BRENDA VALIENTE
Executive Director
Brenda’s dedication to Miriam’s House since 2015 has led her from volunteer to Executive Director. With her leadership and passion for serving the women and children of Miriam’s House, Brenda has helped expand the base of support for the organization and helped provide a safe, sober home for over 75 families. Under her stewardship, she aims to ensure the long term sustainability of the program and to keep what she calls “the house of miracles” open and ready for mothers in need.
RHONDA EVANS, CADC
Program Director
Rhonda Evans is a Certified Alcohol & Other Drug Counselor (CADC), and has been a part of Miriam’s House for the past decade. She herself had the opportunity to experience first hand the magic of Miriam’s House as she was one of the very first women to come through the home. She has dedicated her time, love and selflessness to the growth and endless transformations of these women and children. Her passion for helping women shines through the halls of Miriam’s House daily as she continues to make this house a home.
PATRICIA MEYERS
CHAIRwoman
With 27 years of dedicated experience in the addiction recovery and behavioral health space, Patricia brings a wealth of knowledge in helping individuals begin their journey to recovery and reintegrate into their communities after a transformative healing process. As an expert in family crisis intervention and relapse prevention, she has conducted hundreds of interventions, showcasing her deep commitment to supporting individuals on their recovery journey.
Since 2020, Patricia has been a proud owner of THE START UP Group of Companies, an organization devoted to transforming lives through a comprehensive continuum of care. This model includes structured living and independent living communities, a state-of-the-art outpatient wellness center, and a nonprofit foundation, all designed to support individuals on their path to lasting recovery and well-being. Patricia's commitment to this mission reflects her profound belief in the transformative power of compassionate and holistic care.
In 2015, Patricia was honored with the Ken Schonlau Award for “Outstanding Contribution to Sobriety” at the Share! Recovery Awards. In 2018, she received the “Woman of the Year” Award at Miriam's House Annual Mother’s Day event. Patricia views recovery as a lifelong journey that begins with a patient's admission into recovery and evolves as they deepen their self-awareness, develop personal and relational tools, reclaim their place in the world, and optimize their personal and professional functioning.
In her previous roles, Patricia served as the Executive Director of Alumni and Client Services and Clinical Director of Admissions at Promises Treatment Centers. She also spent five years as an independent recovery coach and interventionist and continues to work in crisis intervention.
Patricia has served on the Board of Directors for Miriam’s House for the past 14 years, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women in need, focusing on reunification with their children and helping them become more present and effective mothers. Recently, Patricia was nominated to be the Executive Chairwoman of Miriam’s House.
MARTA HARMON
SECRETARY
Marta Harmon is an Executive Coach specializing in work with emerging leaders. Her focus is on meeting the current needs of clients, whether assessing the obstacles and opportunities of a current position, preparing for a career or life stage transition or reconnecting with purpose and meaning in work.
After 20 years’ experience in media and entertainment including management positions at NBCUniversal, Warner Bros and Comcast, Marta came to coaching through her own career development exploration and interest in helping others succeed. Since launching her coaching practice in 2017, her clients have included executives from Netflix, Sony, Paramount, Fox, Forbes, Conde Nast and Thomson Reuters as well as leaders from start-ups, agencies and non-profits.
Marta has a BA from Stanford University, is a Hudson Institute Certified Coach and has a coaching credential from the International Coaching Federation. In addition to her coaching practice, Marta is an active volunteer and Board Member at Miriam’s House, a non-profit transitional living and recovery home for low-income women and children. She currently lives in Culver City, CA with her husband, two teenagers and too many pets.
BOB BURKE
TREASURER
Bob Burke has been strongly involved in public and government affairs, public and legislative law and governmental relations for over 30 years. Beginning as an attorney, he was central to the California campaign of Bobby Kennedy for President. Following the tragic events of this campaign he lived in Geneva Switzerland, working for an international financial giant in the transnational real estate arena. He followed this position by establishing his own legal practice in Paris, France.
He was called back to the United States to serve as a senior strategist and advisor to the former Senator Birch Bayh. Continuing with Federal service, he was called to work in several positions with the administration of Jimmy Carter in Washington, D.C.. Working closely with the Executive Office, he managed the Congressional relations at NOAA for the United States’ domestic satellite and spectral scanners. While in Washington, D.C., he further expanded his public service experience by serving as the International General Counsel to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Returning to his hometown of Los Angeles, Burke announced the formation of his boutique law practice, specializing in the practice of land use, environmental and commercial law. Appointed to the Appeals Board of the Building and Safety Commission by former Mayor Tom Bradley, he served as president of that Commission. He directed his practice to regulatory affairs and Administrative Law. He was named by Senate leader pro tem David Roberti to serve as president of the California State Advisory Board on Alcohol-Related Problems. He was a founder of the Harvard AIDS Institute and president of the UCLA School of Law Board of Directors. Burke was also president of the Board of Alternative Living for the Aging, a senior congregate housing non-profit in the Fairfax area. He is currently serving on the Board of the Los Angeles branch of Volunteers of America and Chair of their Property Committee. He also held with distinction a position on the Executive Committee of the State Bar Section on Public Law. Burke is actively integrated in the downtown business community with participation in the Greater Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Central City Association.
BRYAN MOELLER
pRESIDENT EMERITUS
Bryan Moeller was previously senior vice president and director of Small Business Banking for Wells Fargo in Greater Los Angeles serving small and mid-size business customers across greater Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernadino Counties.
Moeller joined Wells Fargo in 1999. Prior to assuming his role managing Small Business Banking in 2007, he was vice president and regional sales manager for Wells Fargo Merchant Payment Solutions, overseeing teams in greater Los Angeles and Central California. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, he was a regional sales manager and Director for financial services giant, First Data Corporation.
