Learn More About Our Staff

Jeremy Hiltz, LADC, CCS

Jeremy Hiltz, LADC, CCS

Founder / CEO / Counselor

Jeremy has been in the field of addiction treatment for 10 years. Prior to founding Recovery Connections of Maine he worked in several cities in Maine. Jeremy has a strong passion for serving those suffering from addiction issues. He has a strong belief that adverse childhood experiences play a role in the development of substance use disorder. Jeremy's philosophy is embedded in unconditional positive regard and that no client that walks through the doors can do anything that would cause them to be viewed in a negative light. Jeremys core beliefs are that people do not fail treatment that treatment fails people. Jeremy places a strong emphasis on community collaboration.

Jeremy has a background in advocacy. He is a former chapter lead of Young People in Recovery and has joined them in Washington D.C advocating for common sense legislation for substance users and people in recovery. Jeremy has spearheaded community events that include block parties in his community. He has volunteered his time in the Maine Correctional Center for the past 12 years and is currently doing so. Jeremy facilitated an Adult Education class on substance use disorder and language training. Jeremy places a lot of emphasis on community integration organizing men in treatment o donate their time to local soup kitchens. Jeremy has spoken to countless high school, college classes, and events in the community.

Jeremy is also a youth sports coach football, baseball and basketball in his local community and has also sponsor teams to attend tournaments.

Michael Connors, LADC, CCS

Michael Connors, LADC, CCS

Clinical Supervisor

Michael has been in the recovery field since October of 2015, and has been working with individuals in treatment as a licensed counselor in Maine since November of 2016. He served as a board member, and treasurer of a grassroots advocacy organization in Belfast Maine called W.e.C.A.R.E. (Waldo encourages community assisted recovery efforts) from August 2014, until relocating to Lewiston full time in January of 2016.

Michael was born in Norfolk, Virginia, but was raised in Maine, with a brief amount of time being spent in North Carolina, attending school in the south in the eighties.(YOWZERS) He spent his adolescent years between Wiscasset and Brunswick, Maine, switching between their school systems. He was raised predominantly by his great grandmother.

Michael believes in treatment and recovery, as he himself battled with his own addictions from the age of 12. "I think that I was addicted the first time I ever used. As soon as I got that first substance in me I wanted more, more more....That was actually my substance of choice, more. Whatever I used I always wanted more." Michael believes his addictions all started from his trauma from early childhood, and believes most folks with substance use disorders come from trauma as well. "I really wasn't using to get high, I was using to get relief." Now that he identifies as a person in long-term recovery, he wants to work with folks to help them accomplish their goals and live a life of recovery. "Coming to work is not a chore for me, it's a privilege. I am grateful that I get to ride this roller-coaster with folks, and accompany them for a small part on their journey to a recovery, whatever that looks like for them. I love to see their progress, their hope, their determination. Often, I get the see the sparkle come back to their eyes."

Katlyn Furness, LADC

Katlyn Furness, LADC

IOP Coordinator

Katlyn has been in the recovery field since 2015 and has been certified to treat people struggling with addiction since 2018. Katlyn has experience working in the Lewiston community as a Case manager, Patient Navigator and Peer support to those struggling with substance use. I am currently studying for my LADC.
Born in South Boston Mass
Moved to Maine in 2005
Attended UMA and earned my degree the unconventional way
I believe that we are human beings before anything, our substance use does not define who we are but is a direct result of trauma we faced at some point in our lives. I am passionate about helping others, this community helped me when I did not know how to love myself.
I believe in this work, I battled my own demons and have been in recovery since 2010. It works! And coming here everyday does not feel like work , it feels like purpose. I fought so long to find my purpose and through my own recovery and our recovery community i have found my purpose.
I look forward to growing professionally here, but more importantly i look forward to watching our clients grow into who they are meant to be.

River Banks, LADC

River Banks, LADC

Counselor

River has worked in recovery since 2017, starting as a live-in house manager with a recovery housing non-profit. River continues to manage recovery houses to this day. His own recovery journey led him to pursuing obtaining his MHRT/C and CADC to be able to work with individuals in the field of addiction. River is passionate about recovery and helping others.

