The Summit Malibu Team

William Oswald, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder

Over the past 30 years, William Oswald has established himself as a pioneer in the alcohol and addiction recovery field. At the Adult Substance Abuse Program of Southern California (ASAP) he was one of the first to expand the scope of addiction treatment into mainstream medical facilities. In 1988 he founded Avalon Treatment Centers at Van Nuys Hospital, the first center to provide a broad range of social and therapeutic treatments that significantly reduced relapse rates. In the 1990s he established Lumax Mental Health, a company specializing in day treatment programs for dual diagnosis patients at area hospitals, and went on to direct business development for New Seasons Behavior Health Center, one of the first centers to utilize neurocognitive treatment for addiction. Mr. Oswald was also instrumental in creating Cocaine Anonymous, a 12-Step fellowship that has helped thousands.

Lisa Benya, D.O.

Dr. Benya is a 1995 graduate of the Ohio University College Of Osteopathic Medicine. She is an internal medicine doctor that has serviced the Malibu community for over 10 years. Her caring and compassionate approach combines both eastern and western medicine and has earned her a great reputation and a lot of respect in the community. In addition to her regular medical practice, she also offers top of the line spa treatments at her CURE Spas, located in Malibu, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills. Also, she has recently begun a Concierge based medicine practice, offering personalized medical care 24/7.

Rod Amiri, M.D.

Dr. Rod Amiri was born in Ahvaz, Iran on July 26, 1972. At the age of thirteen, he escaped war-torn Iran and with the help of his family immigrated to the United States. After completing high school and college at the top of his class, he attended medical school at St. George’s University. He proceeded to complete his residency in psychiatry at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where he served as Chief Resident.

During residency, Dr. Amiri mastered intensive psychotherapy skills and won several awards, scholarships, and fellowships offered by various organizations such as the California Society of Addiction Medicine(CSAM) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Furthermore, He has gained experience in teaching and was a professor of anatomy and physiology at the American University of Complementary Medicine in Los Angeles from 2002-2004.

Dr. Amiri has presented nationally and has co-authored the chapter on Sexual Dysfunction due to general medical conditions for the Guidebook for Sexual Medicine. He has been awarded the Patients’ Choice Award as one of California’s favorite physicians every year since 2008. This is an honor given annually to less than 5% of all active physicians practicing in the United States.

Dr. Amiri is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Addiction Medicine. He currently has a private practice in Beverly Hills, California, and serves as the consulting psychiatrist for Malibu Hills and Clearview Treatment centers.

William Stanley, M.D.

Dr. William D. Stanley received his Doctorate of Medicine degree from UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, NJ. He did his residency training at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pa. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. He did 1 year of a Master’s program in Anatomy at the University of Maryland Baltimore City campus prior to matriculating to medical school that next year.

He has worked in Internal Medicine for the majority of his professional life both inpatient and outpatient. He started Parkside Medical Assoc, PA in Trenton, NJ, employing 4 physicians. He noticed he had an interest in substance abuse and started involvement with ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) in 1998. He completed his Boards in ASAM in 2000 and, later, by ABAM (American Board of Addiction Medicine) in 2010.

Since 2013 he has concentrated his time exclusively to the treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders. Prior to his joining Dr. Benya and her team in California, he was Medical Director of both an inpatient detox unit and 2 outpatient treatment programs, all located in New Jersey. He has an active license to practice medicine in both New Jersey and California.

Craig Smith, M.D.

Dr. Craig V. Smith, M.D. is a former organ transplant surgeon, who now dedicates his practice to addiction medicine. He received his M.D. degree from the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Smith then completed his general surgical residency at Harbor-UCLA medical center and his multi-organ transplant surgical fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh medical center. He returned to UCLA medical center to start his career in academic transplant surgery, performing transplants, teaching students and residents while also conducting research on transplantation for the treatment of diabetes. During his academic career as an associate professor of surgery, Dr. Smith performed more than 500 organ transplants at UCLA, UC Irvine and the City of Hope National Medical Center.

Since alcohol and drug use are leading causes of organ damage leading to the need for a transplant, Dr. Smith learned about addiction by listening to his patients. More importantly, since a requirement to receive an organ transplant is abstinence from using alcohol and drugs, Dr. Smith learned about recovery from listening to his patients. After listening over the years, pursuing self-study and continuing medical education in the field of addiction, in 2009 Dr. Smith decided to dedicate his career to addiction medicine.

