Admissions and Marketing Team

Meg Nygren, MSML, CAI-II, CTP-I

Vice President of Marketing

Meg Nygren joins the team as the Vice President of Marketing for Red Oak Recovery programs. Her vast experience includes working in the marketing and business development arena, strategic planning, leadership development, and working with families, clients, and referral sources during the admissions process and throughout their treatment stay. She also has experience with regards to operations, regulation, and compliance in a prior role with Red Oak Recovery.

Meg delivers a high standard of excellence and offers a collaborative team spirit with those she works with. She enjoys working with families and professionals to help deliver solutions for customized treatment and long-lasting, sustainable recovery for those struggling with substance use, trauma, and mental health issues. Meg is a Certified ARISE Interventionist, Level II and a Certified Trauma Professional, Level I.

On her downtime, you can find Meg exploring the many things to do in beautiful Western North Carolina with her husband. Eric and miniature pinscher, Romeo.

Maggie Cain, LCMHCA

Admissions Director

Maggie’s first home was in the great state of Texas. Collegiate tennis and a full scholarship sent her to Arkansas. There she found her first career and love for helping people. Her first job landed her in the nonprofit fundraising sector. For thirteen years she was blessed with getting to raise awareness and much-needed funds for children and families seeking support, hope, and love through programs for psychiatric, emotional, and behavioral care in Arkansas. After earning her Masters in Mental Health and Clinical Counseling in 2016 from Southern Arkansas University, she became a Licensed Associate Counselor in Arkansas and recently (2018) transferred her license to North Carolina as a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate.

Additionally, for fourteen months beginning in December 2016, Maggie provided part-time counseling for Bradford Health Services IOP of Little Rock. Working with the clients and their families at Bradford Health Services was equally fulfilling and joyful as connecting donors to changing lives of others through their financial gifts. That experience, and her love of helping people, led her to a desire to stay in addiction treatment. Maggie found herself seeking through the clients’ strengths and desires for help to be a part of a team that feels the same passion for helping and ensures every client an opportunity to succeed.

Maggie’s biggest strength is that she finds daily happiness in helping others and connecting others to that feeling of joy. She is a Clinical Outreach Specialist for Red Oak Recovery and The Willows. Her passion for helping the whole family heal will live on through her work at Red Oak Recovery by sharing about ROR and The Willows to clinicians, treatment programs and families.
Maggie could not be happier to now live in Arden, with her husband and to explore this beautiful state by foot and kayak.

Shane Applegate

Senior Admissions Counselor

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it” – Yogi Berra. While this may or may not be an authentic Yogiism, Shane has authentically been committed to working in experiential and therapeutic programs since the late 80’s. With several years of experience in multiple roles at camps and boarding schools, Shane has now worked in the young adult substance abuse field for fourteen years.

Experience in the substance abuse field for Shane has led to several key roles and trainings, which aids him greatly in understanding the support and needs for families and their loved ones seeking help. From the impact of an intervention process on a family, to setting realistic expectations for the treatment process, Shane always strives to provide compassionate service to each situation.

Shane’s knowledge of professional resources nationwide helps him greatly in connecting families with qualified resources as they navigate the move towards recovery solutions. Shane has tremendous passion for helping young adults find the new directions they are needing at a critical time in their life, doing so with great respect for all the struggles they are facing.

A native of Kansas, Shane is a graduate of Kansas State University in Public Relations. Shane and his wife have now lived in Asheville for more than 20 years, raising two boys and family fully integrated into the joys of living in Western North Carolina.

Justin Shaff

Admissions Counselor

Justin grew up in Southwest Michigan. He spent much of his childhood running around the woods, building forts, playing in the dirt and snow, and just learning how to be comfortable in the great outdoors. Justin has been working with adolescents and their families in various capacities for the majority of the last 15 years; with experience in non-profits, community engagement/outreach, youth ministry, and behavioral health. Justin has a passion to see positive change and hope in the lives of young people and their families. As a member of the Admissions team, Justin brings all his experience and passion for helping young people and their families into his everyday tasks.

Justin still loves the outdoors, whether it is hiking, mountain biking, camping, or the endless work to be done in his yard. Justin loves to spend time with his wife, who shares his passion for outdoor activities. They love to take advantage of the beautiful lakes and rivers of the Carolinas throughout the summer and include their three wonderful dogs in as many of their activities as possible. Fall is for Football, and Justin has remained a lifelong fan of the Michigan Wolverines and Detroit Lions.

