Lone Star Staff

Melvin Cates - MA, WEMT, LCCA
Executive Director

Melvin started his wilderness life on the riverside in San Marcos, TX, instructing and guiding youth groups on the San Marcos River as well as the Guadalupe River in New Braunsfels at the age of sixteen. Since that time, he has gained over seven years experience as a certified ropes instructor, avid backpacker, and fly fisherman. Melvin an AEI ropes instructor, Wilderness EMT-B, instructor for the SOLO School of Wilderness Medicine, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Instructor, AHA instructor, and has earned a Master of Arts in Community Counseling. He enjoyed working with Lone Star students as a master's level therapist for a year, and returned to direct the field department and the Field Guides. During his down time, Melvin ties many of his own flies, makes fly rods, hunts white tail deer and raises his son, Tanner, with his lovely wife, Stephanie, in Livingston, TX.

Nicole Rodgers - BSW
Admissions Counselor

Nicole is from the Austin area and received her Bachelor of Social Work from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. During her degree, Nicole interned at the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services in the foster and adoption department and served her senior internship at Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital. After completing college in 2001, she studied abroad for a summer in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Starting in January 2002, Nicole volunteered for AmeriCorps*NCCC for 10 months, being based out of Perry Point, Maryland. During this time she worked with Habitat for Humanity in Alabama, assisted the American Red Cross with disaster relief in Kentucky, tutored and mentored students at an inner-city elementary school in Baltimore, was a summer camp counselor for children with and without disabilities for a branch of The Arc in New York, and worked a variety of environmental projects along the East Coast.

Julie Elliott - LCSW, LMFT
Clinical Director

Julie Elliott is a native Texan who received her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Houston in 1990. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 17 years of experience. Julie comes to Lone Star following six years of working at a therapeutic boarding school in Samoa, an island nation in the South Pacific. Working as a therapist and then as Clinical Director, she specialized in working with male adolescents dealing with problems of substance abuse, school failure and family conflict. In August of 2006, Julie left Samoa to return to Texas and be closer to friends and family. Julie now lives in Lovelady, Texas. She fits in well with the other animal lovers at Lone Star and has a 16 year old Australian Cattle Dog named Lessa, two cats, Ella and Tapestry, and is now the proud adoptive mother of a lovely white dog that was discovered by the boys group at the Ropes Course. She was named by the students - Alamo! Julie has been with Lone Star since December of 2006.

Melissa Cacialli - MA, LPCI
Wilderness Therapist

Melissa Cacialli is originally from upstate New York and completed her bachelor's degree in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains at Plattsburgh State University. She began her wilderness career at Lone Star Expeditions after receiving her Master's degree in Counseling from Ball State University, IN. At Ball State, she completed her Master's internship with the campus's counseling center and had the opportunity to provide regular consultation with two different outreach teams: diversity education and sexual assault prevention and treatment. Melissa has also had the opportunity to work abroad in Alaska, Vietnam and Trinidad/Tobago. Melissa is an athlete and a certified fitness instructor and enjoys teaching classes at her gym during her time off. She is currently training for the triathlon season.

Walden White - MA, LSSP, LPC-I
Therapist

Walden, a former Houston firefighter and EMT, completed his Master's Degree in counseling at Texas State University. Walden has spent the past two years working with adolescents and their parents in both Klein and Katy, TX Independent School Districts. Walden looks forward to combining his love of the outdoors with his experience and knowledge in working with adolescents and families. During his down time, Walden enjoys spending time with his wife Donna, and their young son Sloan. As a native Texas, Walden also enjoys hunting, fishing and golf.

John Courtney - LCDC
Substance Abuse Counselor

John began working for Lone Star Expeditions in September of 2002. He is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, a Certified Trauma Resolution Therapist, an EMT basic and has an Associate's Degree in Human Services with an emphasis in substance abuse treatment. John gained vast experience with teens while working at Hope Center, a residential wilderness program for at-risk teens, from 1997-2001. He worked with the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council for a year prior to Hope Center & worked with the Burke Center (MHMRA program) from 1990-1996. John stays active in the outdoors: he loves to golf, fish, hunt, and coaches Little League Baseball. This combination of love of the outdoors and the enjoyment of working with adolescents is what brought John to Lone Star. Always looking for a challenge and willing to learn new skills, John brings both motivation and a wealth of knowledge to our students.