Our Team

Each member of the Vivid team brings compassion, clinical expertise, and a steady presence to adolescents in crisis. Learn more about the individuals who help create the structure and safety students need to stabilize and take next steps.

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Kristi Ragsdale, MPA

FOUNDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Kristi Ragsdale brings over two decades of executive leadership in residential behavioral health to Vivid Safe House. With experience guiding more than 1,000 teens and families through moments of acute crisis, Kristi understands how critical immediate intervention can be when there’s simply nowhere safe to go.

Her career has spanned high-acuity settings, including self-harm, flight risk, and behavioral escalation. Kristi is known for her steady, compassionate presence and ability to create calm in chaotic moments. Her leadership is grounded in practical experience—as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia, an educator, a program director, and an in-home family preservation specialist. She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Utah and is certified in the Teaching-Family Model.

Kristi founded Vivid to offer exactly what she felt was missing for families in crisis: an option that is safe, structured, and deeply human.

In her downtime, Kristi enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, yoga, and traveling to remote corners of the world.