ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
Mark is an independently licensed counselor. He has extensive training in Jungian Sand Tray and Experiential Play Therapy. He does training and workshops in Experiential Play Therapy. Mark was published in the International Journal of Play Therapy Vol.20, No.3, July 2011. He and his wife Charlotte Knauber are the founders of The Community Lighthouse.
Mark Ferriegel, LPCC
Education Supervisor, Founder
Charlotte Knauber,
LPCC Founder
Pierce Ferriegel
CEO
As a young boy, Pierce dreamed of changing the world. In 2013 he was given the opportunity to take over the family business combining both his passion for business and aspirations of creating a better world. As a servant leader, Pierce view's his job as enriching the lives of his people though personal growth, professional development and meaningful employment. Pierce believes that by first taking care of his people they will then take care of their patients. As CEO at The Community Lighthouse it his responsibility to maintain both the quality of our services and the profitability of our organization. By effectively balancing both profit and quality he can help grow the organization and expand access to mental health services to our community.
Jennifer Walsh
Administration and Financial Supervisor
Jennifer has been a resident of Albuquerque for 3 years now, having relocated from Las Vegas, NV. She has been married for 27 years and has three children ages 17-26. Upon completing her degree in 2017, she was hired by The Community Lighthouse as an Administrative Assistant and quickly moved up to Community Liaison and then SpecialA Projects Manager and Recruiter. Working in Behavioral Health has given her the platform necessary to fulfill her passion for helping others and helping to reduce the stigma related to mental health issues. Ultimately, she would relish a chance to serve the community on a wider scale to help make legislative changes regarding healthcare and mental health. Jennifer enjoys being a homebody on the weekend; cooking and spending time with her family and her furbabies, Honey (Sharpei/Chow) and Sugar (Lab/Pitbull). When she needs time to relax and tune out the world, she loves to crochet and also has been known to binge Netflix on the weekends!
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Maria Mendez
Intake Specialist
Maria Mendez is a proud member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society; having graduated with an Associate’s degree in Office Administration with a Medical Concentration. Maria has been with the Community Lighthouse since 2012 and began as an Intake Coordinator. She then moved on to an Admin Lead position. Maria contributes with her extensive knowledge of credentialing, bilingual abilities, and genuine sensitivity when helping clients. Maria strives to help grow the company in order to expand access to Mental Health services in our community. In her spare time, Maria enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
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Whitnie O’Neal
Sales and Marketing Manager
Whitnie is originally from Northern California where she attended California State University, Sacramento and graduated with Honors with a BA in Child Development. Whitnie has been with TCL since 2018 and started as a BMS provider, then moved into a BMS lead position and is now our Sales and Marketing Manager. Whitnie has a drive for organization and connection and uses those skills in supporting her team to help grow the company and expand access of services to our community. Whitnie tracks her travels using a state pin board and also by collecting mini Starbucks “Places You’ve Been” mugs! When Whitnie isn’t traveling or working, you can find her shopping for home decor, knitting, hiking, building Legos, or listening to podcasts.
Sydney Clark
Administrative Assistant
Sydney joined TCL because she thinks that what the company does is Incredible. She likes to help people! Sydney attended Full Sail University and has always lived in NM. She is an artist! She mostly does cartoon art and 3D modeling.
Stacy Morris
Administrative Assistant
Stacy was born in Oklahoma then later moved to New Mexico and attended Santa Fa High School. Stacy has 2 children and 3 beautiful grandchildren. Stacy is excited to be working at TCL and is proud of the work she is doing here to help others.
Brandon Rodriguez
Billing Specialist
Brandon is with TCL primarily because he enjoys being able to help others as they learn and grow to be better people than they already were. It is a struggle to reach out for help but it is incredibly rewarding to watch those who do blossom and flourish. He is also here because he connected with the strong sense of community the company and those who are employed here demonstrate. Brandon chose this industry because he enjoys being able to help others as they transition into their better selves. Brandon is a transplant from Rhode Island. It has been a wonderful experience being here between this company and the natural beauty of the state. He does miss the beaches and greenery from back home sometimes though. Brandon enjoys being able to view various film media and indulge in action/adventure/fantasy video games. He enjoys being able to curl up with a good horror novel and watch the hours pass by.
THERAPISTS
Jessica Muñoz, LPCC
Bilingual Clinician.
Jessica graduated from the University of New Mexico with a BA in Psychology and an MA in Counseling. Jessica’s concentrations during her counseling education were clinical mental health counseling and school counseling. Jessica works with a variety of ages from children to adults. Jessica is currently in The Community Lighthouses Experimental Play Therapy development program where she is being trained as a specialist in treating children.
Rosanna Cordova, LCSW
Clinical Supervisor
Rosanna Cordova double majored in English and Psychology at the University of New Mexico and studied Social Work at New Mexico State. She is both a Lobo and an Aggie, and happily so! She has worked with children in the local school system experiencing homelessness, and also trained in play therapy working with this population. Utilizing a strengths-based, solution-focused perspective, Rosanna encourages clients and their families to be deeply curious about their feelings, thoughts and behaviors and the relationship between these as they improve their well-being.
Marina Pannell, LAMFT
Bilingual Clinician.
Marina started her career as a counselor at The Community Lighthouse because she has always had a passion to serve her community, specifically a passion to empower families to heal and foster connection, which is the valued mission of TCL. This is her chosen field because of her own familial experiences growing up and her strong belief that when there are strong attachments in the family, resiliency for children is fostered. Marina was born and raised in Las Cruces, NM and received her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish at New Mexico State University and then received her M.A. in Counseling at the University of Colorado Denver.
