CALO - Meet Our Wonderful Staff

After completing his BA in English, Ken Huey received a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Florida State University. He then earned his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Purdue University. Dr. Huey has been working with troubled youth for 14 years. He started his career in the helping professions as a therapist in community mental health. He then spent time in a private practice focusing on family preservation/in-home therapy. As part of that practice he also worked on custody evaluations and provided expert witness testimony for courts in Indiana. Dr. Huey moved to Utah and began work with troubled youth in a residential treatment setting. He joined Provo Canyon School at the beginning of 2003 and was named as their Director of Business Development in June of 2004. He left Provo Canyon in July of 2005 and joined West Ridge Academy as their Director of Clinical Services.

In November of 2006, Dr. Huey helped launch CALO. Dr. Huey has presented at conferences around the country on issues of parenting, couples communication, and residential care. He and his wife, Jo, live in remote Linn Creek, Missouri with their 6 children. Prior to the Huey family arriving in Linn Creek, the population was 280. The Huey family increased the Linn Creek population by 3% (288). Chiggers and ticks are their only neighbors.

Landon has been working with children, adolescents, adults and families for the past 14 years. During graduate school, Landon became immersed in the world of adoption and attachment and this became a personal and professional passion of his. Following the completion of his Master of Social Work degree from BYU in 2003, Landon was hired as a full-time clinician where his responsibilities were divided between therapy, birth parent and adoptive couple work. Specifically, Landon worked with birth parents struggling with the option to marry, single-parent, or place their child for adoption and provided counseling and resources to help them make their important decision. An adoptive parent himself, Landon also counseled, approved, and placed prospective adoptive families with children. Landon feels very close to many adoptive parents and the shared issues of infertility, longing to have children, and post-adoption issues. In December of 2005, Landon joined West Ridge Academy as a full-time therapist. Within six months he was promoted as the Campus Administrator; supervising, coaching, and training all residential staff on how to mentor, engage, and lead male and female students in residential treatment. In January of 2007, Landon was hired as the Clinical Director and Chief Operations Officer for CALO. Landon is originally from Jacksonville, Florida alth ough he has also lived in Kansas, Idaho, Minnesota, and Utah before moving to Missouri. Landon enjoys many sport s and outdoor recreation especially football, tennis, basketball, golf, camping, hiking, and fly-fishing. Top on his list of interests is spending time with his wife Jill and their son Tanner (2004) and daughter Kambrie (2009). The Kirk’s reside in Osage Beach, Missouri.

Nicole has worked for over 16 years with adolescents and their families as a youth leader, therapist and Admissions Director. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from Denver Seminary. Her graduate focus was in child, adolescent, and family psychotherapy, and course work allowed her to complete all academic requirements for licensure as a Professional Counselor in the State of Missouri. Nicole's clinical experience includes work in community and crisis counseling centers, national youth service and ministry organizations, long-term residential treatment programs, and short-term behavioral health care facilities. In these environments she has provided a broad range of mental health and general support services including individual, group, and family psychotherapy, clinical assessments, treatment planning, case management, and referral services. Her areas of clinical expertise include facilitation of adolescent behavioral interventions, treatment of mood and motivational difficulties, eating disorder treatment and prevention, and family crisis management. Nicole is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor. She is also a member of the American Counseling Association as well as the American Association of Christian Counselors. As a trained and experienced clinician, she provides a depth of expertise to inquiring families and referral sources not often found in admissions departments. Nicole and her husband Matt, live in Osage Beach, Missouri with their three children, Jacob, Abigail and Matalyn.

Vicki Wagner joined CALO in August 2008. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri with her parents and two older brothers. Before relocating to the Lake of the Ozarks, Vicki spent 25 years working with the elderly. She worked as a Business Office Director, Fundraiser and Human Resources Director before moving to the corporate entity serving as Facility Liaison to 20 managed and owned communities. In this capacity she served within the Finance Department providing customer service and relations to hundreds of staff and family members. Vicki resides in Four Seasons with her husband, Richard and dog, Annie. Vicki has three children, Ryan 25, Kyle 23 and Richie 21. She most enjoys family and friends and hobbies include lake activities, watching sports, bowling and fishing an occasional tournament with her husband.

