RIGHT WAY ACADEMY STAFF

Charles Powell | Founder

Charles C. Powell has an extensive history of establishing positive, strength centered programs of rehabilitation and treatment of juveniles and adults with at risk behaviors. Dedicated to the development of programs which are oriented on special needs (alcohol and drug abuse), he seeks programs that ensure that clients have therapeutic intervention that has a positive impact. His treatment philosophy incorporates a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach that addresses the specific developmental and treatment needs of each client. He formed AMP-CEP, Inc. in 1977, an organization dedicated to providing treatment to adult and adolescent substance abusers. In 1998, AMP-CEP Group Homes, Inc. won a competitive bid to manage the Eastern Shore Structured Shelter Care, which provided emergency shelter care services for children. Also in 1998, he formed COPO, Inc., a company organized to serve troubled youth, andd Morning Star Youth Academy. The program is a long term residential treatment program that provides education, addiction education and treatment, mental health counseling, life skills training, and family services for the MD Dept. of Juvenile Services. In January 2004 he won a competitive bid to manage Right Turn Youth Academy, a pre- and post-adjudicated Detention Center in Killeen Texas. This program is dedicated to serving the youth of Texas by providing support mechanisms to facilitate the educational, emotional, physical and spiritual growth of youth.

Dr. Stephen K. Valle,
Sc. D., M. B. A. | Founder

Dr. Stephen K. Valle is one of the original founders and owners of Right Way Academy. Dr. Valle has over thirty years of professional experience in operating and managing youth and adult behavioral healthcare services. He is the founder of Accountability Training®, a behavioral change treatment model that incorporates the therapeutic community, 12-Step self help, and cognitive behavioral programs offered at Right Way Academy. Dr. Valle’s treatment programs have been independently evaluated and have been proven to produce effective behavior change in participants who complete the Accountability Training model. His model has been featured in several national publications and at national conferences. Dr. Valle serves as a clinical and management consultant for the Right Way Academy.

Dr. Valle is currently President of AdCare Criminal Justice Services, Inc. which provides addiction, educational and behavioral health services in a variety of community and institutional settings. He was instrumental in pioneering one of the most successful managed care treatment alternatives for use in hospital and community settings, as well as innovative treatment programs for use in criminal justice settings. In 1993, Dr. Valle received one of the highest honors in his profession, being nominated by Senator Harold E. Hughes (IA), to serve as Director of the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the Clinton Administration.

As a licensed Psychologist and a Certified Addictions Counselor, he is recognized for his outstanding leadership in the development of national standards for the alcohol and drug abuse field. Dr. Valle has served as President of the National Commission for the Accreditation of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselor Credentialing Bodies, Inc. for six years, and has been a nationally recognized consultant providing technical assistance to hospitals, schools, prisons, jails and community based behavioral health agencies.

Dr. Valle is the author of over a dozen journal articles, author of the text, Alcoholism Counseling: Issues for an Emerging Profession, and editor of Drunk Driving in America: Strategies and Approaches to Treatment. Dr. Valle has served as Associate Editor of the Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, as well as holding several editorial review assignments for leading professional journals.

Dr. Valle founded Right Turn, Inc., which provided treatment services throughout the country and also co-founded Right Turn of Maryland with Charles C. Powell, the founder and principal owner of Right Way Academy.

Dr. Valle has received numerous awards from the addictions and mental health treatment field including the following:

• 1996 Better Government Competition Award
  Presented by the Pioneer Institute, a public policy think tank located in Boston, Mass. for his article; “Right Turn: Getting Tougher and Smarter with Repeat Drunk Driving Offenders.”
• 1988 South Shore Chamber of Commerce (MA) Community Service Award
  Quincy District Court, Quincy, Mass.
• 1986 Distinguished Service Award
  Presented by the National Commission on Accreditation of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors Credentialing Bodies, Inc.
• 1986 NAADAC Mel Shulsted Outstanding Achievement Award
  Presented by the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors
• 1984 Massachusetts Association of Alcoholism Counselors Outstanding Achievement Award
  Presented for his work in the development of National Standards for Counselors by the Massachusetts Association of Alcoholism Counselors
• 1982 NAADAC Outstanding Achievement Award
  Presented to Stephen Valle as President of the National Credentialing Commission by the National Association of Alcoholism Counselors and Drug Abuse Counselors
  

Bill Williams, M. Ed., CAC, |
Administrator

Bill graduated from Penn State University where he received an M. Ed with an emphasis on Educational Psychology, he began as an Instructional Media Specialist in Attleboro, Massachusetts.  Then, Bill returned to Penn State to work at Allegheny Educational Broadcast Council.  As Director of Television Utilization he worked with 80 school districts and 6 State Universities.  He served as the first Television Utilization Coordinator for Pennsylvania Public Television.  Bill produced and directed original film and television programming for use in high school and college classrooms.  Many of these production activities were collaborations with National Instruction Television and the 21-inch classroom, producers of Sesame Street and The Electric Company.  His last educational position was Director of a Community School in Central Falls, Rhode Island.  He coordinated the development of programming at the school with the universities of Rhode Island and Connecticut.

For the past 25 years, Bill has been involved in the Behavioral Health profession.  He began as a therapist at Marworth Chemical Dependency Treatment facility.  Bill advanced to Clinical Supervisor at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he coordinated residential, detox and out-patient substance abuse programming.  Bill then served as the Director of Clinical Programming for the Greenleaf Health Systems at their psychiatric hospitals in Valdosta, Georgia and Jonesboro, Arkansas.  Bill returned to Marworth at Shawnee-on-the-Delaware to coordinate their expansion of chemical dependency services from adolescents only to include both adolescents and adults.  Bill was recruited to serve as CEO for Woodhaven in the Poconos, an adult chemical dependency facility.  Over the past eight years Bill has consulted for various chemical dependency, partial hospitalization and dual diagnosis programs.

Vicki Monas, M. Ed. | Headmaster

Ms. Monas graduated from the California University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. In 1973 she received her Masters Degree in Education from CUP with certification as a K-12 Reading Specialist; subsequently she received additional certification as a Reading Supervisor and as a school principal. In 1994 she earned a Letter of Eligibility / Superintendent of School certification.

Ms. Monas began her educational career as a classroom teacher. She also served as an educator in the capacities of Reading Specialist, Federal Programs Coordinator and Reading Supervisor. She became an Elementary Principal, Middle School Principal, and High School Principal. She also served as Assistant Superintentent, returning in 2004 as Superintendent of Schools.

During her 38 years as an educator she was responsible for the development and implementation of curriculum, K-12; she implemented a Responsibility Training program based on the reality therapy model and developed and supervised all federal programs in her school districts. She has served as a Pennsylvania Department of Education monitor for Federal Programs and as a member of the evaluation team for certification of the education department of colleges and universities.

She is currently a member of the Greene County Human Services Advisory Board and is a former member of the Greene County Memorial Hospital Advisory Board.

Angelo Battisti | Director of Admissions

Angelo Battisti brings extensive experience in working with troubled youth and their parents to his position as Director of Admissions. Angelo has worked with youth and community in boarding school settings. As a recovering person he is keenly aware of the difficulties persons experience in understanding and dealing with addictions in the family. His position makes him the first point of contact for persons contacting Right Way Academy and his caring, willingness to help and his ability to understand the difficulties that parents are facing in dealing with their son or daughter is always apparent.

Angelo is a Phi Theta Kappa graduate of Broome Community College, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree  in Communications from Ithaca College.