Our Staff

Paula D. Hopper

Executive Director
Veronica Goff

Financial Director
Karin Schmidt

Assistant Financial Director
Clayton Pattat

Admissions
Frances Oliver

Admissions
Lenoria Davis

Nurse
John McCoy

Clinical Psychologist
Thurmon Denton

Alcohol and Drug Counselor
Danien Elmore

Alcohol and Drug Counselor
Brenda Malone

Alcohol and Drug Counselor
Sylvaneous Sanvee

Clinical Assistant
Andria Eskridge
Debbye Miller

Women's Treatment Coordinator
Patricia Talbert

Women's Outpatient Alcohol and Drug Counselor
Dana Bond

HIV Educator
Selekia Leigh

Dietician
Gerald Coleman

Safety
Gary Reese

Health and Safety Manager

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Paula D. Hopper

Executive Director

Paula Harper

Paula D. Hopper

B.A., M.S., LADAC

“Seeing the devastation of alcoholism and addiction in my own family encourages me to make sure that Serenity is a refuge. Serenity allows me to share hope and love to others.”

Paula Hopper holds a B.A. in psychology and sociology from Middle Tennessee State University and an M.S. in Counseling from the University of Memphis. She is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADAC) and has worked in counseling for over 20 years. She also works in private practice with Christian Counseling and Consulting and as an adjunct faculty member with Mid South Community College, teaching courses in the program of Addictions Studies. Paula is a surveyor with the Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and has participated in the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center Leadership Institute.

“Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.” John 13: 34-35

Veronica Goff

Financial Director

Veronica Goff “You name it, I do it.”

“Ronnie,” as she is known at Serenity Recovery Centers, Inc., serves as the financial director. She has been with Serenity since 1995. She manages accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, employee benefits, insurance and other general accounting tasks. She also writes grants and provides the financial reporting for the Board of Directors, CARF, auditors and banks. Ronnie is responsible for program compliance for state and local licenses and serves as the vendor contact for the facility. She is also a notary public.

Karin Schmidt

Assistant Financial Director

Karin Schwartz “The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new” – Socrates

Karin joined Serenity with over 15 years of Administrative/Operations, Human Resources, & Benefits/Insurance experience working for various corporations. Karin has been with Serenity since May 2014.

Karin enjoys spending time with family & her four beautiful grandchildren. She also, is an advocate of recovery in the community.

Clayton Pattat

Admissions

Clayton Pattat

B.B.A., M.S.

“I enjoy working with people, and it gives me great pleasure to see those in need of help getting a second chance in life.”

Clayton has been with Serenity since 2003. He works with clients from their initial contact through the admission process. Clayton works in the Tipton County Court system and with local attorneys in placing individuals with DUI’s in treatment. He also helps manage the medical records at the agency. He received his B.B.A. from Lambuth University and his M.S. in Chemical Dependency Counseling from Madison University.

Frances Oliver

Admissions

Frances Oliver

B.A., M.S.

“I really enjoy being a servant in our community.”

Frances has been with Serenity since 2010. She assesses clients and works with them through the admission process. Before transitioning to admissions, she worked as a monitor in the women’s residential program. She received a B.A. from LeMoyne Owen in Social Work and a M.S. in Healthcare Administration from Strayer University.

Lenoria Davis

Nurse

Lenora Davis

Lenoria Davis

L.P.N

“Recovery is my passion.”

Lenoria has worked in the recovery field for the past 22 years and has been at Serenity Recovery Centers since 2010. Lenoria assists the medical director and facilitates groups and classes.

John McCoy

Clinical Psychologist

John McCoy

M.S., PhD

Dr. McCoy has 35 years of experience as a clinical psychologist. He has served more than 2,000 alcoholics and addicts over the years. Originally from Oklahoma, he completed his internship at the University of Tennessee Medical School in Memphis in 1975 and has remained in Memphis ever since. In addition to his work at Serenity, he is in private practice, specializing in substance dependency. At Serenity, he evaluates clients referred by their counselors to determine if they have a psychiatric diagnosis as well as a substance dependency diagnosis, which is true for 65% of addicts and alcoholics.

Thurmon Denton

Alcohol and Drug Counselor

Thurmon Denton

B.A.

“My life is all about helping people change their lives.”

Thurmon has been with Serenity Recovery Centers since 2001. He has a B.A. in Criminology and is a liasion with the Fayette County Court system and the federal and state probation systems. Thurmon collaborates with the University of Memphis Athletic Program conducting assessments and drug screens.

Danien Elmore

Alcohol and Drug Counselor

Brenda Malone

Alcohol and Drug Counselor

Brenda Malone

Sylvaneous Sanvee

Clinical Assistant

Andria Eskridge

Debbye Miller

Women's Treatment Coordinator

Debbye Miller

B.S., LADC

“My heart is in working with women to guide their broken spirits in order to regain hope in themselves and their lives through working the twelve step program. Miracles do happen for those who are willing to believe, accept help, and do the necessary inner work to change behaviors.”

Debbye has been with Serenity Recovery Centers since 2000. Her responsibilities include supervising the clinical and support staff, conducting group and individual counseling sessions and providing educational lectures. Debbye has more than 24 years experience in alcohol and drug counseling. She is an Internationally Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Certified Clinical Supervisor and is licensed in both Arkansas and Tennessee. She has a B.S. in Social Work and alcohol and drug counseling from the University of Memphis.

Patricia Talbert

Women's Outpatient Alcohol and Drug Counselor

“For 33 years, my primary purpose has been to help other women walk into recovery and become whole.”

Pat has been with Serenity since March, 2012. She moved to Memphis from Houston, TX to be close to her daughter, son-in-law, and six year old grandson. She has been in the addiction treatment field since 1984. Pat was a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor in Houston, TX and the director of an inpatient treatment center, the coordinator of a women’s outpatient program, and lead counselor for the family program. Her last job was with Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center where she supervised patient care assistants. She currently works with the Shelby County Drug Court clients while enrolled in the intensive outpatient services at Serenity. Pat is passionate about helping women with addictions, and has devoted her life to this. She attended Mississippi University for Women and Delta State University.

Dana Bond

HIV Educator

Dana Poyner

Dana Bond

B.S.W., M.P.A.

Dana joined Serenity in May, 2013. Raised in Memphis, she graduated from East High School before attending the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and University of Memphis, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. Dana received a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Strayer University. She has worked for seven years in the field of HIV with agencies such as Friends for Life Corporation and Case Management Incorporated.

Selekia Leigh

Dietician

Selekia Leigh

Gerald Coleman

Safety

Gerald Coleman

Gary Reese

Health and Safety Manager

“Safety and repair is first and foremost. As a truck driver of 20 years and the father of two sets of twins, I know the importance of safety. I am inspired to do my best after seeing the dramatic changes in our clients.”

Gary joined Serenity in March, 2013. He is responsible for licensure and accreditation compliances regarding health and safety at the agency. He earned an A.T.A. degree as a heavy equipment operator while living in Seattle, Washington.

Our Staff

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