2011 Conference Faculty

Hon. Karen S. Adam, J.D.

Karen Adam has been on the bench since 1981, and was appointed as a Superior Court Judge on September 1, 2010. She has served as a city court magistrate and as a commissioner on the family law bench. She is currently the Presiding Judge at Pima County Juvenile Court Center and also presides over Family Drug Court. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in sociology in 1972 and from the University of Arizona College Of Law in 1976. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, chairs the Juvenile and Family Law Department Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Family Violence Department Advisory and Diversity Committees. Judge Adam is a member of the Self-Represented Litigants Network and the National and Arizona Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. She is the vice-dean of the Judicial College of Arizona and co-chairs the New Judge Orientation Committee. She is a frequent lecturer on juvenile and family law topics and self-represented litigants and has served as faculty for the National Judicial College since 2007.

Dinah Adames

Dinah is a full time undergrad at the College of New Rochelle pursuing her bachelor’s Degree in liberal arts. As an advocate for women’s rights she is a member of several non for profit organizations that help formerly incarcerated women as well as interning for National Advocates for Pregnant Women and Volunteering as office manager for Worth-Women on the Rise telling HerStory. An avid writer, Dinah has just completed her first manuscript in which she talks about the struggles and the many obstacles a parent suffering the disease of Addiction encounters.

Sharon Amatetti, M.P.H.

Ms. Amatetti is a Senior Public Health Analyst for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and Coordinator of the Center’s Women and Families Coordinating Committee. She is responsible for ensuring that women, youth and family issues are coordinated with the other SAMHSA Centers and Federal agencies, and that adequate attention to women, youth and families is incorporated throughout all CSAT programs. Ms. Amatetti also manages the Center’s activities pertaining to child welfare and the impact of parental alcohol and drug abuse on children. Her work in this area includes management of an inter-agency agreement with the Administration for Children, Youth and Families to advance cross-system coordination which in part involved the development and management of the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare.

Miriam Bearse, M.A., M.Phil, MACP

Miriam completed her undergraduate degrees in sociology and women’s studies at Smith College in Northampton Massachusetts, and completed two master’s degrees in sociology from Columbia University (MA and M.Phil) and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from City University (MACP). She’s taught and lectured in women’s studies and sociology, and engaged in qualitative research on social structures and social change mechanisms. She also provided direct client care within the mental health and child welfare systems. She is currently the Tribal Child Welfare Specialist for the National Resource Center in Child Welfare for Tribes (NRC4Tribes) via the Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI) in Los Angeles, California. She coordinates and provides training, technical assistance and resource development to assist tribal child welfare systems, and other systems (states, counties, courts) that work with tribes. She previously worked for the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Office of the Secretary in Washington State as a policy analyst specializing in correctional and social service systems collaboration. She also previously worked for the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) on their child welfare and Systems of Care initiatives. She is a member of the CWLA and SAMHSA/CMHS LGBT Advisory Committees. She lives near Seattle with her partner and daughter. Her tribal heritage is Wampanoag.

Debra Bercuvitz, M.P.H

Debra Bercuvitz directs FRESH (Family Recovery Engagement Support of Hampden County) Start, a home-visiting program for pregnant women and new parents affected by substance use disorders, and their children. FRESH Start is primarily staffed by mothers in recovery. Prior to her work with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Debra did research in the fields of HIV/AIDS, mental health, and substance use disorders. She has a Master of Public Health degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Dr. Joan Blakey, Ph.D.

Dr. Joan Blakey is Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas Arlington. She is a research fellow with New Connections, a parenting program serving clients who are involved with child protection as a result of substance abuse. She graduated from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration in August 2010. She is currently conducting several research projects that focus on the intersection of trauma, substance abuse and child welfare.

Terri Bogage, M.S.W.

Terri Bogage is Director of Family and Children’s Services at the Institute for Health and Recovery, a policy, program / systems development, training, services and research organization. Ms. Bogage provides clinical supervision to the Family Recovery Project and FRESH Start, funded through the Administration for Children and Families. The programs provide intensive, home-based substance use and co-occurring disorders treatment and collaborative case management services to DCF-involved families. Ms. Bogage also oversees IHR’s Parenting Services.

Dr. Sharon Boles, Ph.D.

