Meet Your Team of Teen Therapists
& Mental Health Specialists

MacKenzie's journey in the mental health field began in her hometown of St. George, UT where she was born and raised. During her college years, she gained experience as a direct care staff at a residential treatment center for adolescent girls and gradually transitioned to various management roles. MacKenzie's background is primarily in residential management which included being a Program Director for 5 years in the breathtaking Montana mountains.In 2021, MacKenzie embarked on a new endeavor as Executive Director, overseeing a therapeutic boarding school for adolescent teens in North Carolina. Drawing upon her extensive experience working with adolescents, she fostered a positive culture, enhanced student programming, and prioritized staff training. In this role, MacKenzie thrives on daily involvement in the therapeutic process with students and their families. She finds immense joy in witnessing the small, yet pivotal, changes that occur on a daily basis. MacKenzie's leadership style is characterized by empathy, allowing both her team and the students feel safe, valued, and understood.When she is not working closely with the students, MacKenzie indulges her passion for international travel. Additionally, she cherishes the great outdoors and can often be found hiking or exploring the nearby rivers.

Originally from Southern California, Jennifer came to Utah to attend both undergraduate and graduate school. She comes to Discovery Ranch South, after being an integral part of Moonridge Academy and RedCliff Ascent Wilderness Therapy where she served as Clinical Director in both programs. Prior to joining her previous teams, she spent 19 years in academia working in student development and counseling. While her experience has been diverse, Jennifer found her passion for working with teens in 2008. She finds joy in helping young people gain confidence in the understanding and expression of personal emotions. She enjoys helping teens navigate the difficult journey of self-discovery. Along that road, she finds opportunities to help with the following:

• Learning to integrate traumatic experiences into life, as well as letting go of the pain associated with these experiences (trauma recovery).
• Learning to achieve a positive self-identity as an LGBTQ+ teen.
• Gaining a positive body image and learning to have a healthy relationship with food.
• Learning to navigate relationships with a definite sense of self and appropriate boundaries.

Jennifer not only loves working with youth but believes that strong family work is an integral part of the change process. She is trained in EMDR and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Jennifer likes to utilize experiential approaches in therapy including improv, sociometry, sandtray therapy, and psychodrama.Jennifer loves to help educate young people and their parents on how the nervous system impacts their responses to stressful situations and then help them gain tools to feel more in control.Jennifer loves laughing, traveling, trying new and exciting foods and exploring the outdoors. Her newest adventure is navigating the waters of being an empty nester.

Sarah began working at Discovery Ranch for Girls in 2015 as a Residential Mentor. She is glad for her time spent working directly with students and grateful for all that she has learned from her various positions. She has thoroughly enjoyed working with families in Admissions and is happy that she gets to continue in that role as the Admissions Director.Sarah herself is a mother and feels that she can put herself in the shoes of the parents who are making the difficult decision to place their child in a treatment facility. Her favorite part of working at Discovery Ranch for Girls is seeing the progress in the girls’ relationships, and the change in their demeanor as they go through the program and become strong, purposeful young women.

After over a decade as a dedicated LPN, she has made it her mission to be a passionate mental health advocate, using her hands-on experience to make a real difference. As a wife and mother of two, she finds solace in the great outdoors. With a heart full of compassion and a drive to continually grow, she is excited to put her diverse skills and experiences to use supporting and uplifting others.

Lee Bingham is the Equine Director at Discovery Ranch South. Equine therapy can be a strong part of your teen's healing journey. There are many experiential learning opportunities at our more than 60 acre location! The students will have the chance to work with horses, calves, cooking, swimming, fishing, boating, climbing and ropes courses, yoga, hiking, winter activities and so much more.Lee has never known a life without horses or cattle. She was raised on a local ranch here in Cedar City, Utah. Taking the reins of her own horse, at three years old, sparked her love for these noble and trustworthy animals.Her rodeo career began at the age of nine, competing in junior rodeos, then on to high school and college. She earned two National High School Goat Tying Titles and one National College Title. Lee volunteers throughout the state offering private goat tying lessons to youth.She earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Southern Utah University in 2002.Lee values hard work, honesty, and integrity. She enjoys watching the students at the ranch develop these skills from working with the horses and calves. The most fulfilling piece of her job is watching the deep relationships the students build with the animals and waiting for that “in-the-moment” teaching experience to unfold between them.Lee loves spending time with her husband and their three boys. They enjoy working and riding on their ranch, farming, camping, fishing, hunting, team roping, golfing, and playing basketball and baseball.“We reach goals one step at a time. We cannot be perfect today or tomorrow but we can be better than we were yesterday.” —Author Unknown–

