Meet the Team

Catherine Manley is the Executive Director at Banyan Treatment Pompano and Banyan Detox facilities. She earned her Master’s degree at Nova Southeastern University in Mental Health Counseling and is licensed in the State of Florida. Working in the field of substance abuse treatment, Catherine has led the Banyan staff in multiple roles including Primary Therapist, Detox Supervisor, and Clinical Director. In addition to her experience in human services, Catherine received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Florida International University in 2003. She has a background in marketing, advertising and project management. Catherine brings a great balance of education, compassion, and business acumen to the Banyan family. The driving force behind her ambition is centered on helping individuals struggling with alcoholism and addiction.

Lauren was born and raised on Long Island in New York. She attended community college, as well as business school and majored in Business Administration. Lauren began her career in New York City in 1994 where she worked as a Financial Analyst for two of the largest NY Direct Marketing agencies for over 20 years. In 2013, Lauren relocated to Wellington, FL and pursued a career in the treatment industry. She became a member of the Banyan staff and since 2015, Lauren has been the Director of Finance. Lauren works with patients and their families to help create affordable payment plans for treatment. She assists with cash or self-pay patients and helps families navigate through the financial process to ensure they understand their payment options and what is best for their specific situation.

Kahlia Bersson comes to the Banyan Boca staff with extensive experience in substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida International University and her Master’s degree in Social Work from Barry University, Kahlia honed her expertise working in both the mental health and substance abuse realms. Kahlia promotes a patient-centered, holistic approach to treatment that utilizes relevant and effective interventions to meet the patient no matter where they are in their recovery journey. She also strives to empower patients to meet and surpass their goals.

Alicia is the alumni coordinator for both Banyan Boca and Banyan Stuart. Her journey with Banyan started on April 20, 2018 as an overnight Behavioral Health Technician. Alicia quickly proved her worth and was shortly thereafter promoted to a Lead Technician for the weekends. Her experience in active addiction and in sobriety is what gave her a passion for this field. Today that passion has turned into using the tools she learned to helped others in our Alumni community.

David Kowalski, Operations Director, was born and raised in the small rural town of Lapeer, Michigan. While he's not personally in recovery, alcohol dependency has had a direct impact on both sides of his immediate family. David has been working in the Mental Health/Substance Abuse field for over 20 years. During this time, he has experience working with individuals incarcerated by the courts and found to be not guilty by reason of insanity, dual diagnosed children, adolescent, and adults, as well as seniors suffering with Alzheimers. His journey has taken him from Michigan, to Maine, and now Florida. He has a degree in Computer Science at Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He's passionate about being part of and contributing to the client's journey to recovery. David's favorite part of his job is the daily interactions with his clients and getting to know them. He began working for Banyan Boca in Jan 2018 as a BHT. He was promoted to Lead BHT. Currently, he's accepted the Manager's Position and he's excited about contributing and working in a difference capacity with the Banyan Team. David wanted to return back to the addiction/recovery field after retiring from the State of Florida as an Epidemiologist with the Department of Health. David often tells his clients the reason Banyan stands out to him because of the family atmosphere they've created. The staff really enjoys what they do and enjoy working together as a team.

Growing up between Chicago and South Florida, Paige has unfortunately had a lot of firsthand experience with addiction. She faced the tremendous losses of her brother, sister and best friend to addiction, and through the pain has grown extremely passionate about helping people who are struggling themselves. Paige started her journey in the recovery field in 2012 when she ran a sober living facility, before moving on to work in outpatient facilities in business development, admissions positions, and now family services. Having experienced such immense losses of her loved ones, Paige is passionate about helping not only those who are struggling, but their families too. Paige is a valued member of the Family Services Department and holds the title of Family Services Coordinator. She communicates with all families for our Lake Worth, Chicago, and Gilman locations.

Moving to Coral Springs, Florida from White Plains, New York in the early 1990s, Chris faced his own battles with addiction during the pill mill epidemic in Broward County between 2010 and 2015. He sought help from many treatment centers, including several state funded programs and private facilities. The consequences of his substance abuse continued to pile up until he finally surrendered in early 2015, embracing the recovery process. Chris started his role in the addiction field at The Beachcomber in 2015. In order to increase his knowledge in helping others in this industry, Chris graduated with a Bachelors in Marketing from Florida Atlantic University. He remains passionate about helping others obtain sobriety due to the loss of his brother Keith in 2011 to an oxycodone overdose. As a result of this tremendous loss, Chris vowed to do whatever it takes to make sure that people are informed about the dangers of drug addiction, and how proper treatment can help to arrest this deadly disease.

Lori was born and raised in Connecticut and has been in the addiction field since 2006! She was residing with an alcoholic and thought she would be able to understand and help others in need of addiction and mental health by her experience. Lori attended Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. She says, “I’m passionate about helping others with any mental health and substance abuse issues they are experiencing, having hope and faith that they can have a better life. I care a lot about people and want to make sure that they get the best help needed for them to reach their maximum potential.” As the Director of Mental Health Business Development, her favorite part of her job is working and meeting people; educating professionals and clients about mental health and substance abuse services that are offered so they can improve the quality of their life by making positive lifetime changes. Lori joined the Banyan team in 2017 to work with the mental health track. What makes Banyan stand out the most to her is that we provide a full continuum of care, achieving better clinical outcomes.

Corey was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. After struggling with his own demons of addiction, he decided to make a change and come to South Florida for recovery and flourished into the man he was meant to be. Corey joined the Banyan Team in 2014 starting as Banyan’s original Director of Alumni Services and quickly moved his way up within the company from Outreach Coordinator, to today holding the title of Director of Business Development. Corey plays a key role in our South Florida presence, but also travels nationwide to establish working relationships for Banyan Treatment Center and to let the nation know Banyan’s Mission.

Unlike many people who came to South Florida in order to seek recovery resources, Megan was born and raised in the "Sunshine State." She was able to seek help for her own struggles with addiction at the young age of 19, and as a result, fell in love with the field and remains passionate about helping others who face those same struggles. Megan has learned from other leaders in the industry and has been thriving in the recovery field for 7 years now. She is currently going to school to be a licensed dietician and nutritionist, which has been found to be an extremely beneficial resource for those who battle with addiction issues. Alongside her passion for healthy eating habits, Megan is also avid about physical health and wellness. She has participated in multiple marathons and is a huge advocate for healthy lifestyles. Megan is also the co-chair for "EveryBODY Walk" with the Alliance of Eating Disorders, a non-profit dedicated to assisting those who struggle with eating disorders. She has training in all areas of the recovery business including Recovery Coaching, Human Resources, Case Management, and Outreach. Megan continuously grows in this field and remains teachable and true to her own personal recovery.