Dr. Boles serves as the Research and Evaluation Director of Children and Family Futures (CFF). In this role, Dr. Boles oversees numerous local, State and Federally-funded projects that measure performance effectiveness and evaluate outcomes for children and families affected by substance use disorders who are at risk or involved in child welfare services. These projects include: the Federally-funded Regional Partnership Grants Support Contract, the Federally-funded Children Affected by Methamphetamine Support Contract, and the locally funded Sacramento Dependency Drug Court evaluation project. Dr. Boles also provides overall project management to research and evaluation projects, supervises members of the research and evaluation team, conducts evaluations, analyzes performance measurement and outcome data, provides evaluation technical assistance, and designs models for data collection. Dr. Boles’ research, practice and policy understanding of dependency drug courts and other programs that target improving the outcomes for children and families affected by substance use disorders has led her to author several publications and speak nationally on policy implications and research findings. She serves as a peer reviewer for scholarly journals that include: Child Abuse and Neglect; Child Maltreatment; Disease Management & Health Outcomes; Nicotine and Tobacco Research; Substance Abuse; and Journal of Drug Issues. In addition, Dr. Boles has served as a consultant to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in reviewing grant submissions for treatment outcomes projects and the Children’s Bureau for children and families outcomes projects. Prior to her position at CFF, Dr. Boles served as a Research Associate at UCLA’s Integrated Substance Abuse Programs and the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. Dr. Boles received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCSF’s Department of Psychiatry where she conducted research on treatment outcomes.

Dr. Kathryn Bowen, Ph.D.

Kathryn A. Bowen Ph.D., a Cornell University Department of Human Service Studies graduate, majored in Program Evaluation and Planning and is the Director of Centerstone Research Institute's Program Evaluation Division. Dr. Bowen oversees the evaluations of multiple federally-funded grant projects focused on improving mental health and decreasing substance abuse. Her expertise is in the measurement of behavioral health outcomes using mixed methodologies and participatory, gender responsive approaches. Dr. Bowen is the Lead Evaluator for the Building Strong Families in Rural Tennessee RPG Project.

Phil Breitenbucher, M.S.W.

Mr. Breitenbucher currently serves as the Program Director for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Family Drug Court Technical Assistance program at Children and Family Futures. In this role, he is responsible for overall management of the program and coordinating the Family Drug Court efforts with the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare.. Additionally, Mr. Breitenbucher provides consultation and technical assistance to States and counties working to implement strategies related to substance abuse and child welfare. Mr. Breitenbucher joined the staff of Children and Family Futures in February 2010 after 13 years of child welfare experience. His child welfare experience includes the implementation and management of three Family Drug Court sites, four Family Resource Centers as well as various other diversion and early intervention programs.

Mr. Breitenbucher has served as faculty to national organizations such as the National Council of Juvenile Court Judges and Family Court Judges, Child Welfare League of America, National Association of Drug Court Professionals and the American Humane Association.

Mr. Breitenbucher holds a Master´s Degree in Social Work from California State University, San Bernardino with an emphasis in Public Administration and has served as Field Instructor for California State University, San Bernardino, Loma Linda University and the University of Southern California.

Dr. Jody Brook, Ph.D.

Jody Brook PhD, MSW/LCSW is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare. She formerly served as a National Doctoral Fellow for the Administration for Children and Families. She earned her PhD, with honors, from KU in 2005. Dr. Brook's area of research concentration is in the relationship between child welfare outcomes and parental substance abuse. She serves as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on 2 RPG funded projects as well as one Children Affected by Methamphetamine (Family Drug Court) funded project.

Judge Stanley Carmical

For over twenty years Judge Stan Carmical has served North Carolina as a District Court judge presiding in Robeson County, a rural county located in southeastern North Carolina. Since his appointment as chief judge in 2002, Judge Carmical has implemented programs providing avenues for resolving conflict in a less adversarial, more effective way. These include mandatory family financial mediation and child custody mediation programs as well as his district’s first drug treatment court. The drug treatment court has been held out as a model program within North Carolina due to the successful sustained collaboration between local community partners and an array of evidence-based treatment services rarely found in rural communities. A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of North Carolina School of Law, Judge Carmical has served as president of the N.C. Association of District Court Judges and the N.C. Conference of Chief District Court Judges.

