Staff Bios

Dr. Anslie Stark – Program Director
Dr. Stark, a native of South Africa who immigrated to the United States 30 years ago, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and has a Doctoral Degree from Carlos Albizu University in Miami, Florida. Dr. Stark has overall responsibility for delivery of non-medical clinical services to Village adolescent outpatient clients. She also serves as director for all prevention and children services. As the Program Director for Project STYLE, Dr. Stark oversees the program, ensures adherence to agency policies and procedures, monitors achievement of the project goals and objectives, and assists with report writing. Dr. Stark has 6 years experience as a supervisor of prevention and clinical services, staff supervision, program oversight and program development in both residential and outpatient settings. She has worked extensively with minority populations, juveniles, patients with co-occurring disorders, men, and women with children in prenatal programs.

Dr. Frank Scafidi – Evaluator
Dr. Scafidi, who is originally from Chicago, is the evaluator for this program. Dr. Scafidi received his Bachelor's degree in Biology and Psychology in 1983 from Loyola University in Chicago. In 1988 he received his doctoral degree in Applied Developmental and Child/Adolescent Clinical Psychology from the University of Miami. Dr. Scafidi is also a licensed psychologist and has more than 20 years of experience working with adolescents and young adults. Dr. Scafidi has served, and continues to serve, as the evaluator on numerous CDC, CSAP, CSAT, and HRSA funded projects. For Project STYLE, he is mainly responsible for outcome reporting, other federal funding reports, participation in national evaluation conferences, working with staff to design performance improvement processes, and providing real time data to staff to gauge program effectiveness and client progress.

Carl Garvin – Prevention Specialist
A native of Miami, Mr. Garvin received his B.A degree in Sociology from Albany State University in Georgia. For Project STYLE, Mr. Garvin is responsible for conducting the comprehensive risk assessments, developing risk reduction plans, and facilitating counseling/educational sessions. Prior to becoming employed by The Village as Prevention Specialist, Mr. Garvin served as coordinator of School Based Mentoring Programs for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Miami. Mr. Garvin has also coached athletics for both boys and girls at the high school and middle school levels. His passion has always been coaching, counseling, mentoring, and teaching high-risk kids to recognize, appreciate, and maximize their potential.

James Etienne – Outreach Specialist
James Etienne was born and raised in Miami-Dade County. He is currently a student at Miami-Dade College, and hopes to transfer to the University of Florida and eventually become a dentist. James is a first generation Haitian-American and is fluent in Creole. As Outreach Specialist for Project STYLE, James educates young adults on HIV/AIDS and substance abuse, provides referrals/linkages to community resources, and recruits individuals for testing, treatment, and or counseling. James is a very social and open person who loves meeting new people. James loves basketball and is a Miami Heat fan.

Alexandra Pappas – Research Assistant
Alexandra received her B.S. Degree in International Politics from F.I.U. and her M.S.M. in International Business from St. Thomas University. "Alex" is currently employed by The Village as a research assistant. She has also done outreach at the Juvenile Courthouse for the Adolescent Girls Unit. Alex has managed hospital patient accounts for Cedars Medical Center and Miami Heart Institute before coming to The Village. Alex will serve as the research assistant for the Project Style team, as well as conducting follow-up interviews will clients.

Ann-Michelle Vera – Prevention Specialist
Ann-Michelle Vera was born and raised in Miami-Dade County. She received her B.A. degree in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University. She is attending Nova Southeastern University where she is working towards her M.S. in Mental Health Counseling. Ann-Michelle has been an employee for The Village South since January 2011, prior to joining the Project STYLE team, Ann-Michelle work as a Behavioral Health Tech for the Women Residential Unit. As a Prevention Specialist for Project STYLE, Ann-Michelle is responsible for providing group and individual level substance abuse and HIV prevention services, as well as developing an individualized risk reduction plan with each client.