Erin Marcus, LCSW, LCAS

Senior Clinical Outreach and Admissions Team Member

Erin Marcus, LCSW, LCAS joins the Red Oak team as a Senior Clinical Outreach and Admissions team member. Erin brings more than 30 years of working in the therapeutic industry and working with individuals and families who are struggling to overcome behavior, relationship, mental health, and addiction issues. She has a strong clinical background in the development of systems and programs that integrate whole person and family healing. Erin strongly believes that it is essential for healing to take place on a systemic level in order to create sustainable change for individuals and family systems.

In her most recent role, she led the admissions team of a provider of therapeutic outdoor behavioral health for struggling or underachieving adolescents and young adults. She also worked directly with professionals to assist families in a time of crisis. Prior to that, Erin was the Clinical Director of a leading treatment program for young adults with addiction and dual diagnosis issues. Her passion and breadth of experience make her a wonderful fit for the Red Oak Recovery team.

Carol Rose, MHDL

Collegiate and Clinical Outreach

Carol earned her Master’s in Counseling from UNC Charlotte. Her degree has taught her the importance of being a good listener and building a trusting relationship whether she is working with the individual asking for help, a family member, or a mental health professional. Carol believes that during a time of crisis, trust is paramount to find a good place to heal.

Carol was the founding coordinator for The Collegiate Recovery Program at UNC Charlotte, a program offering support to students in early recovery, it was there that she developed her own trusting relationships with her community in order to grow the program. Carol also brings personal experience with addiction within her own family, which she shares to offer hope to families in need. Her personal experience allows her to empathize and explain the journey a family will take not only while at Red Oak, but beyond. Helping families find continued support within their community is a big part of Carol’s job as a Collegiate and Clinical Outreach Specialist.

In her spare time, Carol enjoys watching old movies, spending time with her husband of 37 years, Marty and being proud of her two grown daughters and seeing them thrive.

Tom Williams

Community Outreach Specialist

Tom has called North Carolina home ever since he moved from Fairfax Virginia, when he was four years old. He was raised in Chapel Hill, where oddly enough, he grew to love watching Duke basketball. After spending what seemed to be enough time in the “Triangle”, Tom took to the mountains of western North Carolina and studied Communication and Media studies at Appalachian State University. After falling in love with the healing power and tranquility of the Blue Ridge Mountains, he moved to Asheville and worked as a Systems Analyst. Several years of fixing printers, changing passwords and asking folks “have you turned it off and on yet?” past before Tom realized the work wasn’t for him. He then found his true path while working at Four Circles Recovery Center, a wilderness therapy program. There Tom found himself in many different roles and ultimately as the Director of Admissions and Utilization Review. Through personal and anecdotal experience, Tom’s passion for people has compelled him to help others on their personal journey through recovery. He feels that everyone should work to understand themselves and discover where their individual happiness lies. Outside of work you can find Tom reading a book in Carrier Park, hiking with friends, playing basketball at the local YMCA or soaking up a documentary on Netflix at home with his two cats.

Kelcie Winningham

Marketing and Administrative Coordinator

Through growing up in a Military family, Kelcie moved around quite often. She spent a good chunk of her formative years overseas in Europe, where she developed her passion for music. This is what brought Kelcie to the Asheville area back in 2015. She studied Music Business and Audio Production at a local college and eventually started her own Record Label, PowderKeg Records, LLC, where she was able to strengthen her skills in the field of Advertising and Marketing.

This led to Kelcie deciding to pursue a Master’s degree in IMC and a career in the field of marketing. She plans to take the skills that she gained from both her education and her time spent as a working professional in the Music Industry to promote Red Oak Recovery’s lifesaving programs. In her free time, Kelcie enjoys playing drums in her indie-rock band, Room Twenty-Seven, traveling to new places with friends, taking photos, hanging out with her cat, Roslyn, and attempting to try every single roast of coffee that WNC has to offer.

Kristen Winchester

Client Financial Services Manager

Kirsten has lived in Western North Carolina (WNC) for the majority of her life. She grew up in Bryson City, NC and then moved to Asheville to pursue a management degree from UNC-Asheville. After graduating in 2017, she worked at an optometrist office where she learned about patient care and medical billing. She was interested in Red Oak Recovery® because of the center’s ability to incorporate WNC’s beauty in their treatments. She enjoys hiking to waterfalls, yoga, canoeing, and finding good coffee shops.