Chief Academic Officer
James B. Golden is a Los Angeles based Learning & Development Specialist with over 10 years of organizational development experience in training methodology, design, executive coaching, systems improvement, motivation, cultural competence, and inclusion. Dr. Golden is a natural leader with compassion and emotionally intelligent praxis. He has several years of business consulting experience along with assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of major programs and events for non-profits, corporations, and government departments. Golden regularly presents research and data at national conferences including: The National Council of Black Studies, the American Psychological Association, the National Hip Hop Political Convention; and he has been invited to speak at colleges including: Howard University, Pepperdine University, University of California at Los Angeles, Sierra Nevada College, and Cal State University, Northridge.
Golden earned a Doctor of Psychology degree from Phillips Graduate University, a Master’s of Humanities from Tiffin University, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Cal State Northridge. He has worked as a curriculum advocate, K-12 teacher, and developer of educational programs. He has published several articles for leading magazines/publications such as The Root, LinkedIn, Vibe, and Clutch; as well as four books including an NAACP Image Award winner.
Chief of Staff
Zenaida Mejia joined our team as an Administrative Assistant/Clerk II for TTC College (TTCC). Zenaida works as the Personal Assistant of Dr. James Golden, the Chief Academic Officer, and all the Staff of the TTCC. She also reaches out to the students to have a one-on-one meeting with Dr. Golden for a follow-up on the progress of their school program. She handles all the office supplies needed by the staff and works on the timesheets to prepare and submit in the main office.
Zenaida earned a degree of Bachelor of Elementary Education in Manila, Philippines, she is also a certified Phlebotomy Technician (May 2021), U.S. Colleges, Van Nuys, CA. She joined TTC College because she likes the advocacy of giving a chance to all the students in having a better future. She likes to travel and see the wonder of the world.
Chair of Recovery Support Services / Program Coordinator
Monica Castro has joined Tarzana Treatment Centers College (TTCC) as Chair of Recovery Support Services / Program Coordinator. As the Program Coordinator for the SAMHSA MAT Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction program at Tarzana Treatment Centers, Monica provides leadership to the MAT-PDOA team by supporting initiatives around providing case management, education, and counseling support to Los Angeles County patients with a history of substance use. Monica is working on identifying and training community-based providers on Opioid Use Disorder, hoping to support the growing needs of special populations, including re-entry, people experiencing homelessness, and LGBTQ+.
Monica earned her B.A. in Psychology at Lewis & Clark College as a first-generation graduate. She is working toward a Master of Science in Public Health from Tulane University.
Chair of Field Services
Katherine (Kate) D. Emerson, earned her Doctorate in Public Administration from the University of La Verne (2012), a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in the City of New York (1997), and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from California State University, Los Angeles (1994). As a social work practitioner in the field for over 25 years, she has successfully worked with diverse populations. In addition to her work as a social worker, Kate has over 20 years in higher education teaching social work courses at three California State Universities and most recently at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Work. Passionate about women’s issues, Kate is on the Board of Directors of East Los Angeles Women’s Center, where she serves as Vice Chair.
SUD Counselor/ Case Manager
Rachel Sandoval earned her AA degree in Addiction Studies and Social & Behavioral Sciences at Los Angeles Pierce College (2019), a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree at California State University, Northridge, (2020), and is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work at California State University, Northridge. Rachel has worked as an SUD counselor and case manager in the outpatient level of care for five years with a diverse population here in the San Fernando Valley. Rachel began her practicum with Valley Women’s Center in 2017 and was hired to continue as a SUD counselor. She continued in the field with Tarzana Treatment Centers as a case manager and counselor in 2021 and received her CADC-I certification at the end of that year. She has a passion of working in the field and has been highly dedicated with her patients. She has strived to guide addicts and alcoholics through their time in treatment and currently works with various people in the community to empower them through their recovery.
Counseling
After Warren’s recent retirement from being a National Insurance Broker specializing in Risk Retention for small and medium-sized industrial companies in 2019, he was looking for some interesting work that had some philanthropic qualities. His friend informed him of a position at Tarzana Treatment Centers that work with independent housing for HIV and AIDS clients in a night ward capacity. Warren took the job and found and felt a great sense of fulfillment talking and counseling those in the residential housing. He was in control of the attendance and reporting of the nightly housing activities.
At the peak of his interest, Warren decided to enroll in Tarzana Treatment Centers College to learn about the addiction counseling field and to apply his current skills without reinventing himself. Warren found the curriculum at TTCC to be both challenging and enlightening.