Dr. Smith is board certified in Addiction Medicine by both the American Board of Preventive Medicine and the American Board of Addiction Medicine.

Darren Lipshitz, M.D.

Dr. Darren Lipshitz is an Addiction Medicine specialist who recently joined the 90265 Medical Group in Malibu.

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, he moved to the USA at a young age and has been an American citizen since 1985. Although his country of birth has had a profound impact on his values of social justice, he has found that the United States shares those ideals of liberty and equality. This can be seen through volunteer work throughout his career.

Dr. Lipshitz attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas where he earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology. He then attended the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee for his degree in Medicine. After four cold winters in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, he moved to the more appealing climate of Northern California where he continued his medical training and completed a Residency in Family Medicine at the UCSF-affiliated program in Salinas.

He ran a solo, private practice in Sausalito CA in the early part of his career, where he was the “town doc” for many families. This included all demographics, from the affluent in the vista-rich hills to the anchor-outs on the water to the underserved population in neighboring Marin City, where he also helped the community establish their own Federally-Qualified Health Center.

Eventually, Dr. Darren relocated to Southern California to be closer to family and to enjoy the warmer sands of Santa Barbara.

Also looking for new challenges professionally, he became Board Certified and working in the field of Addiction Medicine. He has never stopped seeing patients through primary care eyes and still has a “town doc” heart which lends itself well to the specialized field of Addiction Medicine and the complex physical and social issues often encountered.

When not working Dr. Darren enjoys taking his only child, the four-legged furry Billi, to the beach or park for a game of fetch. He may also be spotted reading at a coffee shop or exploring a hiking trail.

Kristin Robert, Executive Director

Hailing from a background in business administration and customer service, Kristin joined the team at Summit Malibu in January 2014 with the intention of pioneering the Malibu treatment industry. Within an unprecedented amount of time, she managed to propel herself into several leadership roles throughout the company, working her way up to Executive Director.

Kristin oversees all departments at Summit Malibu, including but not limited to Clinical, Support Staff, Human Resources, Digital Marketing, Utilization & Billing, Operations, and Business Development. Due in part to her decisiveness, competency, and communication skills, Kristin provides a valued perspective in optimizing Summit Malibu’s treatment program. Her prior treatment experience, combined with a desire to serve those in need, keeps her committed to guiding a staff of over 25 individuals each day with honesty and integrity.

Max Chesnoff, Administrative Director

Through previous work experience in mental health and dual-diagnosis treatment facilities, Max comes equipped with an extensive background in Human Resources, Operations, and Administration. He offers a tremendous amount of support and knowledge in helping Summit run smoothly and effectively. After assisting with our Joint Commission accreditation process in 2017, he was invited to join the team full-time in 2018. Although Max does play a crucial role in ensuring policies and procedures are in compliance with DHCS, JCAHO, & IMS regulations, he is primarily responsible for managing employee relations, payroll, benefits, hiring, and updating internal personnel databases. His roles also include but are not limited to maintaining inventory and supply, implementing marketing techniques and strategies, as well as facility maintenance and repairs. Max is an advocate for workplace equality, ethical treatment practices, and client rights. He is an extremely passionate, hardworking individual dedicated to helping Summit provide a positive, comfortable environment for all clients and staff.

Steven Buchan, Director of Admissions and Business Development

Born and raised in San Pedro (The Harbor Area of Los Angeles), Steven moved to the San Fernando Valley in his early 20’s to try and get sober. While struggling for over a decade, Steven went in an out of treatment. Due to these experiences, he gained a unique perspective and knowledge of the struggles associated with the treatment and recovery process. Since starting work at Summit Malibu in June of 2015, Steven has progressed from a tech position, lead tech, Medication Room Supervisor, and ultimately the Director of Admissions and Business Development. Due to his extensive experience in all areas of our program, Steven has the ability to provide support to clients and staff in addition to developing a seamless admission process. His passion for helping alcoholics and addicts in addition to his leadership skills has made him a vital member of the Summit team.

Steven is also very active in the recovery community. In his free time, he often picks up newly sober men at different programs and takes them to fellowship meetings. He strives daily to work a strong program while sponsoring men in the recovery community & giving them to tools to live a fulfilling life in sobriety. Outside of Summit and his sober community, Steven’s ultimate passion is surfing. He spends his time making his rounds up and down the coast of California competing against some of the best longboard surfers in the world.

