Board Members

Brenda

Board Member

Brenda is one of the founders of Summit Counseling as well as a board member. Her vision to bring services to rural North Dakota has come to life with the many locations Summit has expanded. She has a heart of gold with the intention of helping those in need of mental health or addicti​on services. She has over 20 years of experience in the helping profession and continues to be an asset to the board.

Brian Lawton

Board Member

Brain originally came​ to Summit Counseling as a Grant Writer in 2018. He then moved into the North Dakota Educational System and continued to advance his career and education. Brain understands the mission of Summit Counseling Services and is a great supporter of what we do. Brain resides in Williston.

Allison Traynor, LCSW

Board Member

Allison has been involved and instrumental in many areas of mental health in the State of North Dakota. She has worked in the state system, is a founder of a ND Suicide Prevention Non-profit, has been a past Assistant Director of Summit Counseling Services and is now a therapist with Youth Works in their Human Trafficking's Program. We are so very fortunate to have Allison as part of our Board of Directors as she truly has a heart for Behavioral Health and how to meet the needs of North Dakota.

Ashley Isaakson

Board Member

Please welcome or precious Ashley Isaakson to the Board of Directors. Ashley has been a tremendous asset to Summit, she assists in and understands the HR role as well as the financial aspect and administrative responsibilities of the agency. She has served us well and comes with a vast array of skills and knowledge that will are cherished and will continue to be utilized as we move forward in to 2024.

Jennifer

Jennifer has served as an Ordained Minister alongside her husband for many years as well as having been employed for over 2 decades with a medical practice. As one who has spent much time standing shoulder to shoulder with the hurting, it was a natural "next step" to slip into the role of a Victims Advocate. She is currently in the process of retiring from Family Crisis Shelter (FCS) after having spent 8 ½ years as the County Coordinator in McKenzie County serving survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. As an encourager, it has been her greatest joy to help give a voice to those who are climbing out of the cycle of abuse. During her time at FCS, she has chaired the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) meetings for McKenzie County and is also a member of the Salvation Army. She has also served as a board member for 31:8 Project in Bismarck. 31:8 exists to assist those who have escaped human trafficking, and much of their role in our state has been to bring education and awareness to the public about what trafficking looks like and how to safely help those who need to regain their lives from this horrible trap. Jennifer has also served as a board member for CAWS-ND. CAWS is an agency that provides training for advocates who are employed by the 19 domestic violence shelters in North Dakota. This training enables advocates to receive accreditation to write Protection Orders for survivors of domestic violence and sit in the courtroom with them to offer emotional support during their hearings. A moto that she has adopted from her personal life experience and shares regularly with others is that although we cannot change our yesterday, we can contend to live today without regret.