Leadership Staff
Hildegard Messenbaugh, MD
Founder and Medical Director
Founder and Medical Director

Renee Johnson, LCSW, CAC III
Executive Director
Executive Director

Renee Johnson has a long history with Third Way Center going back to 1982 when she was hired as a relief overnight worker while still in grad school. During the 1980’s she worked as a therapist and was the first treatment leader at the newly opened Pontiac House. In the 90’s she launched the next expansion at the Lincoln Apartments and was promoted to Clinical Director. Most recently she served as Program Director and has been instrumental in Third Way Center’s growth and development over the years.
She leads the Offense Specific program for Juveniles with sexual acting out behaviors, co-facilitates staff training with the founder and medical director, and supervises a staff of over 80 licensed/and provisionally licensed therapists, special education teachers and mental health workers.
David Koehler, MBA
Assistant Executive Director
Assistant Executive Director

Dave Koehler comes to Third Way Center with over 20 years of experience in Finance and Accounting. He has held several leadership positions including CFO/Controller at a large health education company and Director of Finance & Contracts at a health care quality improvement organization.
David earned his master’s degree in Finance and Accounting from Regis University. He holds a BA in Agriculture Business from Colorado State University. He is a highly accomplished and a well-rounded business professional with a solid background in budgeting, forecasting, and accounting processes with past responsibility of managing revenues and expenses in excess of $100 million.
Kristi Edmonds, Ph.D. LPC
Clinical Director
Clinical Director

Kristi Edmonds has worked at Third Way Center since 1989. She started as an intern and accepted a full time position as a therapist in March 1991. Kristi has brought her talents to multiple facilities within Third Way Center as her career has grown. Since 2014 she has served as Clinical Director overseeing training and supervision of the five residential programs and two schools.
Kristi completed her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at Walden University in 2019. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Development Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver. Kristi has presented at local and national conferences on counselor burnout and vicarious trauma, staff retention, and counselor wellness.