Originally from San Clemente, California Rob headed south to San Diego where he graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication. He then headed to the Midwest where he graduated with honors from Webster University with a Master of Arts in Counseling. Rob has had a passion for working with youth since he was in college. He feels extremely privileged to be able to participate in the emotional and behavioral growth of adolescents and their families. This passion led Rob to complete all of his practicum units at a child advocacy center where he became intimately experienced with the therapeutic healing and growth of children and their families faced with varies types of trauma and abuse. This invaluable experience motivated Rob to work in private practice where he specialized in testing, assessment, group therapy with adolescents in a school setting, and individual therapy. Being a part of CALO has allowed Rob to utilize his education, experience, and passion in a therapeutic environment focused on providing the highest quality of treatment. Rob lives in Osage Beach with his wife Katy and their sons Bailey and Riley.

Caleb has been working with adolescents and their families in recreational and residential settings since 2003 when he worked as a lead guide at Red Cliff Ascent wilderness program in southern Utah. His educational pursuits brought him out of the wilderness and into the residential setting where he worked as a staff supervisor at Maple Lake Academy. In 2006 Caleb became licensed in Therapeutic Recreation in the state of Utah with West Ridge Academy. In the summer of 2007 Caleb began working at CALO as the Recreational Therapy Supervisor and the Residential Coaching Supervisor. As a Recreational Therapist he leads regular camping trips with boys and girls where they participate in activities such as camping, hiking, rock climbing, canoeing, wakeboarding, fishing and service projects. As a Residential Coaching Supervisor he trains the residential coaches at CALO to provide safe, consistent and effective treatment for CALO's students. While he loves the "work hard, play hard" atmosphere of his career, Caleb's greatest joy is spending time with his wife Raylene and their two children Skyla and Canyon.

Abby was born and raised in Kirksville, MO. Upon graduation of high school, she relocated to the extremely small town of Fayette, MO, where she attended Central Methodist College. She graduated from CMC in December of 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Political Science. She holds two teaching certificates in High School Social Studies and Elementary Education. She married her college sweetheart, Morgan, and together they have two children; Scout and Molly. Abby loves working with children and feels that teaching is her true calling. She enjoys challenges and hopes that she is able to make a positive impact on all the students that she teaches.

Dr. Christy Maher is originally from Richmond, Virginia. Prior to joining CALO's clinical team, Dr. Maher lived in Georgia for 2 years where she worked as an Associate Director of Counseling at a well respected therapeutic boarding school. As an Associate Director of Counseling, Dr. Maher supervised eight masters level therapists, facilitated parent workshops, was the lead therapist for all post-graduate students and provided group, individual and family therapy for students in the program. She reviewed student’s psychological reports and assisted in the development of treatment plans. Dr. Maher also facilitated treatment team meetings to discuss struggling students, regularly evaluated counseling staff skills and training needs, traveled to job related conferences and met with referral sources. During her last few months at Hidden Lake Academy she transitioned to the Director of Admissions position where she supervised and facilitated the acceptance and enrollment process for students and their families.

Dr. Maher received her undergraduate degree from Christopher Newport University in Early Childhood Psychology. After completing her Bachelor degree she continued her education, receiving her Masters and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from Regent University. For three years during her doctoral training she worked with children, adolescents and adults in individual and family sessions. Dr. Maher moved to Bakersfield, California for a year where she completed her doctoral internship. Her clinical internship focused on the forensic population and she worked with adjudicated adolescents at Kern County Crossroads Facility. She also performed Competency to Stand Trial evaluations and worked with probationed adult sexual offenders for Kern County Mental Health. At both facilities she performed intake and full psychological assessments, developed and implemented treatment plans, and facilitated individual and group therapy sessions. Dr. Maher has been a therapist at CALO since August 2007.

