Leadership Team
Celeste Ewert, Executive Director
Celeste has been a part of Envision for more than twenty years. She started her career providing direct care to individuals and quickly moved to a mid-management position. In 1999, she accepted the position as Director of the Residential Department and was responsible for managing all phases of Residential Services. In 2009, Celeste was appointed Director of the Program Services Department. On June 1, 2017, Celeste was selected to serve as Envision’s Executive Director. Celeste possesses an associate’s degree in Paraprofessional Counseling from Aims Community College and a bachelor’s in Psychology from UNC.
Shannon Biehl, Finance and Administration Director
Shannon has worked in the non-profit sector for six years with various roles in finance for a local school district as well as a local university. Shannon has a bachelor’s degree in business and a Master of Finance degree, both from the Colorado State University system. She will be starting her journey obtaining an EdD in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University in August. She is originally from Idaho but has lived in Colorado with her husband and three children for nearly 6 years. Shannon spends any extra time with her family, which mainly consists of her children’s sports events or other activities. When not busy with sports or children’s activities, they love to go camping and spend time outdoors.
Linda Medina, Compliance & Monitoring Director
Linda has worked for and with individuals with developmental disabilities for over 25 years in Colorado. After 19 years in case management, 16 of which have been at Envision with the past 15 in the position as Case Management Director, Linda is currently serving Envision as the Compliance & Monitoring Coordinator. Linda has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Cornell College. In an attempt to travel and to experience as much of the world as possible in her youth, Linda had lived and worked in Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, New York, and other parts of Colorado. Her experience includes positions in tourism, retail, pharmacy assistant, childcare, youth in crisis, and painting, in addition to developmental disabilities. She is now mostly happily grounded with her husband, 3 grown stepchildren, 7 brilliant and beautiful grandchildren, and currently 1 dog and 3 cats.
Deserie Newton, Case Management Director
Deserie Newton spent 30 years in public education serving her community in various special education classrooms, working primarily with youth with severe mental illness. She received her BA degree from University of Northern Colorado in English/Writing/Social Sciences, and obtained alternative teacher licensure for both secondary English, and k-12 Special Education. As a single parent, after her youngest child’s graduation from high school, Deserie sought a career change that would utilize her experience and skillset in a slightly different career field. She began working at Envision in 2014 as a Children’s Case Manager, working her way up to a Children’s Case Management Coordinator, and is currently the Case Management Director for the children and adult waivers at Envision. She enjoys creative expression of all kinds, spending time with her adult kids and grandkids, and seeking solitude in nature.
Jenny Acevedo, Early Intervention Director
Jenny joined Envision’s Early Intervention program in August 2011 as an Administrative Assistant. For the last six years, she has enjoyed learning the many facets of the organization through a variety of different roles. In August 2016, Jenny became the Director for Children’s Case Management, which evolved into the Early Intervention Director position, where she is driven to help young children and their families navigate community resources to supporting their needs. Also, Jenny is proud to be part of an organization that supports the community that she grew up in. She loves to spend free time with her family, watching her kids sporting events, and trips to the mountains.
Tiffany Cron, Program Services Director
Tiffany began her journey with Envision in October of 2006 in Direct Care. In 2008, she moved into a Manager position and in 2011 became a Coordinator for the department. Since June of 2017, Tiffany has been serving in the role as the Program Services Director. Tiffany has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in psychology from UNC as well as a PhD in General Psychology from Grand Canyon University. As Envision’s Person Centered Thinking trainer, Tiffany is very passionate about helping others, making changes, and seeing everyone grow. Tiffany is humbled to have the opportunity to work for such an amazing organization. Tiffany also enjoys spending time with her wonderful husband, Robert, and their two children.
Kim Sager, Human Resources Director
Kim has taught, coached and supported children and teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities and learned an abundance from them! Her passion is to be the bridge in helping employees, leadership and people reach their goals and get to where they want to be in work and in life. She enjoys being a part of the collaborative team at Envision and helping to facilitate positive change for employees and to help create a healthy organizational culture. Kim has over nine years of professional experience in Human Resources, most recently within the healthcare industry. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan and her master’s degree in Human Resources and Organizational Development from Eastern Michigan University. She also holds a Professional in Human Resources certification. Kim loves exploring new places with her family, hiking, jogging, and having coffee with friends.
Karen Wainscott, Fund Development & Communications Director
Karen has been working in the nonprofit sector for over ten years after beginning her career in large-scale concert promotion. She is originally from Richmond, Virginia, and has lived in Colorado for the past seven years. She completed her B.A. in Political Science and International Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she went on to complete a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Nonprofit Management as well. Karen has worked for various nonprofits of different industries, including establishing a nonprofit organization to create a STEM/history museum for the Department of the Navy at Dahlgren, Virginia, and serving as the Development Director at Reflections for Youth in Loveland, CO. She is married to her wonderful husband, Josh, and has two stepchildren, Rebekah (13) and Paul (10). The family enjoys disc golf, hiking, kayaking, camping, and reading together. Karen also enjoys gardening, yoga, and distance running.