Our Team

Matt Crosby

Matt loves programmatics. He is passionate about the ever-evolving discussion of best practices in residential treatment, and how Clinical, Academic, Residential, and Experiential interests and aims are most effectively synthesized for each student in the “little world” of any program. Matt is especially excited about the unique experience Monuments has to offer, with its amazing location and baked-in emphasis on adventure, practical experience, and mastery.

Matt Crosby has worked with youth in residential treatment for almost twenty-five years. He was part of the pioneering team that started a residential program in 2005, and was asked to serve as Residential Director on the original leadership team for another program created in 2013. Matt served in that role for almost ten years as Residential Director and an assistant to the Executive Director, staying on as a consultant and administrative trainer for a year and a half afterward.

Jason Adams, Ph.D.

Jason comes to Monuments with almost 25 years of experience in behavioral healthcare spending most of that time as a testing psychologist. Having delivered over 1,500 psychological assessments to children, teens, and young adults, Jason knows how good assessment leads to great treatment. His ability to get to the core of what is happening for students, drives his treatment model. He also spent several years as a therapist in a wilderness program where he utilized this expertise in facilitating change in the youth he served. Jason was drawn to Monument’s model of giving students opportunities for real-world skill building and creating relationships through active learning scenarios.

Jason lives in St. George with his wife and 4 kids. He loves the outdoors, including hiking, repelling, and canyoneering.

Brad Matheson, MBA

With more than two decades of supporting children’s mental health, Brad is driven to make a difference. Helping children find mental health answers has been a paramount part in his career. His start in mental health began in the behavioral industry for adolescents, young adults and families.

Brad has found a great deal of personal satisfaction helping students of all ages work through wilderness and residential treatment paths. For Brad, nothing is more powerful than seeing students and families strengthened by finding clarity, direction and answers that they only dreamed were possible just a short time earlier. He has helped hundreds of families navigate the difficult road of residential therapeutic care to see them thrive along the way. This valuable experience is a cornerstone of support for the many families who find Monuments Academy, looking for answers.

Chad Balagna

Chad comes to Monuments with nearly 20 years of experience in the mental health field.  He received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Utah State University and later attended Southern Utah University and earned a master’s degree in public administration.  Along the way, he picked up certifications in parent coaching and mediation/conflict resolution.

Chad spent the bulk of his career working with adolescents, young adults, and families in wilderness therapy programs.  Here, he learned to appreciate the importance of community, relationships, and ownership in the treatment process.

Originally from the mid-west, Chad still finds himself awe-struck by Utah’s beautiful mountains and deserts.  He currently lives in St. George, Utah.  He can be found hiking, snowboarding, traveling, or coaching his kids’ sports teams when he’s not taking admissions calls.

Kristi Gilbert Ouahib

Kristi comes to Monuments with a unique blend of experience in corporate, public, and private education. Kristi spent 25 years in the high-tech industry as a professional writer, trainer, and instructional designer. She also ran her own company that provided instructional design services, content development, and content delivery systems for corporate education, training and certification programs.

After 25 years in the high tech industry, Kristi retired so she could “do something that mattered”:

“Reflecting on my personal experience, the people who have had the most significant effect on my life outside my own family have been teachers. Elementary, middle-school, high-school, church, music, sports, and college teachers have profoundly impacted my life experiences, world view, values, and sense of identity—for good and for ill. I remember my teachers more than any celebrity, actor, musician, or politician of my era.“

Her first year of teaching, her principal made her department chair of the English and Foreign Language department. During her tenure, her department raised their state testing scores by 15%, and they built programs such as a school Renaissance Fair, a robust Shakespeare Program, Poetry Out Loud, and Project-Based Learning (PBL).

As Academic Director at Monuments, Kristi’s primary objective is to help students learn how they learn, how to be successful in school, and how to advocate for themselves so they are empowered to successfully direct their own academic program:

“I tell our students that I work for them. Once they own their education, school is a whole other experience!”