Kim graduated in 1992 from the University of South Dakota with her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Social Work with a minor in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies. She graduated from Arizona State University in 1995 with a Master of Social Work. She is currently a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Missouri. She has over 16 years experience working with children, adolescents and their families. Kim’s experience includes work in many mental health settings. These include a college HELP center, elementary school, Level 1 Trauma Center, two residential treatment centers for adolescents, and two outpatient mental health centers. She has also worked as an Adoption Caseworker and did home-based therapy with children and adolescents and their families. Her experience in adolescent residential treatment includes 5 years as a coach/behavioral health specialist. She has provided a wide variety of services, including assessment, crisis intervention, individual, family, group, marriage and employee assistance counseling. She has lived in Missouri for over 11 years. She has been employed as a therapist for the past 13 years, aside from taking two years off to be a stay-at-home Mom. She and her husband, Robert, live in Four Seasons, MO with their two children, Ethan and Ella.

Amanda graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with her Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology. She began working with children and families in residential treatment facilities and private practice in Kansas City, Missouri and domestic violence shelters in Maryville, Missouri. In these environments she provided counseling, case management and crisis intervention services. Amanda graduated with honors from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a Masters of Arts Degree in Counseling and Guidance. During her graduate studies, Amanda conducted an exploration of Western Europe. Backpacking through Ireland, Scotland, England, Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Greece, Amanda experienced endless cultural diversity. This voyage would prove to be the backbone of her passion to incorporate multicultural awareness and sensitivity into therapeutic interactions. Amanda has a rich history of working with culturally diverse populations and is a member of the Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development, the American Counseling Association, and the Missouri Mental Health Counselors Association. Upon returning to the United States, Amanda continued her work with children, adolescents and families in community mental health centers in Kansas City, Missouri where she provided diagnostic assessments, treatment planning, case management, and individual, group, and family counseling. Amanda’s interests include spelunking, kayaking, biking, and spending time with her brothers. She currently resides in Four Seasons, Missouri with her loyal yet stubborn English bulldog, Brutus.

Yvonne is originally from W ashington D.C., Yvonne comes to Lake Ozark by way of the Deep South, Mississippi to be exact. Yvonne has been a Registered Nurse for 15 years, graduating first with an Associate’s in Nursing in 1993 from Montgomery College, and then completing her Bachelor’s in the Science of Nursing in 2000 from Baptist College of Health Sciences. Yvonne began her nursing career at John’s Hopkins Children’s Hospital. Yvonne’s nursing experience includes pediatric intensive care, pediatric home health, case management, nurse recruitment, and nurse management in rehabilitation medicine, urgent care, and acute care.

Through various personal experiences with youth at church and in the community, it became obvious to Yvonne that she needed to return to school in order to prepare for counseling struggling adolescents. Yvonne returned to school and simultaneously made the move to psychiatric nursing in order to gain experience in the field while completing her course of study. Yvonne completed her Master of Arts in Counseling Marriage and Family Therapy in 2008 from Liberty University. Upon graduation, she began work at Parkwood Behavioral Health at the Adolescent Residential Center as the Lead Therapist. As Lead Therapist, Yvonne provided counseling and case management services for residential adolescents including clinical assessment, treatment planning, individual and family counseling, and group counseling. Yvonne is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.

Yvonne has been married for 15 years to Bret; they have 4 children, 3 dogs, and 1 cat. In those rare moments of free time, Yvonne enjoys running, reading, cooking, painting, singing, and learning how to play the bass guitar. She considers her role as counselor to be an incredible privilege, second only to her roles as wife and mother.

Laura is originally from a small college town in South Carolina called Clinton. She graduated from Emory & Henry College in VA as a student-athlete in 2002. Laura was a member of the women's tennis team and earned her B.A. in Psychology. She attended graduate school back in her home state at the University of South Carolina, earning a Master's degree in Social Work in 2005. While in graduate school, Laura completed two internships, the first at the Department of Juvenile Justice and the second as a school-based counseling intern through a local community mental health center. Prior to joining CALO, Laura was a therapist at Hidden Lake Academy, a well-respected therapeutic boarding school in Georgia. It was there that she met her husband, Walter. While at Hidden Lake, Laura facilitated individual, group and family therapy, and also participated in parent workshops and treatment team staffings. During her last six months at Hidden Lake, Laura was on-call on a rotating basis in order to manage crisis situations as they arose. Laura also assisted in coaching the boy's and girl's tennis teams during the 2009 season. Aside from her therapeutic experience, Laura has also had significant experience working with children and adolescents in a summer camp setting. She has worked as a camp counselor, activity instructor in sailing, tennis, canoeing and archery, program director, and an assistant camp director. Laura lives in Osage Beach with her husband, Walter and their two dogs Annabelle and Lola. She enjoys reading, hiking, canoeing, boating, tennis and making jewelry in her spare time.