Chantel St. Laurent, LADC

Chantel St. Laurent, LADC

Counselor

Chantel has been a member of the RCOM team since 2019. She began her journey with RCOM as an intern and has since become a substance use counselor. Chantel is an involved member of the recovery community. She is the chairwoman and a founding board member of The R.E.S.T Center, Lewiston's first recovery community center. Chantel believes in advocacy and has been active in many advisory committees and community organizing teams to be a voice of hope and create recovery ready communities. Chantel is a strong advocate for person-first language and ending the stigma surrounding substance use disorders. She believes in empowering folks to be the best versions of themselves and supports all pathways to recovery. Chantel puts great emphasis on trauma-informed care and providing ALL folks with unconditional positive regard.
Chantel's love for the recovery community grew from her experience of being a person with substance use disorder. Chantel identifies with being a person in long-term recovery, but also as a mother of two young children, a student, a daughter, etc. She believes folks are multifaceted and hold many roles. She stays busy and is motivated to lead by example as her children are the center of her world. Her free time is spent with her children, enjoying family, and at the gym (sometimes).

Rebecka Hendry, LCPC-c, CADC

Rebecka Hendry, LCPC-c, CADC

Program Manager

Becka has worked in the recovery field since 2010 beginning her journey in residential substance use treatment for mothers and their children. Prior to working there, Becka earned her bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. Becka went on to pursue a master's degree through Goddard College in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a focus on expressive therapy. Becka is currently a CADC and a LCPC-C. Becka sees clients in outpatient but is primarily a clinician at the Travas House residential program for men. Becka believes that a disconnection with self that often stems from trauma can create a lack of connection to others. This absence may impact the emergence of an unhealthy attachment and relationship to develop with substances. As human beings we are wired to connect for better or for worse. It is through developing healthy bonds and relationships that a person's substance use and mental health symptoms can begin the process of healing.

Victor Dumais, LCPC, LADC, CCS

Victor Dumais, LCPC, LADC, CCS

Executive Director

Victor is a generally nice guy. An Edward Little High School graduate, he's achieved degrees in Psychology from University of Vermont and Counseling Psychology from Assumption College. He has been in the field of substance use treatment and recovery since 2013. Victor specializes in the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing and is certified to provide EMDR by the EMDR Institute.

Before joining RCOM Victor was a counselor at Grace Street Services and a manager at the Maine DHHS Office of Behavioral Health. He believes strongly that community and connection are the cornerstones of recovery from any ailment, and that addiction thrives in a society that values money over people. Victor loves to talk about youth sports, exercise, hunting, Kurt Vonnegut, chess, music, and renovation projects.

Kelly Raynor, ADCA

Kelly Raynor, ADCA

Recovery Coach

Hi, my name is Kelley Raynor. I have my ADCA and I am a recovery coach here at RCOM. I have been working at RCOM for over a year and a half. I help facilitate Intensive Outpatient Programs, help support clients with resources through recovery coaching and I do intake assessments here at RCOM. I love working here because I get the chance to help people achieve goals and better their lives every single day. I have completed recovery coach training with Portland Recovery Community Center and have volunteered as a recovery coach at the R.E.S.T. center. I have been sober and in recovery for three years. I struggled for over a decade to get sober and stay sober until I found the recovery community and all the resources they offer. I am a mom of two wonderful kids and I love spending time with my family. I enjoy spending time outside camping, hiking and being by the ocean. I am passionate about helping people because that is how I got to where I am, by others helping me. I have multiple resources on hand, such as help with transportation, housing and education. I would love to be a part of your recovery journey and help in any way that I can!

James Skelton, LCSW, LADC, CCS

James Skelton, LCSW, LADC, CCS

Clinical Director

James' interest in helping others through their struggles with substance abuse issues first began as the central piece of his own path of recovery from addiction. After taking a summer job in a residential treatment center, while he was waiting for an electrician's apprenticeship program to begin, he quickly realized that helping others and seeing people grow was his true passion and decided to pursue a career in counseling.

Since 2011, James has worked in a various settings including wilderness/adventure-based programs, Intensive Outpatient, Community Recovery-based programs, and residential. He has over ten years of experience working with teens, young adults, adults, and families.

James is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and Certified Clinical Supervisor. In his practice, he utilizes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Positive Psychology, Mindfulness/Insight meditation, and Buddhist psychology, with CBT and DBT skills. James was attracted to RCOM for its connection to the community that surrounds it, its passionate, mission-driven team, and its reputation for compassionate, trauma-informed care.

