  I do it to remind myself to show them Aloha.”  

Curtjanna hold a Master’s in Psychology and has worked in the mental health field for seven years. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors and reading.  

Julia has worked in addiction treatment for over five years and is currently a therapist at Avenues.  She has her CADAC II and is currently finishing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Once completed, Julia plans to pursue a Master’s in Social Work.  In long term recovery herself, Julia recognizes that there are multiple pathways to recovery and that each person seeking long-term recovery must be empowered to find what works for them. “You can’t keep dancing with the devil and ask why you’re still in hell,” is her favorite quote and the message she tries to constantly impart to those under her care.  

In her free time, Julia enjoys adventuring with her fiancé and their three dogs. 

Born and raised in Sturgis, Michigan, Stephanie McKenzie graduated from the University  of Saint Francis in 1997.  She earned her CADAC in April of 2022 and has been with ARC since October of 2021.

As a Gold Star Wife, Stephanie has proudly served the Allen County and surrounding communities as  a Veteran Advocate since 2016 after the death of her Marine husband.

Stephanie enjoys her vintage jukebox, antiques and spending time with her three children.  Stephanie has called Fort Wayne, Indiana home since August of 1993.

Samantha has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, recently obtained my CADAC II certification and plan on getting my MSW some day in the future. Working in this field has been a dream of mine since starting undergrad and my passion only grew as I walked through life and grew to see and experience the impact of addiction through the experiences of those closest to me. It is my absolute honor to be working with this population and show them the kindness and compassion they deserve. In my spare time I like to constantly rewatch 15 seasons of Supernatural with my spunky black cat Azazel as well as spend time reading all about serial killers and cold cases

Terrell Brown has worked in addiction treatment for three years and is currently a therapist at Avenues. He has been serving the under marginalized population for approximately 16 years. He received his Master’s in Management with a Specialization in Strategic Management in 2010 and Master’s in Clinical Addiction Counseling from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2021. He became a Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor – Associate in 2022. Starting in January 2023 he will be working towards his License Mental Health Counselor – Associate. His theoretical orientation leans very heavily towards cognitive behavioral therapy, especially Choice Theory/Reality Therapy. His approach is to inculcate the salience of need-satisfying relationship and activities which produces a greater chance of long-term recovery and experience happiness. He decided to work with this population because he has witnessed how this disease can rob individuals of their hopes, dreams, and happiness.

His favorite quote, “Once individuals recognize their role in creating their own life predicament, they also realize that they, and only they, have the power to change that situation” by Irvin D. Yalom. He enjoys spending time with wife, family, and my dog Daisy.