Albert Behling

Albert began working in leadership positions with youth and young adults in 2006 for the Boy Scouts of America where he created an aquatics program and ran it for several summers. Since that time he has worked with youth and young adults in Eastern Europe, wilderness programs, and in residential programs.

Albert came to Monuments Academy at the beginning of 2023 after spending ten years helping to get two other programs up and running and into a leading spot for the population it serves. Albert has a passion for creating high quality programming and training that leaves people feeling empowered and valued. He believes there is good in everyone and loves to teach staff and students how to manifest that for themselves and to positively impact those around them.

Albert likes to recharge by spending time with his two young daughters and wife, or traveling to remote areas of the Mountain West and Great Basin or Eastern Europe (he speaks fluent Albanian), but most of the time he is engaged in powerlifting and strongman.

Brandon Hanks

Brandon has over ten years experience working with youth in residential treatment. After six years working as a residential supervisor, he and his wife moved to a small town in South Central Utah to open their own cattle ranch. After 12 successful years working with horses, cattle and people from all over the world, Brandon’s desire to encourage and influence youth led him to Monuments.

Outside of work, Brandon has his own Cattle Operation on the Arizona strip near the Grand Canyon. Brandon and his wife have four children and they enjoy riding horses, 4-wheelers, boating at Lake Powell and doing all things outdoors.

Lisa Anderson, APRN, PMHNP-BC

Lisa started her career as a Recreational Therapist and has spent many years working with at-risk youth. After being a stay at home mom for a few years, she returned to school at Southern Utah University to complete a second Bachelor’s degree in nursing, and later enrolled in Eastern Kentucky University to complete a Master’s Degree in nursing, specializing in psychiatry and mental health. She is board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and is licensed in Utah and Arizona as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. Lisa enjoys gardening, sewing, reading, and listening to audiobooks so she can multitask. Born and raised in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Lisa loves spending time outdoors with her husband and four children.

Christin Jesson, RN

Christin began her career as a nurse in 2014, initially focusing on geriatric behavioral and mental health. After spending time over the winter volunteering with the boys at Monuments Treatment Center, teaching Dutch Oven cooking classes, she was so impressed by the students and team mentality at Monuments she changed her career focus to adolescents.

Christin is excited to bring to Monuments her passion for holistic nursing, which is utilizing nursing knowledge, theories, evidenced based practice and intuition to recognize and care for the totality of the person as a whole.

When not at work, Christin can be found outside, either gardening, farming, hunting, or exploring Southern Utah’s breathtaking scenery and rich history.

Ryan Smith, MSW

Ryan has worked with adolescents for many years in both residential treatment programs as well as a coach in several sports. Therapeutically, Ryan utilizes a strengths-based, mindful, and attachment focused approach in working with his students allowing him to dig deep into the challenges they face. He believes deeply that people have strengths and are their own experts, and a therapist is a guide to help students discover how to grow in their struggles and their strengths. He understands that having a value system is a healthy way to live life and helps students to identify their own values and live an authentic life.

Outside of work, Ryan loves sports and hanging out with his family.  He has four daughters and a son and they are always busy chasing an adventure.  Ryan has also coached many sports with high school, club, and college teams and loves working with youth supporting their growth.

Tad Draper, LCSW

Tad Draper is a native of Utah. Following his graduation from Southern Utah University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Tad became a Licensed Clinical Social worker in 1998 after receiving his master’s degree from the University of Utah. He has spent the last 30 years in the residential field helping challenged youth and their families successfully navigate issues such as, adoption, ADHD, depression and anxiety.  Having struggled with ADHD and anxiety during his youth, Tad has great compassion and understanding for students dealing with these struggles. He has successfully helped himself, as well as countless students and families, by providing essential, personalized interventions to help traumatized kids develop positive coping mechanisms and behaviors to current challenges.  Tad is passionate about working with youth in an effort to help them overcome and thrive in the challenging environments they face.

