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Our Leadership

Executive Team

Avery Belyeu, MDiv (she/her)

Chief Executive Officer

About Avery

Avery Belyeu has been leading cause-related work for more than a decade. A seasoned non-profit leader with a focus on LGBTQ+ health and wellness, her career spans suicide prevention and crisis intervention, public health, civil rights, and higher education.

Avery’s career includes leadership at civil rights organizations like: Lambda Legal Defense and education fund where she served as a Regional Director; the federally funded Suicide Prevention Resource Center and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention where she led strategic suicide prevention initiatives that had a nationwide impact; and The Trevor Project, the leading non-profit providing suicide prevention and crisis intervention to LGBTQ+ youth under the age of 24, where she created the organization’s education department and designed upstream prevention programs. Early in her career, Avery worked in public health education and promotion at the university level, with a focus on LGBTQ+ student health and wellness.

Avery earned a Master of Divinity degree from Texas Christian University’s Brite Divinity School and a Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University.

In 2024, Avery was named to Out Magazine’s OUT100 List.


Kyle Leisher, LPC-S (he/him)

Chief Behavioral Health Officer

About Kyle

Kyle Leisher began his time with the Montrose Center as a Licensed Professional Counselor – Intern working as a Staff Therapist in the Anti-Violence Program in late 2013. During this time, Kyle honed his counseling skills by working with victims of violence and abuse, as well as conducting outreach to communities and participating in panels focused on increasing awareness of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and hate crimes within the LGBTQ+ community.

After three years as a staff therapist, he took on the role as the Center’s Compliance and Admissions Coordinator. Kyle has a passion for quality improvement, and has spearheaded several projects at the Center that have focused on improving the quality of care provided to clients. Kyle also works diligently to ensure that the working environment is conducive to allowing staff to provide the highest levels of care to their clients. Kyle makes it his personal goal to ensure that all clients at the Center are treated in a dignified manner and can access the care they need to improve their quality of life.

Kyle holds a Masters of Counseling Psychology degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University.


Jaymie Mielke Quiroz, MA
CHW, RSPS, PSS (she/her)

Chief Programs Officer

About Jaymie

Jaymie Mielke Quiroz has been with the Montrose Center since 2006.  Prior to serving as the Chief Programs Officer, she spent the last sixteen years as the Prevention Program Director with the Montrose Center.  During that tenure, she had the privilege of starting and overseeing various federal, state, and local grants.  These grants focused on health education, HIV prevention and navigation, suicide prevention, tobacco cessation, and recovery in both substance use and mental health. She has participated and continues to participate in a variety of state and local committees focusing on social injustices, health equity, and the HIV continuum of care.     

Jaymie holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Minot State University in North Dakota and a Masters in Sociology from the University of Houston- Clear Lake.  She also hold certifications as a CHW, RSPS, and PSS.


Michael McIntyre, MBA (he/him)

Chief Administrative Officer

About Michael

Michael McIntyre has dedicated his career to creating inclusive, people-centered workplaces that strengthen organizations and the communities they serve. With more than two decades of experience in not-for-profit healthcare, clinical research, and for-profit settings, he brings expertise in leadership development, talent strategy, and organizational design.

Before joining the Montrose Center, Michael served as the Director of HR Operations, Benefits, Compensation, and HRIS at Baylor Genetics. Prior to that, he was Director of HR Business Partners at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, where he supported value-based care and population health initiatives, clinical research, academics and community health centers. During his 10-year tenure at Memorial Hermann Health System, he was an HR Business Partner and served as a trusted advisor to executives and clinical leaders across complex operational, academic and medical environments.

Michael has earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and an Executive MBA from the University of Houston.


Kelly Nicholls (she/her)

Chief Development Officer

About Kelly

Kelly Nicholls is an established marketing and development professional with more than a decade in nonprofit leadership. Kelly has a strong passion for community impact through collaborative relationship management. Her professional experience ranges from health and human services, performing arts, healthcare and education. 

Kelly has led strategic and high-level fundraising and marketing teams at notable Houston institutions, including AIDS Foundation Houston (dba Allies in Hope), Houston Grand Opera and Theatre Under the Stars. Her work has involved successful capital campaigns, emergency relief for Hurricane Harvey and COVID-19, record-breaking donations through individual, corporate, foundation and planned giving, rebranding, and the integration of marketing campaigns targeting priority populations. Kelly has been involved in launching LGBTQ+ initiatives in the arts, spearheading DEI groups, and collaborating with LGBTQ+ membership groups like the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce and Executive Professional Association of Houston. 

Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from University of California, Santa Barbara. 


Management Team

Will Batts (he/him), Director of Operations

Jenn Brock, MS (she/her), Youth Services Director

Authur Carr, LPC-S, LCDC, PSS (he/him), Director of Integrated Care

Dan Cato (he/him), Director of Marketing and Communications

Jackie Eaton, LCDC, PSS, CHW (he/him), Outreach Program Director

Kareen Eichberger, MBA (she/her), Director of Information Systems

Meleah Jones (she/her), Director of Development

Stephani-Nicole Leota, MSW (she/they), Social Services Director

Kevin Nguyen, MS (he/they), Director of Community Engagement

Hawk Owsley, MA, LMFT-S, LPC-S (they/them), LIFE Counseling Program Director

Gary Powers, CMA (he/him), Finance Director

Walter Rucker, MSW (he/him), Director of HIV Case Management

Nicole Stelivan, MA, LPC, LCDC (she/her), Intervention Program Director

Tasha Ward, MA (she/her), Prevention Program Director

Laura Zavala-Membreno, M.Ed, LPC-S (she/her), Anti-Violence Program Director


Looking to join our team? Check out our Employment Opportunities!

Grand Opening of the Law Harrington Senior Living Center

Board of Directors

the Montrose Center

Gary Wood, CPC, CTSPresident
Clark Caperton, MPAVice President
Marvin FuentesTreasurer
Christopher Delphin, JDSecretary
Fermeen Fazal, JDAt-Large
Kimberly Butler-White
Karen Carlson, MS
Jeff Falk, MA

Montrose Counseling Center Permanent Endowment

Ralph J. Herring, OD, MHAPresident
Michael Sirimaturos, PharmD, BCNSPVice President
Jason Doxey, MBATreasurer
VacantSecretary
Ciro Flores
Chris Robertson