Krista Hales, DBH, LADC-S, Roseman University of Health Sciences

Krista Hales, DBH LADC-S is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor / Intern Supervisor with a Doctorate Degree in Behavioral Health from Arizona State University. Krista has been working in substance use treatment since 2008 and has developed programming across multi-levels of care through integration and innovative treatment options. Establishing recovery-oriented systems of care for individuals with substance use and co-occurring disorders has been a passion of hers since a young age. Additionally, Krista serves the Las Vegas Recovery community in numerous fashions. She is an active member of several entities throughout the state including the Nevada Governor’s Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council, the Southern Nevada Opioid Advisory Council (SNOAC), and Shine A Light Foundation. She is also planning committee Lead for Recovery Village at Las Vegas PRIDE and Narcan at Night. Krista is a firm believer in all individuals being given fair access to supportive services when trying to find balance in their wellness journey.

Kim Nischik, PA-C, Northern Nevada Hopes

Kim Nischik began practicing medicine in 2005 and is certified by the NV State Board of Medicine. Her dedication to healthcare lies in helping people improve their quality of life, reflecting her commitment to patient well-being. Kim joined HOPES to be part of a team of like-minded individuals dedicated to the service of others. She values the collaborative environment and the opportunity to contribute to the community.

Erik Schoen, LCPC, CEO, Community Chest

For the past 32 years, Erik Schoen has endeavored to ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to not only survive but thrive. Whether through supervising, mentoring, and teaching the newer generation of health and human services workers; through serving on and leading a variety of state boards, nonprofits, and initiatives with similar areas of focus; through advocating and coordinating important changes at the legislative level; or, through considerable time spent building bridges and joining hands with other providers, Erik has dedicated his life’s work to this effort. Currently, Erik serves as the CEO of Community Chest where he has worked for more than 29 years. Since Erik assumed the leadership position six years ago, the agency has more than doubled in size and now actively provides a variety of integrated health and human services directly to six rural Nevada counties, and indirectly to another handful. He currently serves on several local, regional, and statewide boards that have as their primary focus the building of needed health and human services infrastructure. In 2023, he was awarded the “Administrator of the Year” award by the Human Services Network, a coalition of health and human services providers from throughout Northern Nevada. He is proud to have been a licensed mental health and substance use provider for more than three decades. He is the coauthor of Essentials of Chemical Dependency Counseling, 4 th Edition, and he is now into his second decade of teaching the culminating class in the addictions minor at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Kayla Shannon, LCSW, LCADC, Northern Nevada Hopes

Kayla Shannon is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC), and 200 hour trained yoga instructor. Kayla was raised in Sparks, NV and graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor of Social Work. Kayla then earned a Master of Social Work with a concentration in clinical behavioral health from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Kayla’s professional experience as a LCSW has included providing individual, group, and family therapy to adolescents and adults in a variety of treatment settings. Currently, Kayla works as the behavioral health MAT coordinator and therapist in the MAT program at Northern Nevada HOPES. The integrated clinic utilizes a harm reduction and client centered approach. Kayla and her team work with adults with Alcohol and/or Opioid Use Disorder to provide wrap around services by combining the use of MAT medications and behavioral health services. Kayla specializes in addressing trauma and substance use addiction. Kayla’s hope is to provide a safe and collaborative environment to address client’s goals and support them in their healing process. In her off time, Kayla enjoys spending time on her paddle board in Lake Tahoe or exploring other parts of the world.