Tad loves experiential learning and active therapeutic interventions and brings a unique skill set to the clinical team. He is thrilled to be working in an environment like Monuments, where he can put his clinical expertise and combine it with the vision of helping students find passion and mastery. His vast experience will help the entire team in creating ownership and growth in the boys they serve.

Max MacGregor

Max MacGregor received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California University of Pennsylvania and then went on to Messiah University to gain his Master’s degree in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling. He is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) who has experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families for depression, anxiety, sexual orientation, behavioral issues, and family dynamic struggles.

Max has accumulated over nine years of experience working in the field of mental health and human services as well as over seven years of experience working as a direct support with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has a genuine passion for using Experiential learning and his rapport building skills to help him understand his client’s personal needs, motivations, and personalities so they may reach their fullest potential and success with their mental health, self esteem, and overall personal confidence.

Lastly, Max has been able to gain experience working with children, adolescents, and adult clients in different ecological settings, such as homes, jobs, therapeutic offices, in nature,  in the community, and in academics that gives him a professional perspective of how to support his clients dealing with the many systems and relationships they may engage with on a daily basis in their current life as well as preparing for the future.

Shaylee McDonald

Shaylee began working with Monuments Academy while enrolled as a student at Southern Utah University. Her passion for mentoring young people and appreciation of the importance of mental health wellness helped her move quickly into a leadership position with Monuments. Upon graduation from SUU with a B.S in Exercise Science, Shaylee decided to dedicate her professional life to serving the growth and empowerment of struggling adolescents.

She believes that successful young people become successful adults and is passionate about cultivating a safe and nurturing environment for students to learn, develop, and heal outside of traditional constraints. She also serves as an advocate for the adolescent LGBTQ+ community and is an invaluable resource for students and families who may be struggling with societal stigmas.

When not at work, Shaylee can be found exploring the great outdoors with her family and faithful side-kick and best friend, her dog Gemma.

Bryan Cook

Bio and Picture coming soon!

Matt Currier

Nicholas (Nick) Boucher

Nicholas (Nick) Boucher is excited to be a part of the Monuments Team in one of the more important roles… the Head Chef. Nick was born and raised in Springfield, IL until until, in 2015 he was sent into residential treatment and stayed treatment until the end of 2016. He truly knows and understands what these students are going through and will do anything he can to help them. He hopes to help them specifically realize that there is a purpose for them being at Monuments as he knows first hand that they will become better men by experiencing this.
Nick has worked in the food industry for 7+ years, and owned/operated his own fleet of food trucks for a year and a half. He sold 80% of his business and moved out to Utah to accomplish a goal of getting out of Illinois.
He now has worked at 3 residential treatment facilities including the center he was a student at in 2015-16. He has combined both his passion for cooking and his passion for molding young minds, and loves every second of it.

Tera Purcell

Tera began working with Monuments soon after it’s opening. She started out as a staff where she began building healthy relationships and understanding how to work with the young men attending the program. She enjoys being involved with students in all of the areas of the program including Horsemanship, Photography, Outdoors, etc. She loves helping the students learn and grow into the men they strive to be. She is always willing to lend a listening ear and a helping hand. She makes Monuments feel like home.

Tera has 3 years experience in Administration. She works along well with clients/co-workers and believes that organization and communication are key. Working together to keep our young men safe and succeeding is her mission at Monuments.

Tera grew up in a large family with 4 brothers and 3 sisters. She’s from a small town in Utah where she learned to love and enjoy the outdoors. Tera is a mother of 3 beautiful children. Together they enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, camping.

Dallas Joseph Guymon

Dallas is passionate about giving everyone a voice and providing opportunity to the underserved. Before being employed at Monuments, Dallas volunteered on the For Peck and Rosebud Indian Reservations where he learned the realities of addiction and poverty. He has also worked for a non-profit organization whose mission is to help those with disabilities have a more fulfilling life and an equal opportunity to engage in the community.