Linda Carpenter, M.Ed.

Ms. Carpenter currently serves as the Program Director for the In-Depth Technical Assistance program at Children and Family Futures (CFF). In that role, Ms. Carpenter provides technical assistance to jurisdictions across the nation in the areas of cross-system collaboration, comprehensive family-centered treatment, and services to children to assist states and communities improve outcomes for families at the intersection of child welfare, substance abuse, and court systems.

Ms. Carpenter has worked for over 30 years in the early childhood education/special education, substance abuse and child welfare fields. She has held senior level positions in local government which included directing substance abuse services for children, adolescents and families, a 125-bed emergency shelter facility, and a diagnostic clinic for young children with developmental delays. As a consultant Ms. Carpenter has worked with both public and private organizations providing training and technical assistance, grant writing, cross-systems collaboration and strategic planning.

Ms. Carpenter holds Master´s Degree in Educational Administration and Education/Special Education with an emphasis on Learning Disabilities and Social/Emotional Disorders.

Adrienne Cenci, L.P.C.C.-S, L.I.C.D.C-S

Adrienne Cenci, LPCC-S, LICDC-S is the Executive Director of GLAD House. She has led the agency to become nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation, in mental health and prevention. Ms. Cenci holds a Master’s Degree in Agency and Community Counseling from Xavier University and has over 25 years experience supervising substance abuse and mental health treatment programs. She has taught Family Therapy at Xavier University and has worked with children, adults and adolescents.

Hedy Nai-Lin Chang, M.P.P., B.A.

Hedy Chang directs Attendance Works, a national and state level initiative aimed at advancing student success by addressing chronic absence. She co-authored, the seminal report, Present, Engaged and Accounted For: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades. An experienced researcher, writer and facilitator, she has over 20 years of experience working in non-profits and philanthropy to promote the well-being of children and families, especially in ethnically diverse communities.

Dr. Ira J. Chasnoff, M.D.

Ira J. Chasnoff, M.D., an award-winning author, researcher, and lecturer, is President of the Children’s Research Triangle and a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. He is one of the nation's leading researchers in the field of child development and the effects of maternal alcohol and drug use on the newborn infant and child and is a regular contributor to Psychology Today. Dr. Chasnoff’s most recent work focuses on community approaches to the integration of behavioral health services into primary health care for women and children. Dr. Chasnoff has authored numerous research articles and seven books, the most recent of which, The Mystery of Risk, explores the biological and environmental factors that impact the ultimate development of alcohol- and drug-exposed children and presents practical strategies for helping children reach their full potential at home and in the classroom. His work has been cited as the basis for US Supreme Court decisions and has been recognized by the Hague International Court. The recipient of several awards for his work with high risk women, children, and families, Dr. Chasnoff for several years has been selected by a poll of physicians across the nation for listing in America’s Best Doctors, cited for his ability to translate complex medical and psychosocial issues into relevant policy that guides the delivery of quality services. Dr. Chasnoff has been active in establishing comprehensive family intervention programs for children in Australia, Denmark, Portugal, Vietnam, the former Soviet Union, Mexico, and across the United States and has lectured on this topic around the world.

Judge Jeri B. Cohen, J.D.

Judge Jeri Beth Cohen is currently a circuit judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Juvenile Dependency Division. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Boston University, her Master of Arts degree at Harvard University, and her Juris Doctorate at Georgetown Law. Judge Cohen was a trial attorney, assistant state attorney, and county judge before becoming a circuit judge twelve years ago. With 12 years of combined experience in the juvenile dependency division, Judge Cohen has taught at statewide and national conferences and judicial colleges, and published numerous articles on family drug courts and child welfare. Judge Cohen has presided over a Dependency Drug Court for the last 12 years and was instrumental in training other drug courts across the country. Her drug court was an original mentor court for The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. She received a four year National Institute of Drug and Alcohol grant along with University of Miami School of Epidemiology to study motivational casework in family drug court. She is the chair of the Community-Based Care Alliance in Miami-Dade County and currently serves as the chair of the Statewide Dependency Court Improvement Panel which is focusing on improving court practices related to outcomes from the Child and Family Services Reviews. She also serves on the Executive Board of the South Florida Behavioral Health Network, an entity tasked with redesigning the mental health and substance abuse system in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Dr. Merith Cosden, Ph.D.

