Plum Creek Recovery Ranch Announces New Leadership and Private Ownership
Plum Creek Recovery Ranch, a residential treatment center located just outside Lockhart, Texas, is entering a new chapter under private ownership and new leadership.
Situated on 200 acres 30 minutes south of Austin, Plum Creek is repositioning itself around a dual focus on evidence-based clinical practices and the time-tested 12-step recovery tradition. Central to the new approach is using the land itself intentionally as a part of care, by incorporating equine therapy and other hands-on treatment modalities.
“We’re blessed with a beautiful setting at Plum Creek Recovery Ranch,” said Billy Young, Managing Partner. “Our goal is to build a program that fully uses this setting in service of clinical outcomes, supported by experienced leadership and a clear treatment philosophy.”
“We are currently building a leadership team and clinical program aligned around what truly helps people recover — then giving them the support and resources to do that work well in Central Texas.”
Billy Young, Managing Partner, at Plum Creek Recovery Ranch in December 2025.
Meet Our New Leadership Team
Plum Creek’s leadership team brings decades of experience across addiction treatment, mental health care, medical services, admissions, and operations. The team includes:
Jon Obenoskey, Chief Executive Officer, with nearly 20 years of experience in behavioral health leadership across clinical operations, finance, and organizational development.
Ryan Spencer, Chief Marketing Officer, a longtime member of the Central Texas recovery community with experience spanning admissions, case management, and referral network development.
Madison Hamm, LCSW, Clinical Director, who oversees all aspects of clinical care, with a background treating co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders in inpatient and outpatient settings.
Dr. Tom Fowlkes, Chief Medical Officer, board-certified in Addiction Medicine and Emergency Medicine, with extensive experience across acute, residential, and institutional treatment environments.
Dale Phillips, Director of Experiential Therapy, who brings more than 16 years of experience designing and leading equine-assisted and experiential therapy programs in treatment settings across the Southeast.
Jon Obenoskey, CEO, by the lake at Plum Creek Recovery Ranch.
Inside Our Sharpened Clinical Focus
Plum Creek Recovery Ranch is accredited by the Joint Commission for the treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health needs, with on-site medical detox and residential treatment. Under new leadership, the center is clarifying and strengthening an integrated clinical model built around the following core dimensions:
Experiential Therapy
The full campus and working ranch environment are intentionally incorporated into daily clinical programming. Equine-assisted therapy and other hands-on modalities engage the brain and body together, helping break through resistance and patterns that can be difficult to reach through talk therapy alone.Treatment for Co-Occurring Mental Health Needs
Clinical care addresses substance use alongside underlying mental health conditions, with individualized treatment planning grounded in evidence-based practices and current neuroscience.12-Step Recovery Tradition
The program respects and integrates the structure, language, and principles of the 12-step tradition as a foundational framework for recovery, alongside clinical and experiential approaches.Family and Community Involvement
Family programming is treated as a central component of care when loved ones are able to support recovery. The focus is on equipping families for their role while also supporting their own healing, boundaries, and long-term well-being.Continuum of Care
Treatment is designed with continuity in mind, including coordination with outpatient providers and extended-length-of-stay options when clinically appropriate, to support recovery beyond residential care.
Together, these elements form an integrated approach in which clinical therapy, experiential work, and the recovery tradition reinforce one another. The goal is a treatment experience that is practical, cohesive, and focused on what helps people begin and sustain recovery over time.
What’s Next in 2026
As Plum Creek moves forward, the focus is on strengthening clinical programs, investing in staff and infrastructure, and building deeper relationships within the Central Texas recovery and healthcare community. Upcoming additions to the physical environoment include an equine center and expanded facilities for medical detox.
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