Upon Warren’s graduation from TTCC, he was offered an advancement to Counseling 1 position within TTC to the SAMHSA MAT- PDOA program working under Dr James Golden and his remarkable team. The position he has now continues to supply him with the pleasure of working in a purposeful environment and with a great group of people.
Academic Specialists- Project Open Doors
Dani has joined the TTCC team as the Academic Specialist for Project Open Doors. In her new role, Dani will be supporting the logistical needs for the program. She will be working closely with the POD Chair, Alisia Thompson to enroll students and support their matriculation through the program.
Dani Feldman received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and Innovation at the American Jewish University. She is a community builder and adult education specialist. During her undergraduate experience, Dani’s passion for helping others developed into an ambassador role as a liaison bridging the gap between students and faculty. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and is passionate about sports.
Faculty
Cathy Rusch has worked in behavioral health, almost exclusively with Tarzana Treatment Centers, for the best part of 25 years. This has provided her with a unique experience and understanding of the Substance Use Disorder field, more specifically allowing her to appreciate growth in its capacity to serve diverse community needs and integrate with other healthcare fields. Currently, Cathy is the Senior Trainer for staff and community training, acting as the liaison for iStart, a grant addressing the service gaps for STD and HIV testing in partnership with California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and developing curriculum for TTCC.
Ms. Rusch’s academic background is in both Sociology and Healthcare Administration. For the past 8 years, Cathy has been a Professor of Health Sciences at California State University, Northridge. teaching for the Department of Health Sciences Program for both Health Administration and Public Health. She brings a wealth of experience and passion to the SUD Certification Program of TTCC.
MIP Program Coordinator
Berelyan Anvieh, an Assyrian Iranian born and raised in Urmia, has displayed her devotion for helping those in need early on in her country; and began exploring her passion to serve her community through volunteer activities and provision of healthcare services as a Home Care Provider through church and welfare organizations as well as serving the needs of community members with mental and physical disabilities as a Case Manager through the State Rehabilitation Center in Urmia, passionate to act as a bridge between treatment facilities and the community members of all ages and with various needs.
After immigrating to the United States, Berelyan started her educational ladder in Rinaldi Adult School with English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, which soon after led her to proceed toward her Associate of Arts degrees in Mathematics, and Liberal arts: Social and Behavioral Sciences as well as her Associate of Science in Biology at Los Angeles Mission College. While coaching as the Safety Lead in the 99 Cents Only Stores, her commitment to excellence, set her apart as an exemplary team player with high performance and a strong work ethic emphasizing the safety and provision of great customer service across stores. Overpowering the linguistic difficulties through learning simultaneously at school and work, her enthusiasm for exploring human nature through a neurological lens was revealed. Berelyan pursued her field of interest and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside, while devoting her professional career to this field by taking part in research in Dr. Currás-Collazo’s research lab, working on understanding the adverse health effects of environmental toxicants and natural chemicals on the mammalian nervous system (e.g., Altering Ca signaling, impacting learning and memory, the regulation of hormones, etc.) with an intension to proceed into medical school toward Neuroscience.
Maybe it was faith that pushed her away from medical school and toward a Master of Public Health from West Coast University at a time when the world seemed to collapse due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a high rate of death and hospitalization across the globe. And maybe it was faith that she was introduced to Dr. James B. Golden and his phenomenal team, which has opened the doors for her to continue to coach, encourage, inspire, motivate, and help interns of even more diverse communities through the Mentored Internship Program (MIP) at Tarzana Treatment Centers which she joined in April 2022. As the MIP Program Coordinator, Berelyan is passionate about creating a rich and lively Mentored Internship experience for all interns and ensuring that all interns are utilizing this incredibly valuable opportunity for networking, gaining experience under mentor supervision, and collectively ultimately inspiring Behavioral Health Interns to join the Behavioral Health Field if of interest, as this internship enables interns to distinguish their interests before the internship and explore possible pathways to land their dream job in this field.
Adjunct Faculty
Carroll J. Brown III graduated from Phillips Graduate University (2018) where he obtained his Doctorate degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Organizational Management and Consulting. He is a a proud Matador Alumni, with a B.A. in Pan African Studies. Dr. Brown currently sits on the board of the USU at CSUN as the Alumni Representative, and President of the Black Alumni Association.
Working in mental health for over a decade, he is a program coordinator with a strong commitment to serving the community in Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley area.