Merith Cosden, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of the Department of Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research addresses child abuse and neglect and substance abuse, trauma and mental health disorders. She is program evaluator for SAMHSA grants on enhanced drug treatment courts; trauma-informed treatment programs for women with co-occurring disorders and their children; and a family treatment drug court for children affected by parental use of methamphetamine.

Sarah S. Dailey, L.C.S.W.

Sarah Dailey is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Georgia with sixteen years clinical experience working with families and children. She has been involved with Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Office of Addictive Disease Therapeutic Child Care programs as a clinician and consultant since 2001. In this capacity she assisted in development and maintenance for Therapeutic Child Care services within the Ready for Work gender specific residential treatment centers serving addicted mothers across the state of Georgia.

In addition to Ms. Dailey’s work in these state programs for the past eight years she has been engaged in private practice in Decatur, Ga. specializing in providing behavioral health services for children, adolescents and their families offering a complete range of consultation, assessment and therapy services to assist in dealing with grief and loss, divorce, developmental transitions, family substance abuse and other difficult issues families face in their lives today.

Kimberly J. Dalferes

Kim has been involved in public policy and systems reform, especially in the juvenile and criminal justice fields, for over twenty years. She is currently a Partner with Dalferes Enterprises, Inc., a project management and public policy consulting firm. Kim’s work includes experience in juvenile and criminal justice planning, systems reform, crime prevention, government relations, grant writing and management, coalition building, and substance abuse prevention. She has worked at the National Crime Prevention Council, the US Department of Justice, and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. She is a graduate of Florida State University with a Master’s degree in Criminology.

Kay Doughty, M.A.

Kay has spent 25 years working in the field of Substance Abuse as a supervisor of prevention, intervention and treatment programs and is currently Vice President of Family and Community Services at Operation PAR, Inc., a substance abuse provider in Pinellas County, Florida. Kay is a Masters level CPP, a CAP, a Peer Mentor for the State of Florida, Secretary of the Florida Certification Board, Co-Chair of FADAA’s Prevention Committee, and listed in the Who’s Who of Prevention Leaders in Florida.

Ken DeCerchio, M.S.W., C.A.P.

Ken DeCerchio has over 30 years of experience in the management of community-based substance abuse and mental health services. He served as the State Substance Abuse Director with the Department of Children and Families Services from May 1995 until June 2005, when he was appointed as the Assistant Secretary for Substance Abuse and Mental Health. Currently, Mr. DeCerchio is the program director for the Center for Children and Family Futures, which operates the National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. His primary area of responsibility is the regional partnership grant program for families in the child welfare system affected by methamphetamine and other substance use. Mr. DeCerchio is a Certified Addictions Professional in Florida. In November 2001, Governor Bush appointed Mr. DeCerchio as Deputy Director for Treatment to the Florida Office of Drug Control. Mr. DeCerchio was appointed in 2004 by Secretary Tommy Thompson to serve on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment National Advisory Council. In June 2005, Mr. DeCerchio received the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Director’s Service Award for his leadership and support in the substance abuse prevention and treatment field. In August 2007, the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association awarded Mr. DeCerchio its Lifetime Achievement award for his contributions to prevention and treatment services in Florida.

Linda Dyer, M.S.

As Division Director of Community Program Services for SAPC, Linda Dyer is responsible for the development and continued implementation of various local, State, and federal programs providing direct substance use disorders treatment services. With over 20 years of experience with the County of Los Angeles, Ms. Dyer remains passionate and committed to ensuring the provision of high-quality, evidence-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate substance use disorders treatment and recovery services, for persons seeking to recover.

Annette Escalante, M.S.W.

Annette Escalante is the Vice President of the Greater Nashua Council on Alcoholism (GNCA) Keystone Hall, overseeing all aspects of clinical programming, administration, and personnel. She holds a Master of Social Work degree which she obtained at the University of New Hampshire. She is a Master Licensed Alcohol Drug Counselor (MLADC), a Certified Impaired Driver Intervention Program instructor for the State of New Hampshire. She was previously the Administrator of Women Offenders and Family Services for the NH Department of Corrections. She is an adjunct Professor at Springfield College teaching the addictions study courses for undergraduate and graduate students. She has over 18 years experience and has worked with youth services, corrections, case management, outreach, domestic violence and sexual assault.