Emily Pernoll, LMFT, Primary Therapist

Emily Pernoll has joined the team at Summit Malibu as a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist. Emily is a southern native, who relocated to Los Angeles from Georgia in 2005. Emily has been treating clients for over the last ten years and specializes in working with trauma, addiction, eating disorders, grief and loss and mood disorders. Emily combines an Eastern and Western approach to treatment and focuses on addressing the trauma that often leads to addictive patterns. She believes that addiction is rooted in suffering and painful experiences that need to be fully addressed to enhance the recovery process.

Emily creates a strong connection to her clients by her warmth and compassion. When she is not working with clients, she enjoys cooking, art, yoga and spending time with her family. 

Beth Farar, LMFT, Independently Affiliated Clinician

Beth Farar is a California State Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Psychotherapist who has been treating people for the last 22 years. Beth graduated from Cal State Northridge in 1992 as a Radio TV Film Major and then went on to get her Masters in Psychotherapy from Philip’s Graduate Institute in Encino, Ca. Beth specializes in individuals, couples, children, adolescents and family therapy. Beth is also trained in Rapid Resolution Therapy by the creator and pioneer Dr. John Connelley.

As a California Native, Beth has worked in Addiction Treatment for the past 10 years and understands the challenges, hopes, and fears that clients experience when seeking recovery from Addiction. Additionally, Beth has worked in private practice and various public schools counseling children, adolescents, and their families.

As an experiential therapist, Beth often uses the beach to do Grief and Loss Exercises for clients who are suffering from the loss of a loved one through death, divorce, emotional cut-off or a loss of self. Beth helps clients identify their desires and empowers them to make positive changes in their lives. Her approach is compassionate, direct and nonjudgmental while helping clients feel safe in their recovery journey.

Beth loves dogs, music, health, and wellness.

Julia Alperovich, LMFT, Independently Affiliated Clinician

Julia Alperovich is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (CA LMFT#104657) with over 12 years of experience in addiction treatment. She has a Master’s of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from Seton Hall University with a specialization in the neurophysiology of addiction. She is also a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist and a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist with extensive experience in working with sexual dysfunctions and betrayal trauma. Julia is certified in numerous trauma-focused treatment modalities and consults for numerous addiction treatment programs throughout the Los Angeles area. She regularly provides direct clinical contact to clients, in-service clinical training and continuing education for clinical teams, and educational lectures and publications for other professionals in the field.  

Having worked in various clinical settings including private practice, inpatient and community mental health, Julia brings a wealth of expertise and versatility to her hands-on approach to treating addiction. She has a warm and direct demeanor, and her collaborative style of treatment is invaluable to a comprehensive program such as Summit Malibu’s.

When Julia is not working, she enjoys her downtime with a good book, her fur-baby Agnes, or exploring new foodie spots in Los Angeles with her husband. 

Joseph Neely, Medication Room Supervisor

Jojo is originally from Kentucky. He came to California to find a new way of life. He found a community and realized quickly how important human connection and supportive leadership is to success. Jojo enjoys working with clients in all aspects, be it personal conversations in the evenings, to early morning intakes and community events. He is a team player who has worked in both the outpatient sober living environment and has now found his niche in the residential inpatient world. Jojo is forever grateful to the chance he was given and only hopes to help clients find the same opportunities. He loves shoes, sports, and is always smiling.

Donald Peake, Lead Clinician Assistant

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Don moved to the Los Angeles area in the early ’70s with his wife Pam. Following 40+ years in the concert touring industry (representing both Artists and Promoters alike) he & Pam recently semi-retired in the city of Moorpark. Don brings with him a wealth of professional and personal life experiences. For the past 6 years, Don has enjoyed working in the treatment field both in the Thousand Oaks area and now Malibu.

Don draws from his own personal experience in recovery sharing with clients offering compassion and encouragement during their time in treatment and beyond. He very much enjoys giving back to a program that has given so much to him.

When not at Summit Malibu you’ll find Don at family functions near Moorpark including his grandkids sporting & school event and if not there, crawling under some car fixing something or other (smile)

Kyle Knechtly, Clinician Assistant

Two years ago, Kyle’s journey led him to Malibu where his dream became reality – warm, sandy beaches, surf and most importantly a community of caring and compassionate people. It is in Malibu that he found spiritual peace and rediscovered the joy in the simple things in life – without alcohol and drugs. He loves sharing his newfound peace with others and helping others by listening, providing encouragement and knowledge of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Kyle is excited to continue his journey at Summit Malibu and is passionate about helping others envision a new healthy life, free of drugs. In his spare time, Kyle loves surfing and playing guitar.