After completing his Bachelors of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a minor in Sociology, Evan worked at Doulos, a residential treatment center for teens in Colorado. There Evan mentored students struggling with depression, anger, self-destructive tendencies, and manipulation. This opportunity cemented Evan's desire to counsel teens and from there he went on to received his Masters degree in Counseling from Denver Seminary. Evan is skilled in a myriad of therapies and specialties including group therapy, gang violence, family systems, couple counseling, parent-child counseling, substance use/abuse, addictions, grief and loss, social and peer influences, life skills and more. Evan is also a member of the American Counseling Association and is Prepare and Enrich Certified. In his free time he enjoys reading, hiking, skiing, and the guitar.

Jennifer Robinson has lived in the lake area all of her life. She attended high school at School of the Osage. After graduation, Jennifer attended the University of Central Missouri to pursue a degree in education because of her desire to help children of all ages learn and grow in their academic studies. After working as a second grade teacher for several years, Jennifer began tutoring at CALO in the spring of 2008. Within a short period of time she became a vital part of the academic team. She was promoted to assistant academic director in the fall of 2008. It gives Jennifer a sense of accomplishment in knowing she helps to make a difference in student lives.

Phyllis Hood's dream of becoming a special education teacher happened at the age of forty-five, after raising five biological children; one with mild learning disabilities, and then adopting a 12 year old child to love and cherish. It was a teacher who encouraged her to return to school and pursue her career. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in several areas of special education and elementary education. Phyllis then pursued a Master's degree in special reading from Northwest Missouri State University. She taught special education for seventeen years, six years in the Camdenton RIII Schools, and eight years in the Special School District in the Saint Louis County Schools. Phyllis retired in 2006 and moved back to Camdenton. She was a substitute teacher for two years in the Camdenton School District when she saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a teacher at CALO and saw a chance to continue to enjoy working with children. 

Phil Young comes to CALO after thirty-five years teaching elementary and secondary art in a public and a private school. He grew up on a farm near Winterset, Iowa (Bridges of Madison County), with a great love for animals and the outdoors. After high school, Phil went to Southwestern Community College and then on to Northwest Missouri State University at Maryville, Missouri, where he earned his BS in Art Education. His first teaching job was with the Ankeny Community Schools just north of Des Moines, Iowa. Phil taught elementary art in Ankeny for 15 years before moving his family to the St. Louis area. While in Iowa, Phil had a pottery shop in the Lake of the Ozarks one summer and returned several other summers for an artist-in-residence position, demonstrating his love and skill for pottery making. While in the St. Louis area, Phil taught for twenty years at a private school in Chesterfield, Missouri. He started the art program for the elementary and the secondary art program, at the satellite school in St. Albans, Missouri. Phil has illustrated a book "I'm Not a Tomboy" and produced many large pottery pieces for the school there. Phil moved to the Lake of the Ozarks as part of the goals he had set for himself and someday hopes to open a pottery shop again. Phil has three children and eleven grandchildren which he loves to spend time with and sees them more than ever since his move. Besides his grandchildren, Phil loves pottery, both on the wheel and hand building, helping and teaching kids, boating, skiing, landscaping, and genealogy.

Kim was born in Central City, Nebraska and moved to Kearney, Nebraska when she was one years old. She remained in Kearney until she graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in December of 1994 with a Bachelor' s of Art Degree in Elementary and Physical Education. After graduation she began teaching in Niobrara, Nebraska where she met her husband, Duane, of 12 years. About 6 years ago, Duane and Kim decided to move their family of five to the Lake Area to pursue her husband's fishing career. Kim has three wonderful boys, Robert, Zach, and Payton who keep her extremely busy with all of their extra curricular activities. In what spare time Kim does find, she enjoys reading, walking her dog, playing the Wii Fit Plus with her family, and jamming out on her keyboard. She also volunteers at her local church helping teach the Wednesday night Bible Drill, Children's Church on Sunday morning every forth month, and working Nursery duty every third Sunday morning. Kim came to CALO last August as a tutor, where shortly after she was asked to become the math teacher. She truly loves her job helping the students discover that they really don't hate math as much as they think they do. And that YES, they will eventually understand it, and YES it will take some work!! Every since Kim was a little girl she knew that at sometime in her life she would be working with troubled youth. Last fall that dream became a reality for her and she couldn't be happier working anyplace else. It is such a joy to wake up and look forward to going to work and seeing what new challenges can be conquered that day.