Lynne Ford, M.S.W.

Lynne Ford has worked in the mental health, substance abuse and child welfare fields for the past 17 years. She has provided individual, group and family counseling in a therapeutic residential childcare facility and in outatient dual diagnosis clinics. She has extensive experience with addictions counseling and clinical case management. She designed and implemented a hospital-based afterschool program for dually-diagnosed adolescents, completed substance abuse evaluations with adults and adolescents in Denver County child welfare, was an intake investigator in Denver and Arapahoe County child welfare, and was the Program Manager for Denver EFFECT, a collaborative pilot project initiated by a Children's Bureau grant in 2007. The program was sustained by Denver County child welfare, and Lynne's role was
expanded to coordinate all substance abuse services in Denver County, including prevention services for substance-exposed newborns and directing families to the most clinically appropriate services at the front end of their child welfare.

Steven Freng, PsyD., M.S.W.

Steven Freng currently serves as the Prevention/Treatment Manager for the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (NW HIDTA), a region of fourteen counties within Washington State that has been designated by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for special law enforcement and chemical dependency initiatives. The programs under his direction focus on several areas, including the development and operation of Drug Court programs throughout the NW HIDTA region. He also coordinates substance abuse prevention projects in eight counties within the region, each based on active collaborations with law enforcement agencies and variously emphasizing innovative service strategies, public education activities and neighborhood resource development projects.
Dr. Freng has acquired over 30 years experience as a chemical dependency professional, having worked in clinical, supervisory, administrative and managerial capacities in the development and delivery of chemical dependency prevention and treatment services in the State of Washington. During his tenure with the Seattle-King County Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services he occupied several positions including that of Division Manager/County Alcohol and Drug Coordinator. An area of particular interest throughout this period involved the development of public policy, programs and services designed for the most debilitated and often homeless persons within the community. Dr. Freng has initiated and overseen the construction of service and housing facilities, has pioneered new program strategies and has published numerous articles detailing these efforts and accomplishments.

As President of Community Network Services, Inc., Dr. Freng is also active as an independent clinician, international consultant and trainer, having developed inter-disciplinary treatment programs, directed a state-wide needs assessment project, managed prevention projects and provided technical assistance and facilitation on a broad scope of topics and disciplines, ranging in diversity from drugs of abuse to trauma, hypnotherapy and international drug trafficking and policies. Dr. Freng serves on a variety of local and regional boards and panels, is active in legislative issues and efforts, and has fulfilled directorial and investigatory roles on numerous research and service demonstration projects.

Sid Gardner, M.P.A.

Mr. Gardner serves as President of Children and Family Futures, Inc. He served as Director of the Center for Collaboration for Children at California State University, Fullerton from 1991-2001. He is the author of Beyond Collaboration to Results, published by Arizona State University, which assesses the recent history of community collaboratives in the context of the growing move toward results-based accountability. His four-stage model of the developmental life cycle of collaboratives has been used extensively throughout the nation, along with a self-assessment instrument for collaboratives and a Collaborative Values Inventory designed to assess the degree of consensus on underlying values within a collaborative. Mr. Gardner´s book, Cities, Counties, Kids, and Families: the Essential Role of Local Government (2005), describes a model for developing strategic policy for children and family policy in local governments.

Mr. Gardner has served as a staff member of the White House Domestic Council, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Director of the California Tomorrow Youth at Risk Project, Director of the Hartford Private Industry Council, and an elected member of the City Council in Hartford, Connecticut from 1977 to 1981. He has taught courses at seven universities.

He graduated from Occidental College and was awarded a Master´s degree in Public Policy from Princeton University in 1965 and a Master´s degree in Religious Studies from Hartford Seminary in 1986. Mr. Gardner is a Vietnam veteran, and lives in Irvine with his wife, Nancy Young, and two of their four children. He is also the author of four novels.

Dr. Sherri L. Green, Ph.D.

Dr. Green has worked extensively in community problem solving and coalition building to meet community needs. As a research assistant professor at UNC in the Department of Maternal and Child Health and a fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, Dr. Green endeavors to bridge research-to-practice and practice-to-research in the areas of perinatal and maternal substance abuse treatment, child welfare, trauma-related treatment services, health disparities, and health policy.