Moeller is active in the non-profit community and currently serves as board member for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters, Jewish Family Services, the Los Angeles Opera and chairman of the Promises Foundation.
In 2010, Moeller was appointed to the L.A. Mayor’s Office of Economic and Business Policy (OEBP) Small Business Advisory Committee, which was formed to assist the needs of small business owners in the City of Los Angeles.
Moeller has attended college in the U.S. as well as studied abroad including the University of France, the Goethe Institute in Munich, and intensive study of classical music at the Conservatoire de Nancy in France. Moeller is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.
Dr. LOUISE STANGER
Board Member
Louise Stanger EdD, LCSW, CDWF, CIP, CSAT-1 is a preeminent interventionist and thought leader in the behavioral health and addiction treatments industry. She has received many distinguished awards and performed thousands of family interventions in the US and abroad, gives presentations around the country on various topics related to mental health , trauma and addiction, process disorders and chronic pain, and has received prestigious awards from her fellow industry colleagues for her dedication to intervention and recovery Harvard McLean Hospital an affiliate of Harvard University and DB Resources honored her as Interventionists of the year In addition to her work with clients and families, she is former University faculty at San Diego State University and University of San Diego, where she brought in over 4 million in grants for substance abuse and alcohol training and education.
Dr. Stanger is lauded for developing the invitational intervention process, which uses CIS: Collective Intervention Strategies, a revolutionary way of working with professionals and support systems to invite change.
Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Recovery Campus, Journal of Alcohol Studies, Recovery View, Sober Way, Sober world and more. Her book Falling Up: A Memoir of Renewal, in which Dr. Stanger recounts her travails growing up in a substance abuse family and forging her unique career path, is available on Amazon; and Learn to Thrive: An Intervention Guidebook is available on her website.
Her book, The Definitive Guide to Addiction Interventions: A Collective Strategy, is the first academic book in the U.S. about the intervention process and is used at universities.
Her latest book discusses addiction , mental health and trauma : Addiction In the Family : Helping Families Navigate Challenges, Emotions and Recovery and has been lauded for its compassionate approach.
Dr. Louise is passionate about the work she does with families.
Dr Louise welcomes hearing from you and learning about you. You can reach her at 619-507-1699 and DrStanger@allaboutinterventions.com
NIKKI YOUNG LEBOW
Board Member
Nikki Young Lebow is a dedicated philanthropist invested in service and community. Over the last 20 years, she has served on numerous boards and raised funds for causes near and dear to her heart. Currently, she is serving as a board member at IDLA, President Emeritus of Open Temple, and she is the newest board member of Miriam's House. Nikki's passions include helping women in recovery, mothers, and children with learning disabilities. She also dedicates her time to her beloved family, her husband Dave Lebow and her daughter, Rose.
CANDICE HENRY ROSALES
Board Member
Candice is a communications, marketing and fundraising professional with more than 20 years of agency, in-house and consulting experience. She specializes in message development, strategic planning and crafting compelling stories that drive business and fundraising objectives, as well as donor and constituent relations. Currently, she is the Director of Development for New Roads’ School, a socioeconomically diverse independent school that awards need-based aid to more than 40 percent of its student body. The mother of four children, Candice is also a birth doula and a fierce advocate for women, especially around issues of reproductive autonomy, maternal well-being and race, equitable healthcare and economic justice.
dr. james flowers
Ph.D., LPC-S, CSAT
Board Member
For more than 25 years, Dr. James Flowers has been one of the most recognized and respected names in the field of chronic pain, pain recovery, and addiction. With his broad educational background and extensive experience in both the evaluation and treatment of chronic pain and co-occurring addiction, he is recognized as an expert.
Dr. Flowers has completed several fellowships in behavioral pain management complete with clinical rotations.
He personally developed pain and addiction recovery programs for some of the best-known healthcare and addiction treatment centers in the country. He directed programs integrating assessment and treatment planning with a course of treatment to promote successful recovery.
Dr. Flowers also co-founded several well-known, exclusive treatment programs in the state of Texas, dedicated to his passion – that of designing multidisciplinary addiction treatment with clinical protocols, to help individuals suffering from addiction, chronic pain and other underlying disorders, successfully recover. With a demonstrated commitment to create positive change in the lives of his clients, he is dedicated to progressive healthcare, human healing, and to developing healthcare systems which best serve this population.
Dr. Flowers has been arranging assessments and evaluations for many years, but in founding J. Flowers Health Institute, he has advanced the process to satisfy a great void – to provide truly comprehensive assessment and evaluation for those who need diagnosis, and to then develop post-evaluation treatment recommendations. Having spent over 28 years in the Texas medical and clinical community, Dr. Flowers is uniquely qualified to assemble some of the finest health care professionals in the world to perform these evaluations and treatment.
Over the years, Dr. Flowers’ passion and dedication to his clients, as well as his unique approach, has earned him an exceptional reputation as one of the nation’s premier experts. He is a popular public speaker and lecturer to audiences across the United States and abroad and has led an exceptional and distinguished career.
“Everything is about you. Everything is about your health.”
DAVE BARGE
Post humous emeritus Board member
Dave Barge has served in the recovery/treatment community in several different capacities during his 42 years of sobriety. He has been on the Board of several transitional living homes including the House of Hope in San Pedro, Ca since 1975, Serenity House in Lomita, CA and is a past board member of the House of Miracles in Redondo Beach. Working with the National Council of Alcoholism since 1980 (which supports many 12 step houses), Dave has a deep knowledge of what it takes to help people in recovery. He has worked in several hospital setting including Gardena Memorial Hospital, South Bay Hospital and Long Beach Memorial Hospital. He is also a founding member of “Wayback Inn” detox center. He is the founder and current CEO of the South Bay Roundup convention for AA and Al-Anon.