Marissa Triebel, LCSW
Clinician
Mariss was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. She has a lot of love for this city and its culture and is excited to be able to use her training and expertise to empower the children and families in my community to heal and grow. Prior to becoming a social worker, she was a teacher. During her time as a teacher, she discovered the importance of making space and time for the mental and emotional well-being of her students. This sparked her desire to continue her education and study social work, so that she could better serve her community. Marissa has a bachelor's degree from University of New Mexico and my master's degree in Social Work from New Mexico Highlands University. Marissa has two fur babies - a cat named Boo and a dog named Bear. They keep her very busy and entertained. When she is not working, Marissa enjoys spending her time with her family, hiking, camping, and baking.
Amanda Gonzales, LCSW
Amanda chose to work in social work because she wanted to promote change and enhance the wellbeing of individuals. She went into her master program not really knowing how she could help and how she could use my set of skills to help empower those who truly needed support. She soon realized that caring about vulnerable populations is a good start to promote change. For Amanda, children are a population that she want to serve and help empower. She now found a position where she feels she can empower and promote change with the population that drives me to work hard, challenge myself and play. Amanda chose to work at The Community Lighthouse because during her last year of her social work program she was fortunate enough to find an internship that encompassed all the interests she had been searching for in a company. As an intern she had been challenged and learned how important healing can be for children who have been exposed to traumas. Meeting the client where they are at and utilizing interventions that support the child stages in development is essential to healing and EPT does just that. TCLH not only supports their clients but also their employees and she wants to be apart of a company who does jut that. Amanda received her Bachelors of Sociology and Psychology from The University of New Mexico, then decided to further her education and received a Master of Social work from New Mexico State University. Amanda was born in LA California and then moved to New Zealand for six years. Her family then moved to Edgewood, New Mexico where she grew up for most of my life. Amanda has a long haired corgi dog who keeps her active and also loves to take walks, runs and hikes. She recently joined a volleyball team and has learned how to shoot a bow. She loves to travel with friends, even if that means getting out of ABQ for the day.
Camille Carpenter, LCSW
Clinical Lead
Rachel Roth, LMSW
Clinician
Rachel is a clinical social worker who specializes in working with children, youth, and families. Rachel earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at the University of New Mexico in 2018 and her Master of Social work degree the University of Washington’s School of Social Work in 2022. Her personal and professional life centers serving the needs of her community both inside and outside of the therapy room.
Rachel believes in the power of theory to guide change both within individuals as well as communities and even entire cultures. Rachel looks at the world through a strengths-based critical lens informed by Abolitionist Teaching theory, Critical Race theory, Ecological Systems theory, Queer theory, Settler Colonialism, and Disability Justice
Born and raised in Albuquerque, NM, Rachel is a lover of Cottonwood trees, dirt roads, and the elusive and magical desert rain. Outside of her work at TCLH, Rachel plans to volunteer with ABQ Mutual Aid and continue her journey of life-long learning through ASL classes, Spanish classes, and much more!
Consuelo Lovato, LMHC
Clinician
Consuelo chose TCL because she wants to help children and teenagers with their mental health needs. She is passionate about making their lives better; helping them to believe in themselves and know that they deserve happiness, respect, and to know their self-worth. Consuelo believes this work can impact the trajectory of their lives! She loves helping others and feels fulfilled by seeing them get the chance to live their best lives. Consuelo attended University of New Mexico and Adams State University. Fun fact is that Consuelo is a twin!
Anna Isabelita Vargo, LMHC
Clinician
It was in my graduate program that I first experienced the powerful intervention of Experiential Play Therapy (EPT) which utilizes a child’s natural language of play to work through upsetting experiences and emotions while at the same time developing self-regulation through implementing clear boundaries and limits. Thrown into my first clinical experiences, I marveled at learning just how powerful this intervention was. I completed my MA in Mental Health Counseling at WNMU and graduated in 2022. I was born and raised in ABQ, NM. I am known for my interest in true crime, am an avid Scrabble game player. I have three children- two boys and a girl- who encompass most of my life and heart. I also greatly like cats and all things feline and am commonly referred to as a "cat mom".
Arianna Martinez, LMSW
Clinician
Arianna really likes the environment and the purpose behind TCL and the opportunity to work with kids, which is something that was important to her. Arianna chose this industry because she has family members that struggle with mental health, and she wanted to work with people and families that struggle with mental health and give back. Arianna studied for her undergrad at Adams State University and Graduated at New Mexico Highlands University with her masters. Arianna enjoys drawing, painting, reading, being outdoors and social gatherings. Arianna has a dog named Bear who is like her child.
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Samantha Banda, LMSW. Bilingual Clinician.
Samantha chose TCLH because of its values to prioritize children’s wellbeing. Samantha knows TCLH clinicians meet children where they are. This means, clinicians listen and understand the needs of children and adjust treatments to their needs. Samantha is interested in helping grow the strengths clients already have. Samantha received a BA in psychology and criminology. Samantha earned her Master of Social Work at NMSU. With Samantha’s educational background, she understands the complexities of adapting to changes such as jobs, school, families, diagnosis, poverty, culture and trauma and how they relate to each person. As a clinician she can help children and adults navigate life changes and understand their own thoughts and behaviors in a way that supports them. Samantha enjoys learning and is always open to being taught something new by her clients.
Coming Soon
CCSS TEAM
Megan Gray
CCSS
Megan is a CCSS with TCL because she has always wanted to work with people. TCL's values in their work, people, and community attracted her to the position and pushed her to apply as a CCSS. She is from the Four Corners area of New Mexico, a small community on the Navajo Nation called Sanostee. She is currently a student studying Psychological Sciences and Sociology at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. Megan chose this field because she initially wanted a career where she can be social and work with people. The love Megan has for people and the recognition for the need for more mental health care resources pushed her into the industry.