David has been a member of Discovery Ranch South's team since May of 2016. Initially, David came to work at Discovery Ranch South as a mentor and was promoted to a position as a Residential Supervisor. David has always viewed the therapeutic process as being multi-faceted with adventure education being at the heart of the process of change that clients embark on while at Discovery Ranch for South. In 2009 he completed his Master’s degree which focused on the impact of adventure and challenged-based programming on the ability of adolescents to overcome diverse and challenging experiences. As Recreation Director David’s goal is to continue to enhance the effectiveness of programming through extensive collaboration with the clinical team as well as developing exciting adventure programming to such as skiing, snowboarding, winter sports, outdoor survival skills, extended river trips, climbing, and canyoneering trips. David views adventure education and peak experiences as effective means to truly empower the teens at Discovery Ranch South.Prior to joining the team at Discovery Ranch South, David established a strong reputation as a wilderness therapy professional and served as Field Director for New Vision Wilderness (NVW). Under his leadership at this nationally recognized wilderness treatment program, he proudly contributed to a 200 percent enrollment increase during his tenure through several program development initiatives, marketing, and outstanding communication with consultants, parents and most importantly, enrolled clients. In 2010 David moved to Ireland where he served as the Program Coordinator for the Arts for Peace Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to community outreach, development and the development of healthy recreational opportunities for Irish youth.When David is not leading groups of youth into the backcountry or facilitating activities, he enjoys rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, canyoneering, skiing, backpacking, and canoeing. David, his wife, and their dog – in the fall of 2016 – paddled 2300 miles from the source of the Mississippi in Northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

Tamera has a lifetime of experience in Music, Theatre, and Dance. She has performed in over 50 stage productions, on multiple dance companies, as well as singing in professional venues stretching from Utah to New York City. Tamera studied Musical Theatre at Western Wyoming College and also attended Utah Valley University for her BFA in Modern Dance. She has been teaching studio dance for 8 years and private voice for 5 years. Tamera has directed and choreographed multiple Southern Utah professional theatre productions and has also enjoyed teaching and choreographing at many children’s theatres in the Western United States. Over the last few years Tamera has founded her own conservatory for performing arts and a non-profit theatre company where arts education and mentorship experiences are the keystones of her business model. Tamera also has a passion for the role arts can play in our healing. She believes in the power of expression as a means to release old emotions and patterns, and that the arts can help us to understand who we really are.

Elizabeth Grant has worked as the Academic Director at Discovery Ranch South for over five years and her cat, Kiwi, joins her at work occasionally. Her background includes supporting students with learning differences, giftedness and 2E (twice exceptional) for more than thirteen years in California and Colorado. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science in Mild/Moderate Special Education from Brigham Young University and earned a Master of Education in Prevention Science Practice from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Her particular focus has been on striving to mitigate anxiety in students with learning differences in order to support well-being and successful life transitions. Elizabeth is licensed through the Utah State Board of Education in Special Education for K-12+ with endorsements in Gifted and Talented Education. Traveling to visit her four children who live throughout the US, hot yoga, singing in choirs, cooking, hiking, art, gardening and local and worldwide explorations are all fun activities that Elizabeth enjoys.

Maria, originally from New Zealand, holds a Bachelor’s in Social Work and a Master’s in Counseling and has worked in mental health for over 20 years. After serving as a therapist in New Zealand and for the State of Nevada, she moved to Cedar City in 2010.  She has worked 15 years in residential treatment with the past 9 years in leadership roles focused on creating safe, supportive environments where students can heal, grow, and practice life skills.

In addition to her work in residential care, Maria has been a High School and College Basketball Official for 25 years, a role that has sharpened her leadership and decision-making skills.

Rashell has been with Discovery Ranch South since 2017 and became Assistant Clinical Director in 2021. Prior to joining the Discovery Ranch South team Rashell worked with adolescents since 2005 as a residential staff and therapist. Rashell graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling in 2008. She has worked primarily with adolescents during her career.She has experience working with youth who experience depression, anxiety, attachment challenges, trauma, and those with Autism. Rashell has completed the Level 1 Intensive Training for Radically Open DBT, and Phase 1 of Brainspotting. Rashell currently leads the RO DBT group and a Horsemanship Group.Rashell loves working at Discovery Ranch South. She loves to see the healing of the students and families. She is grateful and appreciates the opportunity to be a part of this process in the lives of students. Rashell’s background includes riding horses and raising livestock. Naturally one of her favorite things about Discovery Ranch South is the calf and equine program.Rashell is married, has three daughters and a dog, Posh, who comes to work with her each day. Outside of life at Discovery Ranch South, you will find Rashell spending time with her family at their cabin, on the lake, golfing or hiking in the many places that Southern Utah has to offer.

Nate Marble is the HR Director here at Discovery Ranch South. He has been involved in theatre arts and performing arts training in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada since 2010.  Nate holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Classical Acting from Southern Utah University and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.  While at UNLV he taught on a collegiate level and developed a theatre arts program based on empathy, personal strengths, and realizing self-potential and character through the arts.   Along with theatre arts, Nate has a background in music, dance, film, stage combat, directing, producing, theatre tech and voice acting.  He enjoys that "click" moment when students can see that acting is more than just getting on stage and presenting a role, it's being able to master your own emotions and actions in order to put yourself in someone else's shoes and portray their point of view even though it might be separate from your own.  He and his wife Katie spend most of their time chasing around their 4 daughters with all of their school activities.

Bre has worked in Behavioral Health for over 15 years. She has an extensive Utilization Review background working with some of the leading mental health organizations nationwide such as Newport Academy and Embark BH. Bre has served in various leadership capacities over the years and took part in building multiple short- and long-term programs as well as assisted with Joint Commission accreditations, audits, etc. She finds great joy serving others and has a growth mindset. She is passionate about advocating for insurance coverage and being a voice for clients and families alike. She is an active member in her community and enjoys volunteering with her children when able. Bre and her partner have three children and spend most of their time outdoors, hiking, fishing, off-roading and camping. Her greatest joy is when they are spending time together.