Executive Leadership
Heather Emmanuel Ormand
Chief Executive Officer
Heather’s empathy for women seeking long-term recovery for their families lead her to Nexus in June of 2020. At a time when so much was uncertain, the one thing Heather was certain about was the need for Nexus’ services and a safe place for women and their children to turn. Heather credits her own recovery for her personal and professional successes. As a bi-racial woman, albeit one with privileges afforded to her that others may not have had, she values the importance of creating an organization where diversity, equity, and inclusion are not merely a response to a problem but at the heart of the organization’s culture. Leading Nexus into the future is her way of giving back what was given to her and continues to shape her outlook. Heather is a first generation college graduate from the University of Richmond and she brings a unique financial background to the role, being a CPA for nearly 20 years. But, it’s her connection to the clients Nexus serves that cannot be underestimated. Her dreams include a world where her two young children can grow into the greatest expressions of themselves, knowing that their mother loves and supports them, as well as one where women suffering from Substance Use Disorders are accepted, loved, and understood.
Charles Betts
Chief Operations Officer
Charles joined Nexus in 2021 to oversee the day-to-day operations of our 24-hour residential facility, which includes the maintenance and upkeep of the buildings and grounds of our 11-acre campus; transportation; and campus security and safety. Previously, Charles coached football for several years at Cisco College in Cisco and Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma. Later, he returned to Cisco College as the Assistant Dean of Students. Charles eventually landed at Navarro College in Corsicana where he served as the Director of Housing and helped its housing facilities grow from 300 residents to over 900. After 25 years in this role, he was ready for a new opportunity and community to support.
Cameron Hernholm, CFRE
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Cameron joined Nexus in June 2021 to be responsible for all aspects of Nexus’ fundraising, marketing and public relations initiatives and will lead efforts to increase the organization’s financial sustainability. Cameron has over 18 years of experience as a fundraiser, securing millions of dollars in donations for North Texas nonprofits. She was previously the Chief Advancement Officer at Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region (CISDR), where she launched a $10M capital campaign, securing the campaign’s first major gift and raising additional campaign funds of more than $2M, in addition to leading CISDR’s annual golf tournament to a record-breaking revenue.
Stacey Burns, LMSW, LCDC
Chief Clinical Officer
Stacey joined Nexus in 1993. She began her career in chemical dependency treatment in 1987. She has a background in both counseling and administration. Stacey has a Master of Social Work degree from The University of Texas at Arlington and is a Licensed Master Social Worker as well as a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. Before coming to Nexus, she worked at Parkland Memorial Hospital for five years as a social worker in the neo-natal ICU and in a perinatal intervention program working with pregnant drug users.
Mary Vares
Chief Financial Officer
Mary Vares serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Nexus Recovery Center. Mary began her career in real estate accounting working for companies, Trammell Crow Company, Crow Holdings, and Invesco Realty Advisors. Mary has over 20 years of experience in not-for-profit and has held various leadership roles in finance and operations. She has served as CFO for Catholic Charities-Dallas, Texas Women’s Foundation and Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. She has also served in various financial roles with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and Dallas Arboretum. She received her BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at El Paso. Mary is a Certified Public Accountant.
Nexus Leadership
Sara Brown
Director of Pregnant and Parenting Women with Children Program
Sara joined Nexus in 2007 as an Addiction Counselor and Music Therapist. She has a Bachelor of Music/Music Therapy degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She is a registered music therapist and is certified as a FSACC in Michigan and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor in Texas. She has worked as a counselor and program innovator/developer since 1983 in substance abuse treatment programs that served men, the dual diagnosis population, and pregnant women and their children. Sara has a passion for using expressive arts activities to engage clients in the treatment process and encourages others to be creative in their approach and interactions with those they serve.
Kira Casimir, LCSW, LCDC
Director of Adult Women Program
Kira joined Nexus in 2020. She has a Master’s in Social Work from Texas A&M Commerce and is a licensed clinical social worker and a licensed chemical dependency counselor. In addition to her small private counseling practice, she has worked with women in substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and adoptions. She has a strong desire to empower women and help them find the life they want to live.
Sharon Jock-Baty
Director of Admissions
Sharon has an A.A.S. in Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling and has worked as a licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor at Nexus since 2013. Sharon has a long history at Nexus, having completed her practicum in 2010 as well as all of her intern hours for her accreditation. She is experienced in case management, individual counseling, and group facilitation thanks to her time as an Outpatient Therapist and Case Manager the Mommies program at Nexus.
Loryn Kelley
Director of Residential Life
Lindsay M. Malhotra, LMSW, LCDC, PSS
Director-Outpatient Services (Generations, RSS, Treatment)
Lindsay Malhotra joined Nexus in January 2019. Lindsay has a Master of Social Work degree from The University of Texas at Arlington and is a Licensed Master Social Worker as well as a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. Before coming to Nexus, she worked at UT Southwestern in Dallas working with pregnant and parenting women struggling with substance use disorder. She has a background in individual counseling, group therapy, and case management. She has a positive passion for seeing women fulfill their full potential through spreading joy and promoting healing. Being able to counsel and lead in a transformative way to rise above the grips of addiction is her everyday goal.
Emily Parham
Director of Compliance
Emily joined Nexus in June 2022 as the Director of Compliance, responsible for the development and administration of activities throughout the agency to ensure that the organization meets all state, federal, and Joint Commission standards for proper client care. Prior to joining Nexus, Emily served as a Facility Director/Director of Operations of a Medical Detox/Residential SUD treatment center for approximately 5 years. Emily holds a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Sciences from Texas Tech University. With both of her parents in long term recovery, Emily is passionate about helping those struggling with addiction.
Natalie Sullivan
Director of the Nexus Child Development Center
Natalie joined Nexus in 2020 as a teacher in Nexus’ Child Development Center and was promoted to Director in October of 2021. She has always shared a passion for working with children and has over 6 years of experience in school and childcare settings. She has a degree in science from the University of Texas at Arlington. Natalie loves creating a safe space for children to thrive and also enjoys providing a support system for mothers to flourish.
Dr. Julie Ross Pittman, MD, PhD
Medical Director
Dr. Pittman completed a combined MD-PhD program at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston with a PhD focused on the behavioral processes involved in drug addiction. She completed her residency training at Harvard Medical School in the Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital Psychiatry Residency Training Program in Boston where she served as chief resident in addiction her final year. She returned to Texas to complete her addiction psychiatry fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She has been in private practice since she finished her fellowship in 2011. During that time, she has also provided additional psychiatry services to adult and adolescent residential treatment programs in the area. She was on the Board of Directors for Nexus for one year until she resigned to become the Medical Director. She is currently on the clinical faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and is active in medical training. She is board certified in Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry.
Justine Rowan
Controller
Justine joined Nexus in 2005. She was promoted to Accounting Supervisor in 2015 before becoming the Controller for Nexus in 2020. She has more than 30 years of experience in accounting/administration in both the private and nonprofit sectors, handling all aspects of account reconciliations and account payables and receivables. At Nexus, she oversees all accounting operational functions within the Accounting Department as well as its staff.