Our Team

Mr. Laird has five children and lives in New Canaan, Connecticut with his wife. He is an avid golfer and marathoner, regularly travels to share his story of recovery and treatment best practices, and appears regularly in the press on addiction issues.

Cini came to The Lighthouse in March of 2019 and she has been a Certified Recovery Coach since 2014.

Cini began her career in special education, working with the developmentally disabled. She continues to advocate for the rights of those who do not have a voice and have been marginalized by our society.

Cini spent many years as a stay at home mom in Fairfield County. She is aware of the benefits and challenges that go hand and hand with raising a family as well as the social pressures, alienation, and competitiveness in many of our communities. Cini recognizes that these pressures can be overwhelming, leading to low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and unsafe coping skills.

In 2014, she began to devote her time and energy, with the same passion she had earlier in her career, partnering with individuals on their recovery journey.

Cini became a Professional Recovery Coach and an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in the states of Connecticut and New York. On a daily basis, she meets individually and in group therapy settings to assist those with substance use disorders to develop acceptance, empowerment, self-compassion, and a sustainable recovery plan.

Cini cherishes time with her family and friends. She loves to bake, take spin classes, read and grow orchids. She practices gratitude, mindfulness, meditation, laughter and joy every day.

Heidi is the Chief Financial Officer for The Lighthouse. She joined The Lighthouse in May 2018 as Director of Business Strategy. She previously worked in private equity with The Chase Manhattan Bank and later Seaport Capital in New York.

Heidi attended Dartmouth College and Columbia Business School. She is on the Board of Directors of Liberation Programs and the Darien YMCA, and is a member of the Dartmouth Alumni Council. She has raised her four children in Darien, CT.

Ross has been working for The Lighthouse as a House Manager since November 2016.

Before working for The Lighthouse, Ross worked for a Christian Non-profit recovery center in Bridgeport, CT.

Ross has found his recovery through 12 Step Programs, Meditation, Community, and Prayer. Having been a self-proclaimed atheist himself, Ross is empathetic to guys in early recovery struggling with Spiritual proponents in 12 step programs.

Firmly believing in Recovery is more than just abstinence from substances, Ross practices improvement in all of his life. Ross loves to exercise, maintains a dedicated diet plan, and works on himself in personal relationships. He lives a very consistent and dependable lifestyle which is seen by our clients. When he gives advice, it is well received because he lives a life of self-improvement.

Akisha has been working at The Lighthouse women’s program since April 2020. Akisha was born & raised in Stamford, CT. She earned her Associates of Science at Norwalk Community College in 2012 (Human Services), and continued on to Sacred Heart University where she earned her Bachelors of Science (Criminal Justice).

Akisha has over 2 decades of experience working with families in transitional living facilities in Fairfield County, and within those facilities she has worked closely with residents in recovery.

In addition to The Lighthouse, Akisha works with parents of young children conducting personal visits with them centered around child development. She is a Credentialed Provider of supervised visitation for the State of CT Department of Children & Families, and she occasionally produces stand-up comedy shows.

Akisha loves to spend time with her family. She practices lots of “self-care”, and she volunteers in her community for a non-profit organization that she founded back in 2007. The organization advocates for single parents in poverty, and they provide individual & group mentoring for at-risk children that are enrolled.

One of Akisha’s favorite quotes is by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which reads:

“Take the first step in FAITH. You don’t have to see the WHOLE staircase, just take the first step”

In February 2017, Dave Cator became the Lighthouse’s first participant in the Recovery 365 Program, which by no coincidence is also his sobriety date. He now serves as a Professional Recovery Coach on the Lighthouse team.

Dave grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley after spending time at both the University of Colorado and Stanford University. He spent his business career as a Senior Executive in the publishing industry residing in numerous cities on the West coast before moving East.

Dave has three daughters and resides in Darien, Connecticut with his wife. He loves his family time, vacations, golf and yellow labs. Dave is an exercise fanatic and is always looking for the next challenge.

Throughout his publishing career and working with those in sobriety, Dave has recognized that his greatest strengths are his listening skills and the respect that he has for his clients and their recovery journey. Dave loves working with his clients in building a recovery plan and helping them reach their individual goals.

Michèle was born and raised in New York City and joined the Lighthouse and Recovery 365 in 2019. She is a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC) with 34 years of recovery from alcohol and drugs.

Growing up in Manhattan, she loved sports and was also on scholarship with The American Ballet Theatre. She attended Performing Arts High School and later, Hunter College. She worked with a non-profit writer’s group for several years before entering the real estate world as a broker.

After 20 years in real estate and feeling a little burned out, she searched her soul for what would truly fulfill her. She didn’t have to look very far. For 34 years, she has remained active in recovery and has never lost her passion for it. She decided to expand her ability to help others by becoming a Recovery Coach. Michèle uses her life experiences, empathy and insight to help you integrate into your new life. Although well-versed in 12 step recovery, she can help you navigate other paths available to you to help you achieve your goals in recovery.

Michèle resides in Manhattan with her son who is attending college. She loves animals, the beauty of nature, going to the gym and taking long walks in Central Park.

Jack joined The Lighthouse team in March 2016 and had served as a live-in House Manager.

As House Manager Jack participates in all aspects of the administration of the residential facility. He enjoys working with residents and believes that life-changing transformations can occur at The Lighthouse by those residents willing to work for them.

Before The Lighthouse, Jack practiced law for 25 years. He has recently completed the practicum for certification as an Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor. He hopes to complete the certification process in early 2020.

Elisabeth hails from New Canaan, CT and completed her BA at Lehigh University. She worked in advertising in NYC for several years prior to beginning her recovery journey in Southern California in 2015.