Dr. Brown has a passion for helping individuals develop as leaders to improve organizations efficiency. In his free time, he spends time with friends, family and my new wife Dr. Kristyl JL. Brown and being an advocate for speaking about Black Men’s Mental Health.
Adjunct Faculty
Richard Taylor earned a Double Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and African American Studies and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in 2005 and 2010. Richard has worked in the field of Mental Health for the past 15 years. Richard is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in substance use treatment with the chronically mentally ill. Also, Richard serves as an adjunct professor at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA). Richard works closely with the ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards) and the BBS (Board of Behavioral Sciences) as an item writer and subject matter expert. Richard is passionate about cultural competency, diversity, socioeconomic justice and equitable mental health and wellness opportunities for all. Richard is originally from the Bay Area. Richard loves sports and he is a lifelong Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers fan. He enjoys spending free with his wife and two daughters, going to church, listening to music, shopping, exercise and indulging in spicy foods.
Adjunct Faculty
Gloria is a compassionate Program Developer with assessment, development, implementation,
quality assurance, and evaluation. Skilled at developing relationships with stakeholders to
accomplish organizational objectives and improve overall service delivery. A forward-thinking
leader who fosters a positive work environment through strong communication skills that
builds trust among staff members. Utilizes a collaborative approach to meet the needs of
individuals as well as the organization.
Adjunct Facutly
Richard is originally from Rialto, California, but has spent half of his life as a San Diegan. He attended San Diego State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication and a Master’s in Counseling in 2005 and 2011 respectively. He went on to work for SDSU as a Student Life Advisor for 4 years before transitioning to Southwestern College in 2015 where he currently works as the Student Activities Coordinator. He is responsible for all things student development including co-curricular activities like the Student Government, Clubs & Organizations and on/off-campus events, trainings, retreats, and conferences. He has taught courses on identity development and navigating higher education at the high school level and has created/delivered dozens of presentations and workshops on topics ranging from conflict resolution and personality assessment to bias, anti-blackness, equity-minded leadership.
As a talented orator, equity-minded activist for social justice, educator and trained Anti-Bias facilitator (via the Anti-Defamation League), he is passionate about finding engaging, innovative ways to teach, support and advocate for students at all levels of education. Richard is a champion for student success and is always excited to see the light in students’ eyes as they have their “ah-ha” moments. When he is not helping students grow and develop, he enjoys traveling, movies, sports and spending time with friends and family including his best friends; his awesome, beautiful wife, Kendall, his 3-year old daughter Riley Rae and his ferocious, energetic, 10-pound Malte-Poo, Megatron.
Adjunct Faculty
Kendall is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who focuses on supporting children, family, parents, and maternal mental health at all stages of a family’s journey. She finds that it is important that we understand that every family and individual is different and every journey is different. There in not one path and It is an honor to help clients understand the path they are on and how they can embrace, or change, and grow their journey.
Kendall is also a healer by nature and a therapist by trade. Having received her bachelor’s in Psychology from San Diego State University and Masters in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University she has found herself to have expanded on the ability to meet people where they are. In addition to healing mental health she has also found herself on the path of healing through social justice. She is an advocate, an interrupter, an organizer, and person supporting people. She supports people who are learning to heal from social injustice and address Anti-Blackness as it impacts all aspects of the world we live in.
Adjunct Faculty
Janice Boafo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and valley girl whose professional life is informed by her lived experiences as well as over 25 years of work in human services and behavioral health. She believes in engaging the whole person, liberatory practices and the importance of being authentically seen and heard. Janice graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Education from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California (USC).
In all spaces, Ms. Boafo is dedicated to culturally responsive practice, community healing and the transformational power of story sharing. Her interests include educational equity, culture & identity formation, public child welfare reform, pedagogy as activism, and exploring the intersections of art, culture & social justice. When she is not teaching, Janice is a mother, nature lover, volunteer and writer who sees beauty in struggle and finds power in community.
Faculty
Dr. Schwab is a retired police chief and hostage negotiator who found great passion in studying psychology and substance abuse to educate herself during her career. Dr. Schwab started her educational journey at Penn State University, and has since earned a Bachelor’s degree in Developmental Psychology, Master’s degree in Applied Clinical Psychology, and Doctorate Degree in Neuroclinical Psychology specializing in Trauma, PTSD, and Traumatic Brain Injury. She has also conducted significant research on SUD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Neurological issues. In her free time, she volunteers as a K9 Search and Rescue Member for the CA Governors dog team CARDA and enjoys the great outdoors.