Our Leadership Team
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God has assembled a remarkable staff at Hand in Hand. All of our programming staff have fought the good fight and are now in “Recovery”. This makes our staff very understanding as they have walked the walk and can now talk the talk. This team together has almost 50 years of recovery between them. 

We feel this is very important to this unique industry. Our team never stops learning. We are involved locally, enrolled in further education, and stay abreast of the latest information in addiction recovery. God is at the forefront of all this team does. We are a Christian organization, and our team leads with their faith in Him who gives us strength.

Dave Douglas
Executive Director

David has been a resident of Lake County for 39 years. He is a retired Letter Carrier after 35 years of service. David also served as a Firefighter/EMT for Lake County. He is a trained Stephen Minister and loves going on mission trips. This has taken him to places like Haiti, Guatemala and Kenya, Africa. These mission trips have made a big impact in changing his life to a life of service. David is a father to 5 and a grandfather to 4. David has served on the Board of Directors for Lake County volunteer firefighters as their director. He has also served as finance director for Faith Lutheran Church in Eustis. Other board positions have been Executive Director for Central Florida Cross Network and Director for theCross of Central Florida. David is the founder of Hand in Hand Lake County and has a big heart for serving the “least of these.” He is also author of the G.R.I.T. program which is applied at Hand in Hand’s addiction recovery facilities. David has been married to his wife Sherrie for over 30 years and enjoys his church family, the beach and riding his motorcycle.

Rebecca Randal
Director of Development

Rebecca moved to Lake County in 1996. She and her husband Brad raised their seven children in Lake County and appreciate the small-town atmosphere here. She is retired from the United States Air Force after serving for 21 years as a Structural Maintenance Technician. Rebecca is currently completing her studies in Theology and is an Ordained Minister. Rebecca struggled with addiction in her early years and through the grace and blood of Christ she has been in recovery for 21 years. In 2007 she founded the Ruth House Transitional Shelter for Women and children in Crisis. Rebecca now serves as Director of Development for Hand in Hand. She is a minister of the Gospel of Christ and believes that Through Christ All things are indeed possible. 

Shannon Harris
Women's Program Director

Shannon was born and raised in Edison, New Jersey and will tell you she is proud to be a “Jersey Girl”. She moved to Florida in 1999 and now resides in Eustis with her husband Chris and their three children. Shannon has been in recovery since 2008 and has served at the Area level for NA, as well as the GSR for her former homegroup. She is a trained Stephen Minister as well as the Stephen Leader for the Stephen Ministry at Lake Eustis Christian Church. Shannon will  tell you she does not have a job, she has a passion, brought on by God’s calling. Her mission is to help the still sick and suffering addict, and to remind them that they are “Never Alone, Never Again”. She is committed to following God and allowing Him to work through her, while leading the ladies of the WRC into a life of recovery and seeking Jesus. Even though she was raised a city girl, she loves the country life. She enjoys freshwater fishing, playing and watching sports, spending time outdoors with her family, BBQing and listening to worship music. 

James Wixted
Men's Program Director & Certified Addiction Counselor

James graduated from high school in Winter Park, FL and has two wonderful children, Lauren and Thomas. He is a published author of poetry and enjoys writing and spending time with family. For over 20 years, he owned and operated his own business and has worked in the addiction field for the last five. After battling addiction since the age of 15, James finally sought help, found a powerful spiritual connection with God and now has over a decade free from using any mind or mood-altering substances. With a new way of life in recovery came his calling: serving others in finding freedom from addiction with God’s help and guidance. James is a Florida Certified Addiction Counselor with first-hand knowledge of both addiction and recovery and is grateful to be a part of the solution at Hand In Hand. 

Allison Long
Events Coordinator

Allison is originally from Cleveland, OH. After living in South Florida for many years, she moved to Lake County in 2014 and was a volunteer with Hand in Hand since its inception. She holds degrees in Social Work and Interior Design and combines her creativity and love of working with people in her role of event coordinator for Hand in Hand.  

Julius Hausgen
Men's Program Assistant

I am from a small town 50 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri. Most of my life has involved a struggle with addiction. I was ready to give up all hope when I gave in and prayed for God to help me. He answered my prayers almost immediately. Things weren’t fixed right away as I had imagined, but they began getting better. All I had to do was let go of my self-will and let God help me. He placed me in a faith-based recovery program called Hand in Hand in Eustis, Florida. Hand in Hand is where I learned the tools that are helping me stay clean. 

Because of this program, my hard work, and my willingness to learn, I am now employed by the program that gave me hope and saved my life. If all the struggles I have navigated can help someone else not go through them, they were not in vain. God can take what was meant for evil and turn it into something good. 

Today I enjoy living life on life’s terms as I walk out the values of GRIT (God, Relationships, Integrity, and Truth). When I am not working, I like to spend my time fishing, watching the sunset, and riding my motorcycle. I genuinely enjoy life today and look forward to what God has for me. Getchasome!

Rick Smith
Behavioral Health Technician/MRC

I am originally from SE Michigan. I moved to Lake County in 2011. I have two daughters that are my life. I have suffered from addiction most of my life in one way or another. It was not until I went to treatment and started working the 12 steps of recovery that I was able to sort through my deep-rooted problems and correct my behaviors that lead to the chaos I was living in. Today I can live a life free from drugs and alcohol thanks to my higher power and a solid program of recovery. I have been working in the recovery field for nearly 5 years at multiple treatment centers around the area as a behavioral health technician. It has become a passion of mine to help others live a life free from drugs and alcohol. In my free time I love to spend time with my family whether at the beach, fishing or simply enjoying  each other’s company,