Our Staff

Melissa Lucas joined The Transition House, Inc. in 2015 and serves as the Chief Executive Officer for all five TTHI entities. She leads the team by leveraging her broad and comprehensive knowledge of all matters related to the business and organization, as well as the vision to steer its course into the future. Before being named CEO in April 2020, Melissa was the Chief Human Resources Officer and was responsible for all aspects of human resource management. She led The Transition House, Inc. through the challenging process of separation from a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) while supporting the rapidly growing business. Her career has included over 15 years in high-level Operations and HR Management positions and has led her to extensive success in linking people strategies to strategic business planning. Melissa has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in Human Resource Management and holds professional certifications through SHRM and HRCI. She is a member of numerous boards across the substance abuse, mental health, and corrections fields. Outside of work, Melissa is an animal lover who enjoys outdoor adventures such as kayaking, paddle boarding, and hiking trails. Having grown up on the North Shore of Massachusetts, you may also find her swimming in the cold Atlantic Ocean.

Jennifer began her career in Behavioral Health in 2006 with the Linda Fay Griffin House in Worcester, MA. Until 2011 Mrs. Dellasanta was the Program Director of a residential women’s facility for substance abuse and mental health, a fee for service Clinician, and an advocate for recovery treatment in Massachusetts.

Mrs. Dellasanta has a Master’s Degree in Human Services and is currently pursuing her Doctorate's Degree for Addiction Psychology.

In 2011, she joined The Transition House, Inc. as a substance abuse counselor, was promoted to Clinical Supervisor. In 2013, she was promoted to Chief Operating Officer. In 2017, Mrs. Dellasanta was promoted to Executive Director as she has transferred back to her home state of Massachusetts.

Mrs. Dellasanta oversees all therapeutic services in the program, ensuring that the implementation of evidence-based treatment protocols are being followed and that they continue to be utilized within all programs. Mrs. Dellasanta is responsible for staff development, quality management, and The Joint Commission accreditation for all associated programs. In addition, Mrs. Dellasanta is the Implementation Manager for Electronic Health Records for all programs at The Transition House, Inc.

She is a member of the National Council on Behavioral Health, a member of NAADAC, and a proud member of American Counselor Association. Mrs. Dellasanta is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor 1 in the state of Massachusetts, is an Internationally Certified Alcohol and drug abuse counselor in Massachusetts, Alabama, and Florida and maintains her MCAP in the state of Florida.

Melinda Rios holds a Bachelors in Business Administration Human Resources Management as well as Society for Human Resource Management and Professional in Human Resources® certifications. Over the past 10 years, Ms. Rios has held HR roles for as many as 1,000 employees in various types of industries such as home health, insurance brokerage, manufacturing, construction and non-profit. She joins The Transition House, Inc. with experience in several areas of HR including employee relations management, leading internship programs, restructuring organizations, and strategic planning, among others.

Dr. Jaymes Gonzales is a licensed psychologist and graduate of the University of Alaska Anchorage-Fairbanks Clinical-Community Psychology Ph.D. program. He has worked with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families over a 15 year career that includes a variety of inpatient and outpatient service settings. His professional special interests include phase of life transitions, identity development and change, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), premarital counseling, court ordered treatment, gender-rooted clinical issues and role demands, and working with LGBTQ-identifying individuals. In addition to psychotherapy and clinical assessment, he is experienced in providing clinical supervision, individual and agency-level consultation, teaching university psychology courses, program development and management, cross-cultural service provision, rural and remote-rural service development and delivery, and telehealth services. Research areas of interest include cultural and personal identity development, identity changes throughout the lifespan, healthcare access, and the use of technology in clinical service delivery. Outside of work, Jaymes enjoys kayaking, hiking, snowboarding, camping, playing soccer, and is an avid Seattle Seahawks fan.

Dr. Kimberly Quigley graduated from Webb School of Knoxville in 1993. She moved on to Georgetown University earning a BSLA in German Language and Linguistics. She completed work at the Harvard University Health Careers Program, at which time she decided to pursue medicine. After graduating from medical school at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 2001, Dr. Quigley completed an internship in Pediatrics, followed by a residency in Psychiatry. She holds board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Quigley has provided medical leadership for outpatient mental health settings, hospital systems, and recovery programs.

Dr. Quigley has over 15 years of experience in partnering with children, adolescents, adults, mature adults and their families in deciding if and how psychotropic medication can be used to help them attain their personal goals for wellness and wholeness in their lives. In her spare time, Dr. Quigley is the chess coach at the Episcopal School of Knoxville. She is a strong community advocate for developing chess programs across the East Tennessee area for children of all backgrounds. She is active at Emerald Youth Sports as a soccer coach and volunteer.

Mr. Wainwright began his corrections career in 1980. Wainwright advanced through all security positions retiring as Warden of the Central Florida Reception Center. His experience spans Reception Centers, Youthful Offender, Close Management Male and Female, death row and several major correctional institutions throughout the State of Florida. Mr. Wainwright joined The Transition House, Inc. in January 2014.

Ms. DeJesus began working in the human service profession in 1998 in New York City as a volunteer in the ADAPT program, an outreach organization that reached out to individuals in high risk behaviors. They would do HIV testing on the street and provide harm reduction techniques on site including needle exchange program and safe sex education, along with any referrals that the individual may need. She then went on to working with individuals with HIV in high risk behaviors, providing intense case management and assisted the client with medical appointments, treatment adherence and advocated for their benefits and housing.

She then supervised a team of seven staff with Planned Parenthood outreach program, where she was responsible for three different contracts with this organization the CBC, CDC and DOH. There was a medical mobile unit that would go out into the high risk community and provided medical services, HIV counseling and testing, assist with placing individuals into detox followed by SA treatment. She also facilitated groups for adolescents with behavioral issues and participating in high risk behavior. In Florida, Ms. DeJesus began doing counseling and facilitating groups in a residential facility. She completed UAs and maintained daily files. Then began working with HOPWA assisting with housing for individuals HIV/AIDS providing case management and financial assistance. In The Transition House she has done HOPWA, case management for GPD, facility groups, billing, and now SSVF for the past three years providing housing and assisting with SOAR applications. Currently, she is working to obtain her bachelor's in legal studies.

Maria Schena is a Treatment Marketing Professional and Recovery Advocate. Ms. Schena joined The Transition House, Inc. in 2019 and has devoted her career to connecting patients and their families to evidence-based treatment and programs. Prior to her work in the field of marketing, Maria began her career as an admissions specialist, providing her with critical first-hand experience working with individuals seeking treatment for addiction. This focus on patients and families guides her approach in communicating the treatment opportunities available at The Transition House, Inc.