• Noah Longino headshot

    Noah Longino

    Chief Executive Officer

    Noah joined the Meridell Leadership team in May of 2022 as CEO, to further the mission of an organization with so much history improving so many lives. Noah was born and raised in Texas, working in behavioral health settings throughout the state over the years. He graduated with honors, receiving his Master’s in Healthcare Organization Management from Texas Tech University. Noah has over 15 years of experience and is passionate about mental health, especially for adolescents. He became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2015. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, and coaching his kids in golf, basketball, and football.

  • Nancy Macgregor headshot

    Nancy Macgregor

    Chief Financial Officer

    Nancy has over 10 years’ experience in the behavioral health division. She moved here from Phoenix, AZ where she was the CFO for an acute care hospital. She has worked in Arizona, Utah, El Paso and California as a CFO. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration mastering in Accounting from the University of Arizona.

  • Marcus McCabe, BSN, RN headshot

    Marcus McCabe, BSN, RN

    Director of Nursing

    Marcus graduated from Lamar University with my BSN in 2013, he also have a degree in Community Health from the same university. Marcus started with UHS in 2014 at Austin Oaks as a night shift nurse and was promoted to night shift supervisor. He transferred to San Marcos Treatment Center in September 2015 and worked there as a unit nurse, charge nurse, and weekday nurse supervisor during his years there. Marcus has been the Director of Nursing at Meridell Achievement Center since December 2022. He has a great love for psychiatric nursing and found his career home working with kids. He is a native Texan, married to his wife for over 20 years and they have 5 children, 1 boy and 4 girls.

  • Wendy Hercliff headshot

    Wendy Hercliff

    Director of Admissions

    Wendy has been a board approved Licensed Clinical Social Work Supervisor for over 13 years and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor for over 5 years and has practiced in the field of social work for almost 30 years both on a bachelor degree level as well as a master degree level.   She has been with Meridell Achievement Center since 2007, first as a contract Therapist, then as a Clinical Community Liaison and was promoted to Director of Admissions in 2022. Wendy loves working with her team to advocate for each family seeking treatment as well as serving as the “middle ground” between community providers, families and our facility through the admission process.

  • Cynthia Dupre, LPC headshot

    Cynthia Dupre, LPC

    Director of Utilization Management

    Cynthia has been a Licensed Professional Counselor for 15 years. She earned her Master’s Degree in Counselor Education from Florida Atlantic University in 2004. She has been with Meridell Achievement Center since 2014. She started here as a PRN Therapist. She then moved into a PRN Utilization Review position before becoming a full time Utilization Review Coordinator. Cynthia was promoted to Director of Utilization Management in 2022. Cynthia and her team work as a liaison between the treatment team and the insurance company in order to get medically necessary treatment for patients. Cynthia likes being able to advocate for patients and their families so that they can get the treatment that they need to be successful at home.

  • Bryan West headshot

    Bryan West

    Director of Plant Operations

    Bryan graduated from Sam Houston state University in 1985 with a BS Degree. He was General Manager for Wyatts Cafeteria for 8 years before relocating to the Hill Country from Houston. He then served as a Director for Extendicare Health Corporation until he joined the Meridell team in 2009. Bryan spends his personal time on a family farm and is an avid hunter and part time hunting guide.

  • Morgan Starr headshot

    Morgan Starr

    Neurobehavioral Clinical Manager

    Morgan has worked in the mental/behavioral health field for 20 years and has been a Licensed Master Social Worker for 4 years. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work with a combined tract of clinical and administrative leadership from Texas State University in 2017. She has been with Meridell Achievement Center since 2020 as a program therapist on the neurobehavioral units.  She then moved into a discharge planning/case management role before being promoted into clinical/administrative leadership in 2022.  Morgan supports the clinical team by overseeing the therapeutic and clinical programming and services of the Neurobehavioral Program.  Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, including her spouse and 3 boys by being active outdoors, coaching their sports teams, and even enjoying video games with them.

  • Stephanie Camardella, LMSW, LCDC headshot

    Stephanie Camardella, LMSW, LCDC

    Behavioral Clinical Manager

    A New York State native, Stephanie joined the Meridell family as the Behavioral Clinical Manager in 2022. Stephanie is a Licensed Master Social Worker and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor with a focus on trauma informed interventions.

