Dr. Nora Dennis is the founder and CEO of Jubilee. Her approach integrates psychopharmacology, somatic interventions, psychotherapy, nutrition, and mindfulness. She has served as a faculty member at Duke University School of Medicine since 2014, and continue as an Adjunct Assistant Professor. Her clinical experience includes psychotherapy, psychopharmacology and brain stimulation for treatment-resistant illness. Dr. Dennis believes that medication can be a critical component of strong mental health for many people to the extent that it makes it possible to engage robustly in psychotherapy and overall wellness practices. Her philosophy is to start dosing low, go slow, connect frequently, and include lots of psychoeducation and discussion on her clients’ medication experiences.

Before she was a physician, Dr. Dennis was a yoga teacher, and she maintains a yoga and movement practice. Her training in awareness of the mind-body connection in herself and others has been foundational to her approach to medicine. In addition she has completed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training. She has a strong interest in psychedelic science and continues to follow the research in this emerging area.

She is mother to three energetic children and enjoys hiking, guitar, yoga, crafting and reading.

Lead Therapist Linda Chupkowski is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of NC. She graduated with a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work in 2007. She has been in private practice since the Fall of 2019. Prior to that, she worked for seven years as a staff therapist at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she saw undergraduate and graduate students for crisis assessment, individual, and group therapy. She also taught mindfulness meditation classes as well as yoga in group settings. She has supervised MSW students and LCSWAs. Prior to working at UNC, she provided in-home therapy to kids and families with Carolina Outreach, a community-based mental health agency in the Triangle area, serving mostly low-income families. She was also a wilderness therapy instructor for three years before receiving her MSW.

Linda cares passionately about racial and social justice and weaves this work into everything she does. Linda is a queer, White, cis-gender, middle-class, middle-age, straight-size, able-bodied woman. Her engineer partner has a complicated gender identity and together they have two amazing children. She is passionate about healing as a true revolution of justice, community, nature, connection, integration, health, and wholeness.

Khalif Hill is a Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate in the state of NC. Khalif Grew up in Brooklyn New York before continuing his education and receiving a Bachelors of Science at the HBCU Virginia State University in Petersburg VA. Upon Graduating from VSU, he decided to continue his education and proceeded to receive his MSW in Clinical social work at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond VA.

Khalif Creates a calm and approachable environment for clients and mixes it with a sense of humor and levity when appropriate. He teaches a variety of coping skills, and has specialized training in EMDR, DBT, CBT, and uses Trauma Informed Care.

Khalif specializes in working with adults and older teens who want to learn tangible skills, regain confidence and rediscover living in alignment with their values. Together, we can create a plan to move you to a place where you are happy and feel in control of your choices again.

Khalif when outside of Jubilee, enjoys spending time with his daughter, and enjoys playing baseball, going on hikes, going on nature walks, reading, and playing competitive pokemon

Heather Kouros is the Farm Manager and Peer Support Specialist at Jubilee Farms. She is thrilled to be combining her passion for holistic systems of mental health care with over three years of experience with regenerative agriculture. Heather stumbled into farming when her volunteer position at a local farm received the funding to launch a CSA program in 2021. Before coming to Jubilee, Heather served as the Volunteer Coordinator, CSA lead, Intern director and Lead Farmer at her former farm, Spring Forest. She is deeply invested in creating sustainable systems for farming and living. Heather studied herbalism at Sacred Journeys School of Herbalism in Austin, TX in 2016 and is informed by the healing, complexity and wisdom available when actively being in relationship with the natural world.

Heather's road to recovery from trauma and mental illness was a long one, and she leads with the gifts of her experience. She seeks to bring empathy, open-mindedness, curiosity and humor to others and is constantly learning from those who are healing and need healing. Heather has also spent a significant amount of time caring for children and adults with special needs and is constantly humbled by the profundity of the human experience.

Heather spends her time outside Jubilee swimming in rivers, hanging out with animals, dancing, working on creative projects and taking lots of naps!

Pia Cano is a Peer Support Specialist at Jubilee Healing Farm. Across their various studies at Clark University, Pia developed a keen interest in the environmental entanglement between human beings and their art, science, and history. Pia has worked with museums and state/national park service agencies, aiming to diversify their breadth of archival research and historical interpretation. Additionally, Pia has found fulfillment in working with young students in a variety of settings, including parks, the Worcester public school system, and with kindergarteners in North Carolina. Although Pia grew up in a city, they now spend restorative time in nature, working in community gardens and farming. Currently, Pia is endeavoring to learn more about healing modalities for mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Pia’s personal mental health journey has been sisyphean at times and complexly linked to ancestral storylines. However, they now focus on cultivating a supportive environment and habitual practices for mental and emotional clarity. Pia is often found reading, drawing, crafting, or hiking along the Eno River.

Melissa Russell is Jubilee’s yoga therapist. Melissa uses movement, breath, meditation and lifestyle modifications to help people find better health and well-being physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically and spiritually. In addition to Jubilee, she teaches a small number of group classes at Yoga Garden Pittsboro, Carolina House, as well as Veteran’s First.

Melissa is a certified yoga therapist; a 500 hour registered yoga teacher trained in ashtanga, anusara, and pelvic floor health; and an iRest level 2 meditation teacher.

Master Chef Lizzie teaches cooking for Jubilee clients weekly. While traveling and working in India in her 20’s, Lizzie discovered a love for yoga and meditation and for the first time felt a true sense of embodiment. It was during this time that her passion for nourishment began. She has been a holistic chef for 20 years, cooking for large groups, from meditation and yoga retreats to corporate wellness seminars, and for individuals and families. Lizzie completed her health coach training through The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2012. She had her daughter that year and went on to train in early childhood education, learning so much about child development, behavior and the importance of wholesome food for growing children. Lizzie is the co-owner of Goodness Cooks, a company that provides a healthy and nutrient dense weekly menu to provide a foundation of goodness to help clients truly thrive in life.

Winnie is a rescue hound with a gentle soul who has overcome trauma. Her sweet and therapeutic presence is a constant at Jubilee, and she is usually found resting on the sofa or in a patch of sunshine outside. Winnie is our constant reminder that, as Helen Keller said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” Her first few years before coming to Jubilee were spent in a kennel with no companionship, fresh air or snuggles. And yet, she has found her capacity to love, connect and play, inspiring us every day to believe in the shared capacity for healing.