Bret is a retired federal civilian employee and the current NCOIC of training with the 164th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Tennessee Air National Guard, located in Memphis, TN. During his twenty-two years in the Air Force, Bret has been deployed to the Middle East during The Persian Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.Bret possesses a M.A. in Ancient and Classical History from American Military University and a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Maryland. He is a current member of Golden Key, an International Honor Society. An Air Force brat, Bret has traveled extensively throughout the world, but says that there is no greater joy than being home with his wonderful wife and their four active children. Bret enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and watching football. Go Seahawks!!!

Russell See recently moved to the area. He is originally from Des Moines, IA, where he spent 2 years working with youth as a staff member at Boy Scout Camp Mitigwa. While there, he facilitated high adventure/low adventure ropes course, and assisted in the aquatics program. Russell has always been very involved in athletics, and is currently enrolled in Moberly Community College. He is working toward a degree in education with a focus on health/physical education. Russell found great team building and learning opportunities while participating in physical education activities and athletics. He hopes he can provide adolescents with the same skills and opportunities he experienced. Russell is a very hard working, family oriented individual. He is very dedicated to assisting in the treatment and developing relationships with the students at CALO. His patience, compassion and understanding help him to accept, walk with, and guide the students along a path to healthy, successful lives.

Coty was born here in Missouri, in the small town of Bolivar. He grew up there, attended school, and was always active in sports, such as basketball, football, and golf. In 2004, he moved to the lake area and he earned his diploma from Camdenton High School. Coty plans to attend college and graduate with a degree in Hotel and Casino management one day. He is a lead residential coach during the evening shift and loves every minute of it, leaving every day knowing that he has helped in making a difference for the students here at CALO. And as a person who overcame many obstacles as a teen, he takes pride in knowing he is a part of helping these teens overcome their obstacles and leaving their future wide open for great possibilities. Coty is active in his community, including in the Camdenton schools where his daughter currently attends, and loves being able to lend a hand wherever he can. He currently resides in Camdenton Mo.

Jordan was born in Jefferson City, Missouri and spent his school years in Lake Ozark, Missouri. He attended School of the Osage from Kindergarten through graduation in 2003. Jordan then moved to Nashville, Tennessee to earn his certificate in Audio Engineering. After graduating from SAE Institute of Technology he moved back to the lake and started working with the youth group at Christ’s Church while interning with Kikstart Records. Jordan, with his patience and devotion to today’s youth, looks forward to helping the students at CALO lead lives of purpose.

A life long resident of the lake area, Brian is married and has two sons. He has had a heart for children and youth and the struggles that they go through all his life. Prior to being at CALO Brian spent time tutoring at risk youth in a local public high school, and also was the director of children's ministry at Calvary Chapel Lake of the Ozarks. Brian spends his free time enjoying mountain biking, guitar playing, and leading a College and Career age Bible study.

Kevin is a native of Lake Ozark, Mo. Growing up he enjoyed going to his Great Grandma's house in Indianola, Iowa. "She would take my brother and I for a week each summer to a children and youth camp called Camp Wesley Woods." Kevin enjoyed many of the outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, horseback riding, performing group skits, and the overall atmosphere that Camp Wesley Woods provided. He always dreamed of going back, becoming a camp counselor and giving back in the same way that Camp Wesley Woods gave. Kevin's junior year of High School he became a member of Horseshoe Bend Baptist Church. He was part of the youth group and went on mission trips to help youth across the U.S. His love for giving back to kids continued to grow. When Kevin saw an ad for a Residential Coach at CALO, he couldn't help but feel that "this was it!" Kevin joined CALO in March of 2008 and says he could not have been more right. He says, "CALO is world class and I could not be more proud to say I am a part of a family that wants to create lasting relationships between young adolescents and their families."

