ABHC Staff
Clinical Program Director- Stacie Priestley
Stacie Priestley has over 11 years of experience as a Practice Manager and Addiction/Behavioral Health Coach. With accumulating over 10,000 hours in addiction treatment in all 5 required domains, she has met all required qualifications for a Drug and Alcohol Counselor and will be certified prior to the opening of the Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare facility.

Medical Director- Dr. Hussein El-Khatib
Dr. El-Khatib is Board Certified in General Psychiatry, Addiction and Psychosomatic Medicine. He has over 30 years of experience in working with dual diagnosis and will serve as Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare’s Medical Director. He will works with the women in our program to ensure that the three (3) FDA approved medically assisted medications are readily available for those who choose that path of recovery.
Dr. El-Khatib currently has a private practice at Thomas Hospital and also sees patients for MAT at Highland Hospital.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist- Dr. Kimberly Hughes
Dr. Kimberly Hughes is a Psychologist with more than 20 years of experience in counseling individuals of various ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, including children, adolescents and adults. She is a Mental Health Counselor with skills in leading situation- specific counseling sessions.
Dr. Hughes has expertise in working with children and adults in crisis. She is a compassionate, solutions- oriented Psychologist dedicated to providing exceptional care and devising creative treatment plans for children, adolescents and adults dealing with substance abuse issues. Dr. Hughes is an empathetic mental health professional highly accomplished in domestic violence counseling, crisis intervention and treatment analysis and planning.
Intake Coordinator/Peer Recovery Specialist- Gina Veltri
Gina graduated from Recovery Point of Charleston in June, 2019 and has shown incredible strides in her recovery and her personal development growth. She worked at Cafe Appalachia while she participated and graduated from our ReIntegr8 program. She is a Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist.
Employment Outreach Coordinator/Peer Recovery Specialist- Autumn McCraw
Autumn graduated from Recovery Point of Charleston in April, 2019. She worked at Cafe Appalachia while she participated and graduated from our ReIntegr8 program. She is a Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist. Autumn is active in multiple Substance Use Disorder platforms and is a spokesperson regarding Sex Trafficking. As our Employment Outreach Coordinator, Autumn works with and trains our Community Hiring Partners (CHP).
Agrotherapy Supervisor
The Agrotherapy Supervisor oversees our Agriculture Program. They will be trained in a technique called “agrotherapy”. This will allow the use of intentional planting practices with our residents to learn and implement farming techniques, grow their own foods/herbs and have a greater sense of purpose while being in a welcoming community who’s committed to their health, well-being and livelihood.
Residential Specialist- TBD
The Residential Specialists will be responsible for security and monitoring of the facility after business hours. The Residential Specialists will provide supervision to allow the facility to have an uninterrupted staff support twenty-four hours per day. Residential Specialists will be successful program graduates to provide peer-to-peer support as a proven and effective model.
Case Manager - Nada Gray
Nada is a visionary leader with non -profit startup experience, focusing on in- home reunification and prevention services, foster care, family therapy and mental health treatment. She has demonstrated the ability for recruiting, assessing and developing talent to ensure the highest quality of service for clients. Experience managing and training staff, strategic planning, quality performance reviews and ensuring meticulous documentation for program records. Her past 20 years of professional experience has helped her develop competencies in the areas of individual therapy, people leadership, budgeting, new business development, and contract negotiations. Her education and practical experiences working with others has enabled her to achieve a personal goal of helping people to believe in their ability, while providing them with tools for progression.