About us

As the founder of Holistic Learning Sanctuary Foundation International, Concetta Mantiñan brings a vast wealth of knowledge and expertise to the program.

Concetta has firsthand knowledge about the struggles of balancing education with substance abuse recovery and mental illness management, as she is in long term recovery herself and has helped numerous people suffering from mental health issues and addiction challenges.

Concetta has owned and operated high-end sober living facilities in Los Angeles and San Diego for the past 10 years. In Malibu, she created a sober living program that merged with a much larger entity focused primarily on sober living environments for colleges.
Not only does she have a great deal of experience working to treat alcohol and drug addiction, but she also worked at the eating disorder clinic at Pacific Shores Hospital. Concetta has trained with renowned treatment specialist Judith Landau in the ARISE Intervention model as well as in the Johnston Model.

She is certified as a Life Coach and a member of the Women’s Association of Addiction Treatment (WAAT). Concetta has collaborated and worked with many of the world’s top treatment professionals, facilities, therapists, and psychiatrists over the years, and she has participated in over a hundred treatment and recovery-based conferences and conventions across the world.

After years of observation, Concetta realized addiction was a symptom of a deeper systemic problem. Seeing numerous people get sober only to live a life dependent on Social Security was a poor solution and cost society a great deal.

The closer she looked the more she realized that the school system the way it is now does not meet the needs of young people with mental health issues and substance abuse challenges. In this age of innovation led by captains of industry famous for dropping out of the traditional learning institutions, it is crucial that individuals suffering from mental illness receive innovative training to prepare them for the work environment of the twenty-first century.

Board of Directors

Evan is founder and principal of Ingage Consulting, a consulting firm focused on improving the performance of franchises by improving the relationship between franchisees and the franchisor. By creating a culture of partnership and common purpose, Ingage Consulting helps franchises dramatically improve their performance. He has helped hundreds of franchise organizations make major systemwide changes and build franchisee “ingagement,” teamwork, and focused growth, resulting in increased profitability and achieved success.

Before founding Ingage Consulting, Evan worked at CCA Global Partners for twenty years. At CCA, he was responsible for four business divisions with over 2,000 units and over $5 billion in sales operating in five countries. He also founded CCA’s departments in marketing, national programs, and training. He led the company’s effort to buy and turn around a troubled franchise organization from bankruptcy. In four years, he was able to grow the troubled franchise from $700 million in systemwide sales to a very successful company with over $2 billion in sales.

In total, Evan has helped launch and found three franchise businesses during his career. Two of those were at CCA, which are still successfully operating now, and one, which he founded prior to CCA, developed and sold. Evan is a Certified Franchise Executive, a member of the IFA’s franchise relationship committee, co-chairman of the IFA Knowledge Share committee, and a board member of the New England Franchise Association.

Evan received an MBA from Boston College and a BA from Colorado College.

Evan resides in Reading, Massachusetts with his wife, Laura, and has three children.

As an experienced senior administrator, Kathleen has overseen comprehensive treatment programs in both New York and California. As co-chair of the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of NYS Committee for Women and Family Issues, she brought her innovative and progressive strategies for treating families to a statewide level. Her mission has been to provide effective treatment services to optimize wellness and to support the achievement of extraordinary life goals. She is dedicated to helping others find their personal sense of well-being, and believes it is in living with intention and mindfulness that our lives can be transformed. As a member of the Holistic Learning Sanctuary Foundation Board, she is committed to developing services that will provide opportunities for those who desire a sense of purpose and fulfilling lives.

Christina holds Bachelor’s degrees from the University of California, San Diego in Neuroscience and Music. Her knowledge of the neurological make-up and interworking’s of the brain, coupled with her leadership in the mental health and medical industries, made her the perfect fit for the HLS team.

As a veteran healthcare professional, she has devoted the last several years of her career to specialization in the behavioral health field, specifically trauma treatment and women’s programs. She has started programs from the ground up- building from both the administrative and direct client care sides. Prior to that, she excelled in multiple roles with UCSD and Rady Children’s Hospital, fine tuning her technical expertise in the medical and education fields. Her titles at Rady Children’s Hospital have been in both quality and staff management, system organization and financial management services. She loves roles that utilize both her creative and objective sides- her right and left brains- especially ones that have direct client contact.

In her spare time, Christina enjoys giving back to the recovery community, traveling, spending time with friends and family and playing music around town.

Zach Katcher is an intuitive visionary who has dedicated the last decade of his career to helping build startups in emerging disruptive markets. Most recently, Zack was VP of Business Development for Urban Gro, a leading technology company (OTC:UGRO), who was recognized in 2017 by CBE as the 17th largest ancillary business in the legal cannabis industry. Zach worked alongside the COO and successfully led the due diligence and risk analysis behind multiple partnerships. Zach’s additional responsibilities included reviewing and enhancing the commissioning procedures carried out at the largest cultivation facilities across North America. Furthermore, he led the company’s implementation of internal technology to streamline cross-functional business processes. Zach possesses a skill set background in business development, technology, online communities, marketing, and system processes, with specialities in market research, risk analysis, process optimization, industry-forecasting, and team building.
Previously, Zach led Higher Logic, a SaaS-based technology company, as they expanded into the commercial market, bringing Fortune 500 companies such as FitBit onto what is now the industry leading cloud-based engagement platform. Zach’s blend of experience, professional drive, passion for service and ethical leadership makes him an exceptional addition to the Holistic Learning Sanctuary’s team.