Our Staff & Team in Woodland Hills, CA

Michael has been an avid and successful entrepreneur since 2004, with experience in various industries including; entertainment, production, retail consumer goods, and transitional residential programs and multi-unit housing facilities.

He is highly driven by his commitment and passion to help others who are in need of recovery and has been helping people to achieve their goals for several years with tremendous success. His reputation is well known within the treatment community and amongst people who actively are working on their recovery and want to live a sober life.

Michael oversees the daily operations of Stairway Recovery Homes, the partner of Stairway Resource Center, which is located in Southern California. Stairway Recovery has nine residential homes and houses over 100 people in the sober community. Not only do the people in the Stairway Recovery community stay sober, but they are also able to create new meaningful relationships and lives that they never thought possible.

Michael’s vision has become a reality, manifested by the rebuilt lives and realized dreams of the people he serves.

Jessi Brown, Senior Director of Admission and Client Experience, is more than just a member of the Stairways Resource Center team, she is an example of what this community can achieve and an example to all of our clients, especially the women.

Jessi has been working in the field of recovery since 2007 and joined this team as manager of the first female sober living at Stairway Recovery Homes and went on to design and implement the woman’s program at SRC. She continues to take on additional responsibilities within operations, to ensure our clients are receiving the highest level of support possible, but more importantly, Jessi continues to inspire and change the lives of young women, who can relate to her experiences, each and everyday.

Max has been working in substance abuse treatment for the past 10 years. He completed his Masters at Pacifica Graduate Institue and wrote his thesis on group therapy for addicted populations. He has run over 3000 groups and currently runs the family group at Stairways on Tuesday nights. With individual clients, he practices Habib Davanloo’s Intensve Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and believes it to be the most powerful approach in individual counseling for those suffering with addiction, helping clients quickly resolve core issues that had often previously been ignored. He has been sober for almost 2 decades. He opens the batting for Pickwick Cricket Club.

Heidi has been working in the field of addiction for the past 5 years, has a RADT and moonlights as a recovery blogger. If asked, there is nothing in the recovery field that Heidi won’t do to learn more or to be of service to the newcomers.

As Director of Alumni and Case Management, Heidi feels she has the unique opportunity to help with the day to day needs of the clients and maintaining continuity in the community-even after people have finished their initial SUD programming.

Michael D. Stone, MD has been in practice for over 30 years. He graduated from Medical School in 1986 and attended LA County/USC Medical Center Residency in the field of Emergency Medicine. He is a practicing E.R. doctor at 2 hospitals in the Southern California area. Dr. Stone also has a Specialty in Chemical Dependency and Addiction Medicine for 22 years. He is the Medical Director of numerous Residential and Outpatient Facilities in the Los Angeles area. Dr. Stone’s interests outside of medicine include a commercial pilot, all outdoor activities including skiing, fishing and boating.

Christy Zeegen is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner based in Los Angeles, California. With a rich background serving both pediatric and adult patients, Christy’s expertise spans developmental and intellectual differences as well as broader mental health challenges. She firmly believes in the intertwined relationship between holistic health and achieving balance in one’s life.

Christy is steadfast in her belief that holistic well-being encompasses mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Emphasizing a personalized approach in healthcare, she ensures that each patient’s unique needs are at the forefront of her practice. This patient-centric philosophy is the bedrock of her role as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.

Max has been working in substance abuse treatment for the past 10 years. He completed his Masters at Pacifica Graduate Institue and wrote his thesis on group therapy for addicted populations. He has run over 3000 groups and currently runs the family group at Stairways on Tuesday nights. With individual clients, he practices Habib Davanloo’s Intensve Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and believes it to be the most powerful approach in individual counseling for those suffering with addiction, helping clients quickly resolve core issues that had often previously been ignored. He has been sober for almost 2 decades. He opens the batting for Pickwick Cricket Club.

Heidi has been working in the field of addiction for the past 5 years, has a RADT and moonlights as a recovery blogger. If asked, there is nothing in the recovery field that Heidi won’t do to learn more or to be of service to the newcomers.

As Director of Alumni and Case Management, Heidi feels she has the unique opportunity to help with the day to day needs of the clients and maintaining continuity in the community-even after people have finished their initial SUD programming.

Bruno Burghard is a Case Manager, NAMA Anger Management and Relapse Prevention Specialist at Stairway Resource Center with 22 years of giving back to the community, one newcomer at a time.

Jon began his journey working in substance abuse treatment in 2019. He has experience working with co-occurring disorders, anger management, and depressive disorders. He is active in his own recovery, passionate about his position, and is able to serve as a brand ambassador to Stairway Resource Center. As a psychiatric technician he is committed to helping others seek treatment and getting the appropriate care they deserve.

In 2021, Jon was certified in the delivery of TMS. Due to his varied experience working in mental health, Jon finds TMS exciting due to the possibility of offering real hope to individuals for whom many other treatments failed to produce a genuine change in their internal experience of depression. An avid learner, Jon is currently studying to become a CDAC.

Raymond has been working in the addiction and behavioral health field for the past 5 years. A member of a 12 step program, Raymond has been clean and sober for over 7 years. With a special interest in medication resistant depressive disorders, Ray returned to school and obtained his certification in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Through his work with patients, Raymond has found that he is at his best when he is helping others connect with mental health resources and he is excited to help more patients find TMS.

In his free time, Raymond enjoys travel, theatrical events, and exploring Southern California.