As Clinical Director, he is committed to seeing RCOM's strengths multiply to bring hope and healing to the greatest number of people possible. He believes that all people possess the capabilities of healing and growth.

James describes himself as enthusiastic, humorous, and insightful. He enjoys reading, hiking, hanging out with his wife and two dogs, Maya & Ivy, and he can be considered a connoisseur of fine coffees in his spare time.

Hope Lane

Hope Lane

Front Desk and Medical Office Coordinator

Hope Lane is our Front Desk and Medical Office Coordinator. Hope is the first person our clients meet and she helps to guide them into the intake process to one of our certified/licensed specialists. Hope handles intake scheduling, initial screening, insurance/billing issues, and also the scheduling and needs of our Medical Providers. She comes to the recovery field with years of experience in management in the Mental Health, Memory Care, and Intellectual Disability fields. Hope studied Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern Maine. She has always felt a calling to work in the service of others and to be involved with community. In her free time Hope is family oriented and loves all things concerning plants and animals. She also enjoys history, sports, and various forms of art and expression.

Brittany Reichmann

Brittany Reichmann

Administrative Coordinator

Brittany is a life long Maine Resident. She is passionate about the expansion of services for those facing substance use struggles; hugely in part because of her own experience. After multiple attempts at seeking help elsewhere, she returned back to Maine in 2015 to pursue her own recovery journey.

Brittany has worked in the field of substance use treatment in both administrative and managerial roles since 2019. Utilizing her professional skills in the field and watching people find their way to recovery is something she finds extremely fulfilling. Brittany worked closely with Recovery Connections of Maine for a few years before joining the team officially.

Outside of work Brittany enjoys Crossfit, running, spending time with friends and family- and above all, being with her husband and two year old son!

Matthew Steinback, MS, MLADC, LADC, CCS, CCHP

Matthew Steinback, MS, MLADC, LADC, CCS, CCHP

Chief Operating Officer

Matthew graduated from college in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a concentration in business. As part of his own personal journey, he moved to Maine for a new start in 2009 and has been here ever since. Given his strong passion for helping others, Matthew enrolled in a school specializing in alcohol and drug counseling in 2010. It was at this school where Matthew and Jeremy Hiltz (Founder/CEO of RCOM) first met as students. Matthew has been a licensed counselor in Maine since 2011 working with adults and families suffering from substance use and mental health disorders. The Lewiston-Auburn area holds a special place in Matthew's heart because from 2011-2013 he worked at a downtown treatment agency on Main Street specializing in medication-assisted treatment and intensive outpatient services for adults. It was at this agency that Matthew and Jeremy cut their teeth together running groups and counseling sessions for local people struggling with severe substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.

In the spring of 2013, Matthew transitioned into a role as a residential treatment counselor located inside the old Maine Correctional Center where he was ultimately promoted to the State Director for the contracted addiction treatment and case management services for the Maine Department of Corrections. While working full-time, Matthew started graduate school in 2012 and graduated in 2014 with a master's degree in psychology. After some changes at MDOC, Matthew left employment there in 2019 and worked for a year as the clinical director at an outpatient treatment program specializing in Opioid Use Disorder with sites in both Lewiston and Portland.

In the summer of 2020 - during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic - Matthew made the wild decision to accept the Health Services Administrator role for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office where he oversaw the integrated healthcare services for residents incarcerated at the Cumberland County Jail. During his almost 3-year tenure as the healthcare administrator at CCJ, Matthew spearheaded several successful initiatives. One of the accomplishments Matthew is most proud of during his time at CCJ was removing barriers and creating new processes for residents to be able to receive life saving medications used to treat substance use disorder. This resulted in a quadrupling of the number of residents who were receiving medications for substance use disorder. Given Matthew's success at CCJ, in the spring of 2023, he was promoted to the Regional Director of Operations role and travelled around the country visiting correctional facilities within his oversight. Since Matthew loves being a full-time dad to his silly eight year old daughter Addy, it became obvious that being on the road that often was not sustainable. As such, Matthew decided to take six weeks off during the summer of 2023 to focus on spending time with Addy.

