Leadership
Santa Maria Hostel prides itself on a trauma-informed, caring, compassionate and highly trained staff to provide the best possible services to our clients.
Vaughan stepped into the leadership role at Santa Maria in February 2025 after serving as our Chief Clinical Officer for three years. In her role as CCO, she oversaw program development, quality initiatives, and the training of staff and interns. She ensured that all team members had the tools and support needed to deliver high-quality, effective treatment services.
Before joining Santa Maria, Vaughan was the Director of Addiction Services at The Menninger Clinic. There, she led a multidisciplinary team focused on integrated treatment for co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders. She began her time at Menninger as a staff social worker and addiction counselor, supporting both adults and adolescents on their recovery journeys. Her clinical approach is rooted in evidence-based practices, including group, individual, and family therapy.
As a leader, Vaughan introduced peer recovery services into the inpatient setting and helped implement hospital-wide outcome measures related to substance use treatment. She is passionate about expanding access to recovery resources and reducing the stigma associated with addiction.
In addition to her leadership work, Vaughan provides supervision, professional trainings, and presentations on a variety of topics related to the assessment and treatment of substance use disorders. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Barbara Page joined the management staff of Santa Maria during 2006, bringing with her over 20 years of high level financial experience with non-profit organizations both in Houston, Texas and Richmond, Virginia, as well as medical group management and private financial and business development consulting expertise.
Although Barbara has managed the fiscal operations of businesses with revenues in excess of $18 million, her passion has been to work with organizations where revenues have an opportunity to change lives. From her years of dedication to the start-up of a residential non-profit organization serving abused and abandoned children, to leading a shelter for homeless women and children into an era of unsurpassed growth made possible through sustaining private donations coupled with over $500,000 in private foundation grants, Barbara has also excelled in the areas of development, grant writing, human resources, and operations. She is proud to be able to bring the strengths of this multi-faceted background to her position as Santa Maria’s CFO.
Rachael Wright has been in the field of fund-development and volunteer coordination for more than twenty years. Rachael began her career working with arts and cultural institutions in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since relocating to Houston TX in 2006 she has also worked with humanitarian and healthcare organizations via HeartGift Foundation and Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County. Rachael joined the Santa Maria team in 2022 and loves connecting community resources to great causes.
Donna oversees Santa Maria’s treatment programs including Residential Intensive and Supportive, Women and Children’s Programs, Detox, Outpatient, Admissions, and Recovery Support Services.
With over two decades of dedicated experience, Donna White has been a committed professional at Santa Maria since 2002, where she focuses on providing support and guidance to women facing substance use challenges. Throughout her career, Donna developed a deep understanding of the unique struggles and resilience of individuals impacted by substance abuse and has been a steadfast advocate for their recovery.
Donna began her academic journey in the mental health field by earning an associate’s degree in mental health in 2000, which laid the foundation for her commitment to helping others. This was followed by a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2012, and a master’s in human services in 2017, further refining her expertise and approach to counseling and mental health care.
Recently, Donna achieved the status of Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPC-A), allowing her to continue expanding her practice in mental health and counseling services. Donna’s extensive education, combined with years of hands-on experience, has allowed her to develop a compassionate, person-centered approach to therapy, ensuring clients receive the best support possible in their journey toward healing and well-being.
Gail Horton oversees the Women and Children’s programs at Bonita House, including two criminal justice initiatives, BAMBI and WHO. These programs provide varying levels of substance use treatment with a strong focus on trauma-informed care. Services include mental health counseling, GED support, prenatal and postnatal care, family therapy, parenting education, and childcare services, as well as assistance enrolling children in local schools.
A Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S) and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC), Gail is an active member of the American Counseling Association. As a Certified LPC Supervisor, she provides clinical supervision to Licensed Professional Counselor Associates.
Gail joined Santa Maria in May 2023 as the Lead Counselor for the Women with Children’s program before being promoted to Senior Program Director. She brings extensive experience in counseling adult men and women (18+) in both individual and group therapy. She also spent seven years providing substance use counseling to clients involved with Harris County probation services and 21 years serving abused and neglected children through Child Protective Services and Harris County Family Courts.
Passionate about cultural sensitivity, Gail actively seeks opportunities to deepen her understanding of clients’ backgrounds and spiritual practices, integrating this knowledge into their therapeutic goals.
As the Senior Director of Clinical Services, Amber oversees Santa Maria’s clinical and community services including the I-Care Clinic, Prevention and Intervention Programs, integrated behavioral health services, and clinical internship programs.
Amber has extensive experience as a licensed social worker, providing clinical and case management services in hospital, behavioral health, and housing settings. Amber obtained her MSSW from the University of Houston in 2018. She is a skilled clinical supervisor, providing supervision and training for social work interns from multiple universities.
Amber joined Santa Maria in August 2023 as the I-Care Clinic Director, in this role she has overseen the implementation of clinic services for Santa Maria including integrated primary care, behavioral health, and addiction medicine. Prior to joining Santa Maria, Amber worked at the Menninger Clinic as a Program Coordinator, where she helped build a program from the ground up to assist clients with co-occurring disorders on their recovery journey. Prior to that Amber has experience working with individuals in domestic violence shelters and at SEARCH homeless services. In Amber’s spare time, she enjoys hobbies such as traveling, cooking, and reading.