Dan O. Griffin, M.A.

Dan Griffin has worked in the mental health and addiction field for over fifteen years. He was the lead staff for the Minnesota Drug Court Initiative for the Minnesota Judicial Branch for the last eight years. He recently left to start his own consulting and training business, Griffin Recovery Enterprises, Inc. His graduate work was on the social construction of masculinity in the culture of Alcoholics Anonymous. He was awarded the first fellowship and completed counselor training at Hazelden in 1999. Griffin is the author of A Man’s Way Through the Twelve Steps (Hazelden 2009), the first holistic look at sobriety for men. He is the co-author of Helping Men Recover, the first trauma-informed gender-responsive curriculum for men with Dr. Stephanie Covington, a national expert on women’s addition and recovery, and Rick Dauer, a clinical director at River Ridge Treatment Center. Griffin lives in Minnesota with his wife and daughter and has been in long-term recovery for seventeen years.

Amy Groessl, L.C.S.W.

Amy Groessl, LCSW, is the Therapy Coordinator at Children’s Research Triangle. Her clinical specialization is assessment and treatment of children who have histories of prenatal substance exposure, complex trauma, early neglect and traumatic loss. Ms. Groessl is the project coordinator of CRT’s National Child Traumatic Stress Network/SAMHSA grant and is a volunteer Disaster Mental Health Responder for the American Red Cross.

Dr. Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D.

Dr. Janice M. Gruendel brings nearly 20 years of experience in State of Connecticut government to her third assignment in the Department of Children and Families. Her other experiences in Connecticut state government include serving as Senior Advisor on Early Childhood Youth for Connecticut’s Governor M. Jodi Rell as well as at the deputy commissioner level in the Departments of Children and Families, Developmental Disabilities, Public Health and in the CT Corrections Department. As Governor’s Rell advisor, she co-led the CT Early Childhood Education Cabinet, the state’s initiative to develop a comprehensive, seamless birth to age nine (B-9) system for children and families. Dr. Gruendel has also served as a consultant to the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, the New Jersey Council for Young Children and the national BUILD Initiative.

From 1992 through 1996, she worked in the for-profit sector as Vice President for Education and Technology in a Connecticut children’s entertainment business, Rabbit Ears Productions. Between 1996 and 2004, she co-founded and served as co-president of Connecticut Voices for Children, a nationally recognized children’s advocacy organization.

Gruendel has extensive experience in policy, fiscal and data analysis, strategic planning, program management and assessment, research, early childhood data systems development, and community planning. She has also worked in the school reform arena, both for the Connecticut State Department of Education as well as the Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement. She currently serves on several national working groups involved in early childhood systems development, including the Early Childhood Data Collaborative and the Data Quality Campaign’s Privacy Advisory Council. She has written extensively, including a book on children affected by HIV, and she has just completed a chapter on early childhood data systems in a forthcoming book on early childhood systems development.

Dr. Gruendel received her Ph.D. from Yale University in Developmental Psychology, studying with Professor Edward Zigler. She holds a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology from the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education. Her B.A. degree in Sociology was awarded by the University of Maryland, magna cum laude. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Gruendel is married to Appellate Court Judge F. Herbert Gruendel and has three sons and six grandchildren.

Nancy Hansen, M.S.W.

Ms. Hansen currently serves as a Performance Management Liaison and as a member of the Technical Assistance and Training Team. In this capacity Ms. Hansen conducts ongoing communication with specific Regional Partnership Grantee Programs to identify implementation or service delivery issues and facilitates problem solving or delivery of technical assistance, while working collaboratively with the assigned Federal Project Officer. In addition, Ms. Hansen facilitates technical assistance for the Regional Partnership Support contract both with individual grantees, as well as broader strategies that support program improvement and strengthening of collaborative practice.

Ms. Hansen has more than 20 years experience in social services, with nearly a decade focused on substance abuse related initiatives in the child welfare system. Ms. Hansen holds both a Bachelor of Science degree and Masters of Social Work from Arizona State University.

Karen Hanson, M.S.S.A., L.C.S.W.