    Stephanie completed her BA in psychology from SUNY New Paltz, then pursued her graduate education in Social Work at Adelphi University. Stephanie has over 11 years of experience in treating trauma, addictions, and mental health conditions across the lifespan in a variety of settings and populations including, State programs, stabilization, residential, outpatient, agricultural milieus, severe mental illness, spectrum disorders, veterans, children in foster care, trafficked youth, maternal addictions, and judicial clients. She is also certified as an Equine Assisted Mental Health Practitioner and is trained in holistic and complementary health interventions. Outside of Meridell, Stephanie enjoys volunteering at her local animal shelter, horse-back riding, yoga, hiking, camping, and exploring Texas.

  • Todd Dugas, LCSW headshot

    Todd Dugas, LCSW

    Director of Clinical Services

    Todd has over 28 years of leadership experience in behavioral health company startups, addictive disorders and co-occurring program development, initial licensure and annual audits. He is passionate about creating effective clinical and organizational models of high integrity. Integrating organizational systems and pairing business and service delivery has always been of interest his.

  • Sandy Wier headshot

    Sandy Wier

    Business Office Manager

    Sandy has functioned as the Business Office Manager at Meridell Achievement Center since 2001. Sandy provides financial counselling to families to assure they get the maximum benefit of treatment based on their financial means. Sandy also serves as a liaison between families and their insurance company to assure that all options are navigated. Sandy has over 40 years’ experience in Business Office Management.

  • Bronson Mitchell headshot

    Bronson Mitchell

    Program Manager

    Bronson Mitchell began his career in Casper Wyoming at Wyoming behavioral Institute. Where he learned the skills of a Mental health tech and fell in love with the work. His dedication to service excellence led him to a supervisor role and began training new staff. His passion for more in the field led his family to Utah. Here he worked to create a role as a supervising Activity coordinator teaching and providing staff with engagement tools and games to teach pro-social behaviors. During the pandemic he assumed a role at Willow Springs in Reno Nevada supporting the facility as a manager and found a love for building teams. He later moved back to Utah assuming the role of an assistant program director and later specialized in an actual level care unit. When the opportunity arose to take a larger role, Bronson joined the team at Meridell Achievement Center in 2022 as the Program Director. He enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 boys and all things being a father brings.

  • Glenn Scruggs headshot

    Glenn Scruggs

    Director of RM/PI/CC

    Glenn Scruggs has served in child welfare for the past 30 years. He is a tireless advocate for vulnerable children with a passion for engaging the community and empowering those who serve alongside him. He is a dually licensed administrator in the State of Texas as he holds both a Licensed Child Placing Agency Administrator’s License and a Licensed Child Care Administrator’s License. Glenn graduated from UMHB with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Religion in 1996. He has worked at Cedar Crest Psychiatric Hospital, the Texas Youth Commission, Texas Baptist Children’s Home, and served in various bi-vocational ministry roles during his career.

    For the last 15 years Glenn has led Giocosa Foster Care and Adoption Services, first as the Chief Operating Officer from 2008-2016 and then as the Chief Executive Officer from 2016- 2022 before retiring from the foster care industry and joining Meridell Achievement Center as the Director of Risk Management, Performance Improvement, and Corporate Compliance. Glenn also serves as the Campus Administrator at Meridell.

    Glenn has served on The Texas Foster Care Redesign Public Private Partnership and Committee for Advancing Residential Practices (CARP) Committees which are appointed by the Commissioner of The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for the past 10 years. Glenn has also served as a Board Member for the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services for the past 2 years and as a board member for the Texas Child Protection Roundtable for the past 4 years.

    Additionally, Glenn is a husband to his wife, Jessica for the past 25+ years and a father to two children. Glenn enjoys playing pickleball, hanging out with friends at various venues, and watching college football.

    “I am excited about this new chapter in my career. I look forward to serving the patients and staff at Meridell as a servant leader that focuses on ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone on our campus.”