De’Audra Whiting is a military veteran who served 7 years in the Army and has over 20 years experience working in the field of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. She has a B.S. in Health and Human Services, and a MBA in Non-Profit Management. Ms. Whiting is a Nationally Certified Addictions Counselor, and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. She is currently in the Graduate Program at Springfield College to attain a M.S. in Mental Health Counseling.
Ms. Whiting has experience in Outpatient, Residential and Mental Health treatment services for adolescents and adults. She provided education and intervention and prevention services for at risk adolescent populations in the Houston, Fort Bend, Lamar Consolidated, and Stafford Independent School Districts. She has over 10 years experience at the management level and has worked for several for-profit and nonprofit organizations in Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Harris Counties.
In 2003, Ms. Whiting joined the treatment team at Santa Maria Hostel as a COPSD Counselor. In 2005, she was promoted to the Director of the Co-Occurring Psychiatric and Substance Disorders Program and the Director of Outpatient services. In 2009, Ms. Whiting was hired by the Texas Department of State Health Service, Regulatory Division as a Senior Investigator for Substance Abuse Compliance. This experience has provided her with a wealth of knowledge in Regulatory Policies and Procedures governing Health Facility development, design, and implementation; Program and Contract Quality Management; Health Facility Compliance, and Licensure; Professional Licensing; and Health Facility Enforcement.
In September 2017, Ms. Whiting returned to Santa Maria Hostel as the Senior Director of Quality Improvement. Ms. Whiting is excited about rejoining our team. She is dedicated to service excellence and is passionate about the mission, vision, and values of this organization to help women and their families recover from the disease of addiction.
LaNisha Jiles understands the pivotal role of peer support in the discovery and rediscovery of oneself in recovery, which has echoed through her passion and continuous dedication to the recovery of peers. LaNisha is a product of peer support and has served as a Certified Recovery Support Peer Specialist for almost a decade.
Ms. Jiles has a combination of professional experience that has gained an unparalleled recognition amongst her colleagues and enabled her to influence numerous populations. Ms. Jiles professional experience includes previous roles as Program Director at Recovery ATX, Lead Peer/Data Coordinator at SM, Trainer of Coaches, Consultant/SME at S-SWATTC -UT Austin, and Client Liaison for SM.
LaNisha’s current role as a Consultant/Subject Matter Expert has also aided in her profound skillset by enhancing the peer workforce through educating and training peers. Ms. Jiles obtained her AAS Degree with a concentration in Human Services Technology at Houston Community College. She is also a member of the America in Recovery Board in which she has been acknowledge for the empowerment, hope and motivation she instills in others through her public speaking, training/education and community engagement. Despite wearing many hats, Ms. Jiles volunteers in her personal time nurturing, serving and advocating for an underserved population. LaNisha Jiles is committed to increasing the success of her peers in recovery as she continues to pave the way supporting those entering recovery.
Kendra Llorentz is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in mental health and substance use counseling. As the Senior Director of Prevention and Intervention at Santa Maria, Kendra oversees the growth and development of community-based prevention and intervention services, ensuring they align with trauma-informed and evidence-based principles. With a commitment to empowering individuals on their recovery journey, Kendra brings a wealth of knowledge to her role, backed by a master’s degree in counseling from Prairie View A & M University. Her extensive background includes leadership roles, such as Substance Abuse Counselor at Fort Bend Regional Council and Counselor/Team Lead at Harris County Community Supervisions.
Licensed as a Professional Counselor-Associate and Licensed Chemical Dependence Counselor, Kendra is dedicated to making a positive impact on individuals and communities, fostering resilience and recovery.
Jennifer Helley, MHA, MBA, is Santa Maria’s Senior Director of Development. Ms. Helley graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and continued her education at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, receiving both a Master of Healthcare Administration and a Master of Business Administration degree. Jennifer joined Santa Maria in 2008, bringing a background in healthcare management, new program and fund development, outcomes management and community relations for non-profit healthcare, behavioral health and public health institutions. At Santa Maria, Ms. Helley utilizes her over 20 years of experience to create new programs and research and develop new and continuation federal, state and local government grants to meet client and organizational needs and support Santa Maria’s extensive continuum of care. Highlights have included Santa Maria’s VIEWS program for female Veterans, SAMHSA-funded MIRRORS pregnant/postpartum intervention program, and Santa Maria’s onsite CARE Clinic.
Marcia is proud to lead the community engagement portfolio for Santa Maria. Her responsibilities include volunteer and intern coordination; community partner engagement and relationships; all in-kind donation coordination. She also produces the storytelling for our community engagement materials. She thrives on the incredible people who support our participants and the stories of women and their families in recovery.
She has enjoyed fourteen years of experience leading the resource development and communications efforts at The Women’s Home, Houston. Prior to her non-profit experience, she held a long career in hospitality; managing private country, city and athletic clubs in Texas, Singapore and Washington D. C.
Marcia believes in the hope and healing offered through communities of recovery, with a special heart for women and their children.
