MCS Board

Metropolitan Counseling Services benefits in countless ways from the leadership and services of its Board of Directors. Comprised of a group of professionals who work both inside and outside the mental health professions, this group helps strategically shape, steer and support MCS to promote its mission and achieve successful outcomes.

Julia Flannery

Julia Flannery is Social Director for the Atlanta Athletic Club, managing special events for more than 1,700 members.  A 2009 graduate of the University of South Carolina, with a degree in hospitality management, Julia’s work experience includes The Masters Golf Tournament and Marriott Vacation Properties in Hilton Head Island , South Carolina. She has been at the Atlanta Athletic Club for the past two years, planning and executing banquet events, including assisting with the 2011 PGA Championship. Julia is also a member of the Junior League of Atlanta and active in the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives, serving on the programs committee.

Charles A. Howell, III CPA

Charles Howell (“Charlie”), Chief of Staff, joined the Sterling Executive Leadership Team on January 3 of this year. Charlie joined Sterling from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP where he was a Manager in the Mergers and Acquisitions Tax Services group. During his tenure at PwC, Charlie led domestic and global due diligence teams for private equity and strategic acquisition clients. By developing and utilizing financial models, he and his team were able to project outcomes of various strategic scenarios and provide solutions to assist clients in making informed decisions, both before and after the transaction.

Lending his strategic and financial expertise, Charlie will help Sterling during this final phase of the company’s pivot by focusing on our three pillar strategy. He will work closely with the Executive Leadership Team and lead various projects, planning and reporting. His financial experience will be a great addition as we move into the Strategic Management Process season updating our strategy and measurements. He will also lead the effort, along with outside marketing firm, ThomasARTS, to rebrand the Company following the acquisition of Windsor Health Group.

Charlie is based out of the Atlanta Executive office and reports directly to the CEO, Michael Muchnicki. Charlie is a graduate of the University of Georgia where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and his Master of Accountancy. He is also a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Georgia.

Chris Kowal

Chris is an associate with Homrich Berg, an independent fee-only financial planning and investment management firm based in Atlanta. He attended Wake Forest University, graduating in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in business and a minor in international studies. He completed the Executive Program for Financial Planning Certification at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business in 2008 and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™. Chris is also an active member of the Financial Planning Association of Georgia and the Atlanta Sports Council. In his free time, Chris is a volunteer with Operation Hope’s “Banking on Our Future” program. “Banking on Our Future” seeks to deliver financial education to youth ages 9-18 at no cost to school districts, with a focus on urban, under-served communities.

Dr. Lynn Ranew

Lynn Ranew, Ph.D., LCSW, LMFT has more than 25 years experience in the counseling field.  She is currently in private practice providing care in the areas of women’s issues, couples concerns, adolescent issues, delinquency, substance abuse, reproduction, adoptions, incest and sexual abuse.  She is an adjunct faculty member for Argosy University. She has been the Executive Director of a non-profit counseling center for over 20 years increasing the budget from $250,000 to $2.5 million.  She makes major training presentations throughout the Southeast.  She has acquired funding, designed, implemented and run multi-million dollar clinical treatment programs.

She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.  She received her Ph.D. in Counseling from Georgia State University and her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Georgia.

She has served on the Atlanta Mayor’s Domestic Violence Task Force and the Georgia Governor’s DUI Task Force.  She has received awards as Business Person of the Year from the Atlanta Airport Area Chamber of Commerce and a noted “Twenty-five Women to Watch” from Atlanta Women’s Magazine.

Alison E. Reed, MS, LPC

Alison E. Reed, a former MCS Resident, brings a unique perspective to the MCS Board. Her experiences in the mental health field have afforded her the opportunity to provide individual, group and couples therapy and conduct workshops in both nonprofit and for-profit agencies throughout the metro-Atlanta area. Alison is currently in private practice in Tucker, Georgia. Alison received Bachelor of Psychology and Master of Teaching degrees from The University of Virginia and a Master of Science degree in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University.

Susan B. Reid

Susan has worked at the Atlanta Counseling Center, a private non-profit multi-disciplinary mental health practice, for 30 years. Her roles have included  Practice Administrator, Executive Director and clinician. She is an experienced therapist who has worked with and treated people suffering from depression, anxiety and the effects of chronic illness, including chronic depression.  Susan works with people in life transition, women’s issues and grief and loss (including the loss of faith) as well as with couples in conflict, whether they are married or not.  She is licensed by the State of Georgia as a Clinical Social Worker and a member of NASW and GSCSW, both professional organizations. Susan is experienced in both the clinical and the business components of mental health organizations.

Tiffany Williams

Tiffany Williams is a registered patent attorney with Kilpatrick Stockton, LLC, who focuses her practice on intellectual property dispute resolution, with special emphasis on patent litigation and counseling, as well as patent prosecution  She has been involved in all aspects of trial activity, including motion practice, preparing expert witnesses, conducting depositions, and preparing trial outlines and exhibits. Ms. Williams also has substantial experience protecting and enforcing ornamental designs in a variety of fields, including lighting, architectural products, industrial products and furniture. Prior to practicing law, Ms. Williams worked as an engineer and certified Six Sigma Black Belt for eight years in the coated paper, plastics and ceiling tile industries. In 2006, she competed in the National Moot Court Competition, Region V and received first place, best oralist, best brief. Tiffany has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech, a J.D. from Mercer University, and is a member of the State Bar of Georgia.

Michael Wolak III

Mike Wolak is an associate with Jones Day. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation on behalf of domestic and international corporations, covering a broad range of commercial disputes and business torts. He has a J.D. from Syracuse University (cum laude 2001) and a B.A. in Economics from St. John Fisher College (with distinction, 1997). Mike is a barrister in the Lamar Inn of Court. In 2009, he was appointed by the Atlanta Bar Association to serve as a mediator/arbitrator of disputes between lawyers. He frequently lectures for the National Business Institute and serves as an instructor for Emory University’s Trial Techniques Workshops. Mike is a past board member of the Syracuse University Law Alumni Association and is active in the Atlanta community, having volunteered for the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and Peachtree Child Town.