  • Mehar Sikand, MBA headshot

    Mehar Sikand, MBA

    Human Resources Director

    Mehar joined Meridell as our Human Resources Director in 2022, bringing over 10 years of HR experience to our facility. A native of northwest Louisiana, Mehar earned her undergraduate degree in management and marketing from Louisiana State University. She went on to complete a master’s program in business administration at LSU before entering the healthcare field as a human resources generalist. Throughout her career, Mehar has been instrumental in implementing HR strategies designed to promote and acknowledge excellence, foster a productive and inclusive work environment, and help attract and retain top talent. She is passionate about the mission of Meridell, and is dedicated to ensuring that our facility thrives and has the workforce support in place to continue delivering outstanding service and care.

  • Eric Balvantin headshot

    Eric Balvantin

    Director of Business Development

    Eric Balvantin joined Meridell Achievement Center in 2022 and has been within Universal Health Services since 2011. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Arlington 2009 and began his marketing and communications career early on with some direct marketing and business-to-business sales before starting his career in healthcare. He worked his way through many roles in an acute care facility within UHS, starting in direct care as a Driver for an Outpatient Services Department, Mental Health Technician, Patient Advocate, Outpatient Liaison, Community Liaison, and now Director of Business Development. He acquired his MBA from Bellevue University in 2019. Over the last 12 years, Eric broadened his professional experience within the healthcare field in roles spanning from marketing and sales to operations management. In his free time, Eric enjoys travel, working out and smoking Texas BBQ for friends and family.

  • Marie Brown headshot

    Marie Brown

    Business Development Representative

    Marie Brown serves as Business Development Representative for Meridell Achievement Center. Marie comes to Meridell with 30 years of experience in working with children and families in a wide variety of mental health settings. Prior to joining Meridell, Marie was employed by Fort Behavioral Health and Phoenix House where she worked as a Community Outreach Liaison. She has worked for Child Protective Services, several non-profit foster home agencies and for a local Texas County Public Health Department. She continues to be committed to ensuring that people have the resources to make appropriate decisions to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

    Marie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University and a Master of Education Administration degree from Texas Woman’s University. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, her 9 Godchildren and travelling.

  • Michelle Garduno headshot

    Michelle Garduno

    Business Development Representative

    Michelle joined the Meridell Business Development team in 2022. She has an extensive background in medical sales and home health community outreach within the New Mexico and surrounding El Paso, Tx markets. Michelle obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Marketing from the University of Phoenix. She enjoys volunteering with the youth and women’s ministries where she has a heart to help make a difference with her wisdom and resources in her community to help people live better lives.

  • Monica Garza headshot

    Monica Garza

    Executive Assistant

    Monica is an Executive Assistant with over 15 years in the administrative field.  She has extensive experience with all administrative tasks, including scheduling and correspondence.  Monica’s extensive experience in business and healthcare contributes to her job knowledge  and hard work every day in her role supporting staff and patient families alike for Meridell Achievement Center.

  • David Riedel, M.D. headshot

    David Riedel, M.D.

    Medical Director

    M.D. Degree:
    Texas A&M University College of Medicine, College Station and Temple, Texas
    Psychiatry Residency Program:
    Karl Menninger School of Psychiatry, Topeka, Kansas
    Child Fellow Program:
    Karl Menninger School of Psychiatry, Topeka, Kansas
    Board Certification Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
    American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

    Dr. Riedel is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with extensive experience in diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders. He served as the Medical Director at Meridell Achievement Center for 20 Years and is currently the Medical Director over the La Casa Behavioral Adolescent Male Unit. He earned his medical degree from Texas A&M University College of Medicine. He was then accepted into the Karl Menninger School of Psychiatry in Topeka, Kansas where he graduated from the Adult Residency Program and subsequently the Child Fellow Program. He began his career as the Medical Director of the child and adolescent units at Metroplex Pavilion in 1994. He remained in that position until accepting the Medical Directorship at Meridell Achievement Center in 1998.

    Prior to beginning his medical education, Dr. Riedel was co-owner of the Magic Paint Company, a contracting company in Austin, Texas that restored old and historic homes. During this time he was also a contributing poetry editor of Affinities, a journal of international poetry and fiction. Dr. Riedel continues to be engaged in a love of writing and languages and enjoys helping patients find and develop their own creative voice.

