Clinical Team

DeAnna Brown

High School Counselor

Deanna has a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling and a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Prior to joining the team at Vanguard, she spent many years working in a wide range of healthcare settings, caring for and walking alongside people dealing with life-altering health situations. DeAnna also worked for the United States Navy as a civilian contractor, facilitating classes in stress and anger management and conflict resolution, and coaching people to align their behaviors with their stated values. 

Essence Hines, MSW, LCDCI

Middle School Therapist

Essence Hines received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work, with a concentration in Mental Health and Substance Use, from the University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to joining Vanguard, she worked as an inpatient therapist in North Dallas, helping adolescents navigate through their own self-discovery related to mental health and substance use. 

Janette Warne, SLP-CCC

Clinical Coordinator

Janette Warne has a Master’s degree in speech-language pathology and over 20 years of experience treating communication disorders in medical, educational, and university settings. Her primary areas of interest are diagnostics, phonology/highly unintelligible speech, and language-literacy. Janette is also a Vanguard mom and she is committed to helping families discover the difference Vanguard can make for their children.

Khiara Mills, MA, LPC-NCC

Launch Therapist

Khiara Mills is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a National Counselor Certification. She received her master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Lindenwood University. Khiara has experience working with at-risk children, teens, and young adults since 2010, and specializes in helping teens and young adults reach their full potential by overcoming social, emotional, behavioral, school and life transition challenges.

Julie Dyer, LPC, C-DBT

High School Counselor

Julie Dyer is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has been with Vanguard since 2007. She has worked with children and teens in a therapeutic setting since 2003. Julie is most interested in helping children feel successful in their environment and also to learn more about themselves and how to collaborate with others. Julie graduated with a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Radford University in Virginia.

Kevin Goodnight, BCBA

Director, Family Services and Staff Training

Kevin Goodnight has been working with children with developmental disabilities or autism since 2000. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Texas Tech University and a Master’s degree in Psychology, specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis. Kevin is a husband and father and he loves to travel and play golf in his free time. His focus is helping children find a path where they can thrive and flourish.

Mari Ordonez, MS

Lower School Counselor

Mari joined the Vanguard team in 2019. She graduated with one Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and another in Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas. She also has a Master’s Degree in Counseling with child and adolescent specialization from Southern Methodist University.