After taking vital time to work on herself, Elisabeth decided to refocus her passion, time and knowledge to help those suffering from substance use disorders and trauma. She became deeply entrenched in the SoCal recovery community, managing a women’s sober house in Brentwood, CA and opening her own sober home in Malibu. Elisabeth joined The Lighthouse and Recovery 365 in 2019.

Elisabeth loves to travel and is an avid outdoors woman. In sobriety, she has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, skydived in Camarillo, CA and bungee jumped in Soweto, South Africa.

She is excited to bring her passion for recovery and helping others to recognize and achieve their goals to The Lighthouse.

David Czaja joined The Lighthouse in 2018. In the summer of 2019, he fulfilled the requirements and achieved designation as a Recovery Coach Professional (RCP), from the Center for Addiction Recovery Training. David has been in recovery for 12 years. He is an active member of local and regional recovery communities, of which he maintains numerous recovery relationships in Fairfield county. David draws upon his empathy and curiosity while guiding his recovery, coaching clients in forging their path for recovery.

David is a lifetime member of the PGA. Before working with The Lighthouse Recovery 365, he coached golf for 25 years. As a PGA Golf Professional, David relied upon his knowledge, compassion, and problem-solving skills, to help shape outstanding golfers. In his recovery coaching services, David has sharpened these skills to help coach, men in early recovery. He relies upon active listening and his personal experiences to help others find the path in recovery, which works best for the individual — not everyone makes the same golf swing to achieve their best results. The same applies to recovery.

Bio coming soon..

Jeffrey Guance, LMSW, is a Social Worker and a Recovery Coach. He received Summa Cum Laude honors for his Associate degree in liberal arts from Norwalk Community College and his Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Fordham University. He has also acquired his Master of Social Work (MSW) from Fordham University along with his LMSW.

He has been with the Lighthouse for over four years where he is currently hosting the Wednesday night men's dinner meeting. Additionally, he is practicing at Project Courage, where he is an individual therapist, IOP facilitator, school-based substance abuse counselor and a Sober coach.

He hopes to attain his LCSW and acquire a PHD in Social Work with his thesis based on substance use disorders and treatment.

Jeffrey loves playing basketball and spending time with friends and family. Hs favorite past time is engaging in philosophical thought with others.

Jamie began working at The Lighthouse in September 2021. She works concurrently in Corporate Communications at IBM, where she has held various roles in external relations since April 2015.

Jamie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from Skidmore College. She received her Master of Arts in Communication Sciences from The University of Connecticut, where she focused on psychological principles in mass and interpersonal communication. During graduate school, Jamie was an academic advisor to incoming students each summer and to undergraduates during the school year before she began teaching introductory courses in communication at UConn.

Jamie believes that the opportunity to offer support to people at any point in their recovery journey is a gift.

Stephanie Hazard joined the Recovery 365 coaching team in 2019. She is a Certified Recovery Coach Professional through the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) and works as a private recovery coach in CT and NYC.

Sober for 20 years, Stephanie understands the challenges and joys of being a mother in recovery and as a working professional. Her sober journey began when she was a single mother living in Greenwich and working in Manhattan.

Her experience as a sexual abuse survivor and her recovery from an eating disorder enable her to connect with women on multiple levels. She believes in multiple pathways to recovery and has developed recovery resources, relationships and a community network that includes leaders in the field of addiction and substance use disorder.

When she is not coaching a client, you can either find her on the stage or volunteering. As a classically trained actress, she has been performing for over 30 years and has appeared in numerous stage productions and play festivals. As a volunteer, she served on Liberation Programs’ Board of Directors for 8 years and currently volunteers her time at Silver Hill Hospital and the Theatre Artists Workshop.

Stephanie grew up in New York City where she enjoyed a career that spanned TV Commercial Production, Adverting, Marketing and Business Development. She lives in New Canaan with her husband who is a long time PMC volunteer and Co-Captain. Her two adult children, one a screenwriter and the other an artist, are both pursuing their careers in Los Angeles.

Kelly began working at the Lighthouse recovery residence for women in November 2020. Kelly passed the IC & RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor Exam in December 2014. Kelly received her Recovery Coach Professional (RCP) designation from CCAR in October 2020 and is a strong believer in their coaching model. She holds a Masters of Social Work from Fordham School of Social Service and is licensed in the states of Connecticut and New York. She is currently studying psychodrama at the Psychodrama and Creative Arts Therapy Center in New York City and will become a certified practitioner in 2021.

Kelly has seen how connection to a recovery community can stop the cycle of substance and mental health disorders and the pain of isolation.

A mother of two, from Greenwich, Connecticut, Kelly enjoys the beach, photography and seeing other people recover.

KT began working at the Lighthouse in June 2021. KT was born and raised in Greenwich, CT and currently reside in Fairfield, CT. For many years KT worked in retail and three years ago made the transition to the medical field working with top Orthopedics and Neurosurgeons.

KT is truly grateful to have come into recovery myself in October 2013 and believes everyone deserves a second chance. KT is passionate about helping others find their path and always shares with others that all things are possible.

Because of recovery KT has been able to live a spiritual life, an authentic life surrounded by love, laughter and connection.

When not working, KT spends her time with her twin girls going on many adventures.

Stephanie joined the Lighthouse community as a Recovery Coach in February 2020. She holds a MS in counseling from Long Island University and a BA in psychology from the University at Albany, SUNY. She currently owns and operates a private fitness studio in Fairfield County, CT.

Her personal recovery journey started over 5 years ago when her substance use threatened not only her values, but her life. Stephanie became a Recovery Coach in 2019 with the intention of helping others who have suffered in the same way. As a personal trainer and fitness coach, the recovery coaching model was a perfect fit for her. Stephanie uses her expertise, passion for health and wellness and personal recovery experience, to guide others on their wellness journey.