Shelly grew up in beautiful Lake of the Ozarks. After graduating in 2001, she pursued a college education at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. In 2005, she received a Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a minor in business. After college, she moved to Kansas City for a change of scenery. While living in Kansas City, she worked in a bank for three years as a Customer Service Specialist and Teller Mentor. Even though she enjoyed her time in Kansas City, she felt something was missing in her life and she grew homesick. Shelly decided to return to her family home in Lake Ozark. She joined CALO in September 2008 out of desire to help others. Because she has had several tragedies in her own life, Shelly finds it easy to empathize and understand the students at CALO. She hopes that she can help the students build healthy relationships and happy lives. In her free time, Shelly enjoys spending time with her two nephews, playing with her dog, visiting family and friends, boating, fishing, and shopping. She looks forward to working with the teens at CALO each day and hopes to be a positive example in their lives.

Mike was born in the country of Taiwan and was adopted from an orphanage in Taipei when he was 2 yrs old. Mike has lived in Missouri most of his life and believes in valuing relationships. Mike will graduate from Lincoln University of Missouri with his B.A in Physical Education / Health with his lifelong intentions to help make a difference in the lives of children at many age levels. Since the age of 10, Mike has worked in many organized youth programs. A lot of the programs pertain to sports participation and collective youth care. Mike is currently a residential coach with CALO and works directly with students to provide the utmost care and attention that each child may need. He has been employed with CALO from the very beginning and has grown to watch the enjoyment of changing lives within the adolescents. He hopes to use his experiences and knowledge to help create change and relate with the students at CALO so that they may use these experiences to help build healthy relationships.

Mike was born in St. Louis Missouri. He moved to Lake of the Ozarks in 2004 after having vacationed here for many years. Mike is married to Melissa and has two sons and a daughter, Ethan, Joshua and Addyson. He is grateful to have the opportunity to work with great staff and wonderful students and says, “this was not my lifelong goal but working with adolescents quickly became my passion”.

Mike was raised in the Mid-Missouri area. He is a graduate of Morgan County R2 High School as a part of the class of 1999. After graduating high school, he had the pleasurable opportunity to work in training as a Telecommunications Technician for the family of companies of Four Seasons Group, Inc. He worked there full time for eight and one-half years prior to joining the CALO team. He lives with his wife Christina and has a daughter, Autumn Marie. Fun facts about Mike include his love for expressing himself in writing, enjoying learning or teaching opportunities, studying the spiritual aspect of life, and reading. In the past, he has taught Sunday school to preteens and preached at a local church. He chose CALO due to his love for working with teens, and his desire to be part of bringing hope into the lives of CALO students and families.

Amber is from Winchester, Illinois. She graduated from Central Christian College of the Bible in May 2008 with a bachelor of science degree in general ministry emphasizing in teaching. Prior to working at CALO, Amber has been employed at Windermere Baptist Conference Center. She is a certified level 1 ropes course facilitator of two years specializing in teaching teambuilding principles through high and low course initiatives. Amber hopes to further her education and become a recreational therapist. She has a passion for helping others by listening to and encouraging them.

Katte is from Jefferson City, Missouri. She is a full-time college student majoring in human services. When she is not enjoying the students at CALO she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and watching movies.

Michael was born in Jefferson City Missouri and raised at Lake of the Ozarks. He traveled Asia and taught English to youth at a boarding school in Thailand. After some time overseas, he returned to the states and met his wife and now has three sons and a daughter. Michael's passion in life is music. He enjoys connecting with youth playing songs together. He was attracted to CALO because it was way to encourage a positive lifestyle in others.

Travis was born and raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He has been married to Misti Puckett since 2001. They have 2 children their daughter, Raine, and their son, Gavin. In South Dakota, Travis and Misti, owned and operated a Construction company, an Overhead Door Company, and a Daycare. Needing a change after doing construction work all of his life, and living in the same place for 32 years, Travis and his family decided to sell all businesses and make the life changing move to Missouri. Travis and his family moved to Missouri in the summer of 2009 because they have always loved the beautiful Lake Ozark area. Wanting to try something new with his life, Travis began to realize through his wife Misti, and her work experiences at CALO, that working with teens as a mentor was something he needed and wanted to do. Travis started at CALO as a residential coach in December of 2009 and has found true joy and pride in his job. The road may have been long but Travis has found his life's calling.