While at Monuments, Dallas’s primary responsibility is to provide a safe and positive environment for learning. Additionally, Dallas teaches an array of subjects in social sciences and humanities, along with being Monument’s Prime for Life drug prevention instructor.

Annette Apple

Annette Apple was raised in the midst of the fine arts community of Sedona, Arizona where her mother owned an art gallery. Consequently, Annette developed a great appreciation and knowledge of art, and Annette later managed an art gallery in Sedona for many years. After beginning her family, Annette earned an Associates’ Degree at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona and began her travels to different lands.

Since 2001, Annette has been a school secretary, testing coordinator, transitional living mentor, drama coach and high school registrar. Fifteen of those years were spent working in the residential treatment field.

In 2013, Annette moved to Utah and returned to college (Southern Utah University) to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in History. Annette greets our students every morning when they walk into school and is always available to lend a listening ear. She states, “I believe that working with at-risk youth is the most rewarding calling for me as I love to partake in and encourage our students to change former poor behaviors, cultivate new positive outlooks and mindsets, embrace life’s challenges, and develop into healthy young men. I’ve learned that as they grow I do too! Annette and her husband have three children, three son-in-laws, and four grandchildren.

Gary Teare

Gary joins the Monuments team following time working in special education, as well as the medical field. Gary was drawn to Monuments and the field of special education following his own struggles with learning differences from a young age. As Gary moved through school he exhibited many markers of a child with learning differences, but during this time many of these learning challenges had not yet been defined. As he progressed in school, he struggled with reading, writing, math and coordination. His frustration with schoolwork increased as he got older, because he knew that his tests and class work did not reflect his true knowledge, but he didn’t know how to transfer that knowledge to assignments. Throughout his school years, Gary began to internalize the inaccurate messages that he was “dumb”, “lazy,” or “not trying hard enough.” Through these experiences, Gary also experienced symptoms of depression and PTSD.

Due to his negative school experience, Gary decided not to go to college and instead live overseas. During this time he taught himself a foreign language. Successfully learning a foreign language gave him enough confidence to try college; however, when he enrolled, he again struggled with classes and assignments, particularly those in reading and writing.

When Gary was 28, he was referred for educational testing by a professor who noticed his learning struggles. The results showed that Gary had multiple learning disabilities: dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia and attention deficit disorder. Once Gary learned what his disabilities were, he was able to identify strategies that helped him be successful in school and complete his college education. Gary graduated in 1986 with a degree in special education and worked as a special education teacher for five years on the Navajo reservation. Working on the Navajo reservation, he saw the profound need for medical support, so he decided to enroll in the Physician’s Assistant (PA) graduate program at the University of Utah. Once again, he used the strategies he learned previously to help him successfully complete his education and obtain his PA license, after which he practiced medicine for 30 years. Upon retiring from his medical career and moving to Parowan, Gary worked at Parowan High School helping special education students find success in their classes and reach their academic goals.

Though Gary still struggles with his learning differences, his experiences have provided a great deal of compassion for those who go through life with these difficulties. More importantly, his understanding of these difficulties has given him the ability to understand and help students who also struggle with these challenges.

Outside of his academic and medical careers, Gary has been happily married for 39 years. He and his wife have raised seven of their own children and a couple others that joined them along the way. He loves helping those who struggle academically and finds joy in applying his knowledge and experience in doing so.

Keenan Hatch

Bio Coming Soon!

David Williams

David Williams was raised in the mountains and deserts of Utah. Since an early age, he’s been fascinated with the ability art and photography have of showing new and unique perspectives, capturing beauty, and conveying emotion and story. His artistic inspiration ranges from the Hudson River School and Neoclassicism to Street Art and Post-modernism. When he’s not busy exploring nature with his children, you can find him exploring new techniques for shooting macro, aerial (drone), landscapes, and portraits.

Garrin Guzzle

Coming Soon!