Although Matthew has been a consultant for Jeremy and RCOM since its inception over the past several years, he was asked to come on full-time in August 2023 as the Chief Operating Officer to focus on organizational efficiencies, scaling the business, setting up private insurance contracts, and expanding services to better meet the needs of the people in the Lewiston-Auburn area and throughout the entire state of Maine. In addition to his education and experience, Matthew is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (Maine), Master Licensed Alcohol and Drug Clinician (New Hampshire), Certified Clinical Supervisor, and a Certified Correctional Health Professional.

When Matthew is not working, he enjoys spending time with his daughter, partner, partner's son, and doggies Olive and Dexter.

Ashley Lauze

Ashley Lauze

Residential Case Manager

Ashley joined Recovery Connections of Maine in August of 2020 as an intern and took on a job as the medical office coordinator shortly after. Since 2020 Ashley also started completing intake assessments at the agency and after a little break Ashley is back at RCOM working at the Travas House as a case manager. "The Travas House is changing lives and being involved in that is so rewarding. Our team is making a difference in the community and we won't stop." Ashley recently obtained her MHRT/C. Ashley also recently graduated from the University of Maine at Augusta and earned a Bachelor of Mental Health and Human Services. Ashley also holds an associates with an addiction concentration. Ashley believes that everyone deserves a second chance at life and supports all pathways to recovery. In her free time, Ashley loves to travel and hang with her two pups, Ruger and Hank. Ashley is currently working towards obtaining a CADC certificate.

Richard Entel, MD, FASAM

Richard Entel, MD, FASAM

Medical Director

Rich Entel, MD, FASAM, Medical Director at RCOM and Travas House, is board certified in both Addiction Medicine and Family Medicine.

Dr. Entel has extensive experience in addiction medicine, including leading and developing substance use disorder treatment programs. He has also practiced family medicine and emergency medicine in a range of practice settings in Maine and beyond. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and completed his medical residency at the Maine-Dartmouth Family Practice Residency in Augusta, Maine.

Dr. Entel is committed to giving respectful and compassionate care which includes a harm reduction approach.

Dr. Entel is also an artist and musician and his art work has been shown throughout Maine and beyond.

Curran Lecomte, PMHNP

Curran Lecomte, PMHNP

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Curran, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, started with the team at Recovery Connections of Maine in 2023. He graduated from Husson University with his Masters in Nursing and received his BSN from the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

He first realized his passion for helping people pursue their journeys to recovery while working at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center. He saw people present to the hospital for help but he quickly realized that those with the highest rates of success engaged in intensive outpatient treatment outside of the hospital. Outside of work you might catch Curran playing guitar, shopping at Mardens, or hiking one of New Hampshire's 48 4000 foot mountains with his wife Courtney.

Katherine Morris, LCPC, CCS

Katherine Morris, LCPC, CCS

Mental Health Counselor

Hi!! I am the Mental Health/ Substance Use Clinician at Recovery Connections of Maine. In addition to providing individual Mental Health and Substance Use counseling I have a great love of residential treatment and run groups at Travas' House. I have 25 + years experience in the field in a variety of settings. I passionately believe in the goodness in people and seek to help them return to who they already are at their core- which may have been clouded by trauma, substance use, and incarceration. As a person in recovery myself I know the depths of despair people experience as well as the possibilities we can't even imagine for ourselves when we're there. I am a single mother of a 9 year old girl and 2 dogs whom bring me so much joy in my "free time".

Amanda Place, LADC

Amanda Place, LADC

Amanda joined the RCOM team in April of 2020. Amanda has been providing counseling to individuals with substance use disorders for seven years as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor. Amanda has worked in a variety of clinical settings throughout the state of Maine that include outpatient counseling, residential treatment and recovery court. Amanda has a strong passion for helping individuals navigate challenging systems including the criminal justice system and family court systems. Amanda is the assistant director of Survivor Speaks USA supporting survivors of human trafficking through advocacy. Her approach to counseling integrates traditional therapeutic approaches, mindfulness and a variety of holistic modalities. Amanda recognizes that the therapeutic relationship is an integral piece to an individual's recovery process. Amanda brings unconditional positive regard, compassion, honesty and authenticity to the counseling relationship. Amanda works in the residential setting as a primary counselor at the Travas House. Amanda is a certified herbalist and in her free time enjoys spending time outside with her family and friends.