Board of directors

Bonnie E. Carlson, Ph.D., MSW, has more than 30 years experience on faculty at the university level including her current position as a Professor at the School of Social Work, Arizona State University for 5 years. She has conducted research for over 30 years on domestic violence, physical and sexual child abuse, and substance abuse in women. For 8 years, she was a member of the board of directors of Albany (NY) Citizens Council on Alcoholism and Other Chemical Dependencies and served as its president from 2001 to 2007 when she helped them obtain a facility for recovering women and their children, much like Weldon House.

She grew up in Connecticut and was educated at the University of Michigan where she received her BA, MSW and Ph.D. degrees. She enjoys spending time with her 8 grandchildren, who are scattered all over the country. She also enjoys yoga, meditation, hiking and walking in the Valley with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Juniper. She and her husband look forward to spending more time in Sedona when they both retire.

Ms. Mendoza has over 15 years experience in social work, including a faculty position at the ASU School of Social Work. Prior to that, she was a doctoral fellow at The Research Institute on Addiction in New York where she won awards for her research on mothers in the child welfare system with substance abuse issues. Her current research at Southwestern Interdisciplinary Research Center focuses on women’s alcohol/drug use, perceived coercion to enter treatment and development of recovery.

Dr. Rex Ragsdale is a geriatrics doctor in Mesa, Arizona. He received his medical degree from Saint Louis University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years. He also speaks multiple languages, including Portuguese and Creole.

Dr. Marianne Marchese is the author of  the bestselling book; “8 Weeks to Women’s Wellness” She graduated from Creighton University in 1990 as an Occupational Therapist and treated neurological and orthopedic patients for over 12 years. She received her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from NCUM in 2002 and completed a 2-year integrative medicine residency in Portland OR. Dr. Marchese maintains private practice in Phoenix AZ and is adjunct faculty at SCNM in Tempe, AZ and Bastyr University in San Diego. She has been published in numerous magazines and journals and lectures throughout the U.S and Canada on women’s health issues. Dr. Marchese is on the board of directors of the State of Arizona Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board, past board member of the Naturopathic Academy of Environmental Medicine, past vice president of the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association, and past Vice President of the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education. She was named to Phoenix magazines’ 2010, 2014, and 2016 Top Doctor Issue as one of the top naturopathic physicians in the Phoenix area. Her goal is to empower patients to play an active role in their own health and wellbeing. www.drmarchese.com

Ms. Tacey has over thirty years of sales management experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Mary has built high performance specialty sales teams at Dey LP, Taro Pharma and Elan Pharmaceuticals. She has developed and implemented sales training programs for start up organizations and managed all aspects of sales performance for the sales representatives and sales managers that she has coached and developed. She executed grass roots managed care campaigns at Taro Pharma and has successfully launched new products at Dey LP, Taro Pharma, Elan Pharmaceuticals and Datex- Ohmeda. She has established partnerships with key thought leaders at regional and national levels and developed sales and marketing tools to align performance for success. Ms. Tacey holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts. She is also a Registered Nurse.

Michelle is a Licensed Social Worker at St. Joe’s Hospital since 2013.  Prior to that, she provided individual and group therapy, as well as case management for women in treatment with NCADD.  Michelle earned her Master’s Degree from Arizona State University and has always had a passion for helping women in recovery.

Cathy is an Elementary School Teacher who recently graduated from ASU with a Masters in Education.  Cathy also brings several years of experience as a coach and mentor to those working on their recovery.