Bailey Burton, CADC-I
Senior Program Manager
Bailey was born and raised in the Asheville area and is a graduate within the field of psychology and Human Services. Bailey, having seen the power of this in her own journey, is passionate about allowing clients to borrow her hope for their recovery when they are struggling to find this themselves. Sometimes this looks like planning a prom for a client who is missing theirs or a talent show for the community.
Bailey loves to empower our clients to see the ways in which they have the power within themselves to heal, have resilience, and positively affect those around them. This often looks like hosting house meetings, supporting difficult conversations, encouraging accountability and overseeing our direct care team in order to create a healing environment for our clients.
When Bailey is not at the Willows, she is often with her sassy dog Penny and her less-sassy partner Noah devouring a good book with a cup of coffee in hand.
Becky Barth, BS, WFR
Operations and Experiential Activities Specialist
Becky’s technical skills in adventure sports, the numerous years facilitating groups and program staff, and recently serving as a part-time Clinical Technician for The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® for four years will serve her well in her role as Operations Assistant. She is a team player, strong communicator, and enthusiastically joins in with any task at hand.
Making a difference in the lives of others has always been an underlying motivator for Becky. She strives to be a good listener, show respect for all, discover teachable moments, and encourage all around her to thrive and flourish. Whether supporting a client in a one-on-one setting, leading a group on a camping experience, or working behind the scenes she aims to do meaningful work.
Once an avid competitor in adventure endurance racing, mountain biking, and flatwater canoeing, she now is content to ride bikes, climb rocks, and paddle boats for fun. She proudly parents her two older teenagers, loves to cook and eat all vegetables, and sings a cappella with a small women’s ensemble.
Tammy Sadler
Administrative and Operations Manager
Tammy has lived all over the US and is happy to now be calling Asheville her home. She believes working at The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® answers her desire to help people and make the world a better place. She brings her extensive administrative and marketing background, her enthusiasm and her compassion to the staff and clients of The Willows at Red Oak Recovery®. She looks forward to helping you when you visit the facility.
Tammy has two adults daughters and son-in-laws, a granddaughter and a sweet old cat. In her free time she likes to contra-dance, sing with a local a cappella chorus, listen to all the great live music in the area, and hike the beautiful NC mountains.
Jess Matone
Evening Program Manager
Bio Coming Soon!
Matt Vassal
Chef
Matthew Vassal is the head chef at The Willows at Red Oak Recovery®. He brings 31 years of cooking experience to The Willows, with 14 of those years as an executive chef. Matthew grew up in Chicago, IL and started cooking in a restaurant in 1991 at the age of 11. After graduating high school he attended culinary school at Grand Rapids Community college in Grand Rapids, MI and received an associate degree in the culinary arts. He has worked at many restaurants across the country including restaurants in Seattle, WA Denver CO, Boulder CO, Crested Butte, CO and Detroit, MI.
Matthew has lived in Asheville for five years and has been the executive chef of three restaurants: Wicked Weed, Burial, and The Waterbird. He was also the Sous Chef at Lexington Avenue. He annually competes and places in national BBQ competitions every summer. Eventually, his culinary career took him down a different path. Looking to put his culinary passion towards something he was more personally invested in, he pursued a career in the private sector at The Willows.
At The Willows, Matthew and the culinary team are in the daily pursuit to cook the highest quality meals. The team uses the best local ingredients, vegetables, and herbs from the campus garden to create healthful, uplifting, and comforting food for the clients. In addition to all this, the kitchen also teaches a weekly cooking class, that includes cooking skills and practical life applications. They tie working in the community garden and harvesting vegetables to what is served on the plate, connecting nature to what they eat. The team also teaches clients about the diverse culinary scenes of the world, where food comes from, and why it is so important – bringing people, family, and cultures together at the same table.
Matthew describes the mission of the kitchen has brining a daily sense of accomplishment, involvement, education, and connection into the culinary culture of the Willows. They strive every day to cook delicious, nutritious, diverse, wholesome, and comforting food for the clients and to fulfill their dietary needs and expectations. The most important goal is to be a part of the healing process through nourishment, care, and their love of food.
When he isn’t cooking you can find Matthew on the ski slopes, skateboarding swimming pools, mountain biking in Western North Carolina’s beautiful outdoors, or taking in a local concert.