    Dr. Riedel is a regular attendee of AACAPS annual meetings as well as other national conferences. He is an eager learner who loves collaborative sharing between himself and therapeutic treatment teams. Many of the core staff on Dr. Riedel’s treatment teams have been together over 15 years.

  • James Hageman, M.D. headshot

    James Hageman, M.D.

    Medical Director

    M.D. Degree:
    University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
    Rotating Internship:
    Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, Ohio
    General Psychiatry Residency:
    Case Western Reserve University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio
    Child Adolescent Psychiatry Residency:
    University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
    Board Certification Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
    American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

    Dr. Hageman is a top child and adolescent psychiatrist who has extensive experience in diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders. He is the Medical Director of Neurobehavioral Services and the Medical Director over the Falcons Unit of the Neurobehavioral Programs. Dr. James Hageman also has a private practice in Cedar Park. Dr. Hageman earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1984. He then went on to complete his rotating internship at the Medical College of Ohio, followed by his residency in general psychiatry at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, an affiliate hospital of Case Western Reserve University. He also completed a residency in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

    Committed to his profession, Dr. Hageman is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, which is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to promoting high-quality patient care for the public through the initial and continuing certification of psychiatrists and neurologists. He is also the recipient of a Patients’ Choice Award in 2014.

  • Samina Ibad, M.D. headshot

    Samina Ibad, M.D.

    Medical Director

    M.D. Degree:
    Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan
    General Psychiatry Residency:
    Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, NY
    Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:
    Austin Medical Education Program of Seton Health Care Network, Austin, TX
    Board Certification Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
    Board Certified in Adult Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

    Dr. Samina Ibad is board-certified in both Adult and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She graduated from Dow Medical College in 1995 and trained in Adult Psychiatry at Nassau University Medical Center, Long Island, New York. There she also served as the Chief Resident of her program. Dr. Ibad later did her fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Austin Medical Education programs. She has an extensive experience working in Community mental health settings serving as a Senior Staff Psychiatrist. She joined Meridell in 2019 and has been serving as the Medical Director of the Ranch House Unit. Dr Ibad is a member of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Texas Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and Austin Psychiatric Association.

  • Ronald Cristobal, M.D. headshot

    Ronald Cristobal, M.D.

    Medical Director

    M.D. Degree:
    Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC
    General Psychiatry Residency:
    University of Texas Southwestern, Austin, Texas
    Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship:
    University of Texas Southwestern, Austin, Texas
    Board Certification Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
    American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

    Dr. Cristobal has been a licensed physician in the state of Texas for the past ten years. He earned his Medical Doctorate from Howard University College of Medicine in 2009. He then completed a general psychiatry residency and a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at University of Texas at Southwestern-Austin (now known as University of Texas – Dell Medical School) in 2014. He started work as a psychiatrist at Meridell in 2014 and has been the program medical director for the Eagles Unit for young-adolescent neurobehavioral males for the past eight years.   Over the past several years, he has also served as the program medical director for the Ravens Unit where he directs the psychiatric care for adolescent neurobehavioral females.  He and his team of nurses, therapists, and milieu staff feel fortunate to be a part of the treatment journey of patients and their families.

  • Katrijn Wilson, MD headshot

    Katrijn Wilson, MD

    Medical Director

    M.D. Degree:
    West Virginia University, School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia

    Psychiatry Residency Program:
    University  of Kentucky School of Medicine, Kentucky

    Child Fellow Program:
    University of Kentucky school of Medicine, Kentucky

    Board Certification Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
    American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

    Dr. Wilson completed a combined Adult & Child Psychiatry residency/fellowship at University of Kentucky in 2011.  This training instilled the importance of comprehensive treatment of children, in context of development and importance of psychological and social factors affecting psychiatric presentation.  She has practiced in various outpatient and residential settings, and values interdisciplinary teams and incorporating family into the treatment of the patient.  Her free time is devoted to caring for her three children and various house pets, who all love living in Texas where outdoor activities can happen all year!