Our Admin Team
Riley Gerlach
he/him
Client Care Coordinator
Hey there! My name is Riley Gerlach. I am the client care coordinator here at Protea Wellness. My role is multifaceted here at the practice. However, the majority of my responsibilities revolve around assisting clients and clinicians getting connected with one another.
I'm the one who makes sure that the onboarding process goes smoothly for all parties involved and that there is a positive start to any therapeutic relationship. I also assist clinicians with waitlist management and connecting them with any resources in or outside the practice that they may need for their clients.
In between those key components I also help with front end office management tasks and whatever else I can manage to help with. I know I play a fairly minor role in assisting people through the therapeutic process, but it brings me joy to be any part of assisting people in finding the support that they need. This is especially true because of the fantastic providers and services that you will find here at Protea.
I've come to Protea from the background of service coordination and counseling. I have a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation counseling with the majority of my coursework focusing on service coordination for underserved populations. I worked with folks across the non-profit and social service sector throughout my years in a coordination and administrative capacity.
I've found a special connection with Protea, though, because I'm passionate about using my skill set to continue to help serve LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized communities. Being a member of several marginalized communities myself I understand how difficult, yet important, it can be to find any kind of support through our medical and mental health systems. So I hope to do my small part in making that process easier for folks as they approach us.
Although I'm not a clinician, I thought it would be helpful for folks to know that I identify as trans, queer, neurodivergent, disabled on multiple levels and I'm also polyam and kink aware. I share this so that folks can know that I have had exposure to and have knowledge of those communities on some level. So if others come to us from those communities and they need to disclose details, these are not things that I'm unfamiliar with. In fact they will only help me to better match you with clinicians and/or resources that you need in your efforts to find support.
My hope is to be a welcoming introduction to and guide around Protea Wellness. So please feel free to approach me with any questions about our clinicians, processes or the practice in general and I'll be happy to help. If I don't know the answer chances are I know the person that does and I love being able to make those connections. When I'm not working, I'm usually watching TV and movies, researching random topics of interest, and just generally being a cat dad.
Kasey Grant
she/her
Billing
Kasey is our biller here at Protea Wellness. She is the one who checks clients' insurance benefits, collects all payments for services and deals with the pains of insurance companies. Without her we could never take insurance, so we are so grateful for the upbeat positivity she brings to Protea and the great care she gives to our clients!
From Kasey:
My name is Kasey Grant and I've been in the medical billing field for 17 years. I've had lots of experience with billing for different specialties - chiropractic, sleep medicine, physical therapy, sports medicine and podiatry. Each and every specialty has widened my knowledge of medical billing and has helped me get where I am today. I would say my favorite part of working in this field is being able to help people with their accounts and insurance questions. I really enjoy getting to speak with the clients throughout the day!!!
When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my family. My husband and I have 2 sons, they are 5 and 4 so they keep us VERY busy!!! We also have 2 dogs, Rocky and Layla. We live in Arlington on 5 acres so we spend lots of time outside. We are super close with our families so we are always on the go with family get-togethers! When I do get some time to myself I really enjoy working out and going out with my friends.
Lillian Negron
she/they
Employee Care Coordinator
As Employee Care Coordinator at Protea Wellness I'm committed to creating a streamlined human resources experience in a welcoming atmosphere, centering inclusion.
Because of my personal and professional network and my own queerness, it has been a privilege to give my unwavering support to the LGBTQIA+ community and to under-represented/marginalized voices; to seek out and empower those who might otherwise not be heard.
My lifelong journey with holistic wellness has included the lived experiences of being a small business owner, working as brand ambassador with several companies, strategically growing brands with international food industry leaders and developing awareness programs within community.
Being born into a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) household, and spending the latter part of my youth fighting to survive and be accepted has shaped my understanding of love, support, chosen family, and ferocity.
In August 0f 2022, I had the honor to serve as the deaf interpreter for the Burning Man festival. In my free time I enjoy the arts, beach combing and especially my fur baby Greta.