Alison was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. While in school, she was involved in a variety of sports including soccer, volleyball, basketball, and track. During high school, Alison was very involved in her church's youth group. It was during all of the time spent with her youth group that Alison realized that she wanted to work with teenagers when she got older. After graduating high school in 2006, she moved to Warrensburg, Missouri to attend the University of Central Missouri. Alison graduated from UCM in December 2009 with her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Business Administration. Three days after graduation, she was hired as a Residential Coach at CALO. Alison strives to be a positive role model for the students at CALO and enjoys seeing them progress as they learn how to build healthy relationships.

Keith was born in Wardsville, Missouri. His family moved from Missouri to Colorado to Tennessee. After his parents divorced, Keith was raised by his grandparents in St. Thomas, Missouri. His grandparents live on a farm and taught Keith about hard work, manners, honesty and trust. He credits them with teaching him the importance of family and relationships. He says he's always wanted to share that with others. After high school, Keith joined the Navy and spent three years traveling extensively. His favorite travels took him to Venice where he felt the history and peacefulness of the culture were a wonderful experience. After serving three years actively in the Navy, Keith returned to the states. He soon went to work for Cole County Juvenile Office and spent nine years supervising and working with youth. Keith has three daughters, Autumn, Cali, and Jacoby. He demonstrates great pride in being a single father. In June of 2009 Keith moved to Lake of the Ozarks and found CALO. He says that CALO teaches students and staff about real relationships, about the importance of family environment and he feels it has given him the opportunity to give back.

Jose was born on the lovely island of Puerto Rico but brought up by his wonderful mother in the United States where he attended school and currently resides. Having some understanding of the complexities that torment our students, Jose is able to help mentor and coach students through their struggles. Jose has a deep love for his wife and children and shares his love and compassion with the students at CALO. Instilling healthy social and e motional characteristics in our students is the most satisfying part of the job to Jose. He believes such social and emotional traits are essential in living a successful life. .

Michelle was born in Ottumwa, Iowa and moved to Lake of the Ozarks in May of 2007. She is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology and has a goal to have a Doctorate when she is finshed with school. Michelle loves to be with children and adolescents and that is what brought her to CALO. She hopes to help children and teens overcome obstacles sthat she has encountered in life. Michelle loves to hang out at the lake going boating and swimming, play volleyball, and play with her dog, Ziggy.

Monica is a native of Missouri mainly living at The Lake of the Ozarks. She is currently attending Columbia College finishing up her associates in elementary education. She has worked several jobs including the correction department for the sheriffs department and working with the kids at the YMCA, but her passion lies with working with youth. She is new here at CALO but strives to make a positive impact in any way that she can.

Jim grew up in the small town of Geneseo IL. He served in the military in the late 80's as a Military Police Traffic Accident Investigator at Ft. Hood TX. After honorable discharge, he used the GI Bill to ascertain Associates Degree in Liberal Arts & Science. Jim has over 20 years in sales and sales management here in Missouri. Besides working at CALO, Jim and his wife both live and sell Real Estate here at the lake and have a 10 year old son.

Connie was born in the Central Valley of California and grew up in the cool pines of the Sierra Nevada mountains. In 1993, she and her family relocated at the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks. Having raised two children, she is happy to have discovered CALO in October of 2008. Connie says CALO gives her the opportunity to continue nurturing and caring for youth to truly make a difference.

Paula has lived at the Lake for 31 years. After graduating from Camdenton High School she took a job in the retail industry. Working with people, getting to know them, and befriending them has always been a keen talent for Paula. Married with 5 kids, she loves to garden, hike, swim, run, go camping, work outdoors on the farm, work with the youth at church and spend as much time as possible with her kids. Being a residential coach at CALO offers her the perfect opportunity to use her life skills and social talents to help CALO youth prepare for their future and excel in life.