Our Staff

Robynn Moraites is a medical educator and a lawyer. She graduated from Florida State University, magna cum laude, with a BS degree. Her work as a medical educator at the University of Miami School of Medicine included running a public health program where she developed continuing education programs for medical professionals and organized events for targeted, hard-to-reach professional populations.

Robynn attended the University of North Carolina School of Law and in 2004 earned her JD with honors along with a master’s degree in city and regional planning. Her first position after law school was with what is now McGuire Woods, formerly Helms Mulliss & Wicker, where she worked with the litigation and environmental practice groups. From there she transitioned to an in-house counsel position with Premier, Inc., a national health care company. Subsequently, she joined the firm of Bringewatt & Snover, where she developed a general commercial practice, specializing in municipal, education, and health care law. She left Bringewatt & Snover in 2011 as a partner to take the position of director of the North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program.

Robynn is a cycling enthusiast. Vacations, whether domestic or international, are always centered around an extended bike trip. She loves gardening, growing both flowers and food. When she’s not in the garden, you can probably find her in the art studio working on her latest stained glass or mosaic piece.

Candace Hoffman is a licensed North Carolina lawyer and recovery enthusiast. Candace comes to LAP from the Department of Justice, where she worked in health care, representing the Division of Health Benefits and the Division of Health Service Regulation of the Department of Health and Human Services. She was a litigator and appeared in Superior Court as well as the Office of Administrative Hearings. Her work exposed her to the challenges and complexities of the mental health and substance abuse treatment fields. Before joining LAP in the spring of 2020, Candace was a LAP volunteer for six years. She graduated from Meredith College, cum laude, and Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California.

As Assistant Director, Candace assists the Executive Director in program management, including developing and delivering CLE, and volunteer management and training. She also assists clinical staff to ensure continuity of care and is the administrative lead on various aspects of operational matters, such as compliance reporting.

During her free time, Candace enjoys playing tennis, reading, and traveling with her family. Candace lives in Raleigh with her husband, two daughters and two beagles.

Cathy Killian is the Clinical Director and LAP Counselor for the Western Region. She has been a counselor in the Charlotte area for over 30 years and continues to find it wonderfully rewarding to help empower someone and then watch them grow. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, Certified Clinical Supervisor, and Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. She has a BS Degree in Zoology/Pre-Med from NC State University, a BA Degree in Psychology from UNC-Charlotte, and a Master of Education Degree in Counseling from Winthrop University. Cathy has worked in a variety of mental health and substance abuse areas, including inpatient, outpatient, hospital-based and free-standing treatment facilities, employee assistance programs, and private practice. She has conducted numerous trainings and workshops both locally and nationally on a variety of topics throughout her career. She was a college instructor for 17 years, and a Program Chair for five of those years. She currently maintains a small private practice seeing individual clients and providing clinical supervision on both an individual and facility level.

Cathy is a former board member for Anuvia Prevention and Recovery Center, the McLeod Institute on Substance Abuse, the North Carolina Board of Licensed Employee Assistance Professionals, and former president and board member of the Eating Disorders Education Project.

Cathy lives in Charlotte with her therapy dog and LAP mascot, Ozzy.

Nicole “Nicki” Ellington is the LAP Counselor for the Eastern Region and has been a counselor since 2005. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS). Nicki received her MA in Counseling at Marymount University in Arlington, VA and her BA in Psychology at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. She has served a wide variety of populations including adults and adolescents, couples, families, and active-duty service members. She has helped clients suffering from both substance abuse and a wide variety of mental health disorders. Nicki attended intensive training at Duke University in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, a type of cognitive behavioral therapy focusing on utilizing mindfulness, improving interpersonal relationships, being able to identify and process emotions effectively and having an overall balanced life. Her professional experience includes intensive in-home counseling, out-patient substance abuse and mental health counseling, out-patient counseling for the United States Army and working in private practice. Through her diverse range of clinical experiences, Nicki has been able to continuously discover and nurture her passion for providing therapeutic services in the community. She is committed to assisting clients on their journey of self-discovery, working through life’s struggles and developing a life that’s worth living.

Nicki resides in Apex, NC with her husband and son.

Delia Brown is the Office Administrator for the Eastern Region and is the LAP Operations and Events Coordinator. In her role, she assists the LAP director and clinical coordinators with the daily functions and confidential operating procedures of the program. She serves as the primary communication hub between staff and statewide stakeholders and provides database and infrastructure support for the LAP program. She is the Events Coordinator for all LAP-sponsored events such as the LAP Annual Meeting, the Minority Outreach Conference and the 12-Step Retreat.

Delia enjoys interacting with people and has a supervisory background in customer service within the telecommunications and banking industries. She joined the Lawyer Assistance Program in the spring of 2014 and says she was drawn to an organization that provides support and services to assist a community of peers.

Delia lives in Raleigh and has a young adult daughter and son.

Susie Taylor joined LAP as the Office Administrator for the Western Region in 2013. Susie coordinates all LAP CLE speaking engagements and serves as the primary administrative coordinator for the LAP Foundation of NC, Inc. Susie has worked in the legal field and/or with attorneys for over thirty years as a Paralegal, a former North Carolina licensed Private Investigator and former Associate Director of the Mecklenburg County Bar.

Susie is heavily involved in community service and has a passion for fighting for the rights of under-privileged children. She has served as a Guardian ad Litem, as well as a licensed foster parent and President of the Mecklenburg County Foster Parent Association. She currently serves as a board member on Charlotte City Council’s Civil Service Board and the Citizens Review Board.

She has a BA degree in Communications (with a focus on Public Relations and Marketing) from the University of Arizona and attended Belmont Abbey to earn a BA in Business Management. Susie resides in Charlotte and has three daughters and four grandchildren.