Karen E. Hanson, LCSW is the Clinical Coordinator of the Family-Based Recovery Program and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Social Work at the Yale Child Study Center. Her interests have focused on serving families impacted by parental substance abuse. She earned her Master in Social Science Administration from Case Western Reserve University. Following graduation, she continued her training as a NIMH Social Work Fellow at the Yale Child Study Center.

Holly Hassett, M.A., N.C.C., L.P.C.

Holly Hassett is an Assistant Program Director of Project SAFE at Advanced Behavioral Health, Inc., in Middletown, CT where she manages the Recovery Specialist Voluntary Program (RSVP) and Recovery Case Management Services (RCM). She is a state-licensed and nationally certified counselor with over twenty years of behavioral health experience. Ms. Hassett has a MA in Counseling Psychology from Antioch University New England and a MA in Oral Traditions from The Graduate Institute.

Renata J. Henry, M.E.D.

As Deputy Secretary, Ms. Henry provides executive direction to three program administrations - Mental Hygiene, Developmental Disabilities, and Alcohol and Drug Abuse. This position is responsible for bringing these three administrations together to coordinate planning, policy development, and services for populations with co-occurring disorders. Ms. Henry has over thirty years of experience in the behavioral health field, serving in various clinical and administrative positions in community-based mental health and substance abuse organizations, as well as in state and county government. Prior to becoming the Deputy Secretary, she was the director of Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, an operating division of Delaware Health and Social Service, where she was responsible for the administrative direction and oversight of public sector behavioral health services for adults in Delaware. As a director, she emphasizes the collaboration between systems to ensure that policy and practice are aligned to support a quality behavioral health system across the life span.

Jenae S. Tucker-Holtz, L.M.F.T.

Jenae Tucker-Holtz, LMFT is the Director of The Desert/Mountain SELPA Children’s Center in Apple Valley, California. Jenae has worked with drug endangered children, adolescents and their families for the past 25 years in the mental health field. These experiences range from private clinical practice, school-based therapy, group homes and psychiatric hospitals. Jenae has been an administrator in the mental health field at various times through her career specializing in children and adolescences.

Dr. Ruth A. Huebner, Ph.D.

Dr. Ruth A. Huebner is the Child Welfare Researcher for the Department of Community Based Services since 2001. She has successfully completed many large evaluation research activities and has more than 30 publications and numerous grant activities. Her passion is helping others to understand and use the results of research to improve outcomes for children and families. She is a psychologist, a full professor at Eastern Kentucky University and a doctoral faculty at the University of Kentucky.

Michael Kadish, M.S.S.W., L.C.S.W.

Mr. Kadish has over 30 years of experience in the area of behavioral health. He is licensed in Kentucky as a Clinical Social Worker and received his M.S.S.W. from the University of Louisville. Mr. Kadish has worked directly with children, adults, and families as a behavioral health therapist. He has worked for Kentucky River Community Care for 29 years in a variety of clinical and administrative positions. In his current position at Kentucky River Community Care, he serves as the Project Director for Families in Safe Homes Network (FISHN) as well as Chair of the Executive Change Team.

Dr. Lynne Katz

Dr. Katz is the Director of the Linda Ray Intervention Center at the University of Miami. Since 1993, she has coordinated the program’s early intervention services for infants and toddlers born prenatally cocaine exposed and she leads the Miami-Child Well Being court collaboration in partnership with the Miami-Dade Juvenile Court. She is co-author of Child-Centered Practice for the Courtroom & Community: A Guide to working effectively with young children and their families in the child welfare system.

Maureen A. Keating, M.Ed., PCC-S, LICDC

Maureen A. Keating has worked with girls, women and families in the addictions field for over 25 years. As the Director of Women and Family Services at the Community Health Center in Akron, OH for the past 14 years, she manages a gender-specific and trauma informed program for women which includes out-reach, counseling, and intensive out-patient services. She oversees the agency’s Help Me Grow program and case management services and provides individual and group treatment. Ms. Keating is the Acting President of the Ohio Women’s Network, Inc., dedicated to providing gender specific and gender competent care to substance abusing women in Ohio. She is a recent associate and graduate of the Women’s Addictions Service Leadership Institute (WASLI) sponsored by SAMHSA, Advocates for Human Potential and other partners.

As a member of the Perinatal Task Force at her agency, Ms. Keating is a strong advocate for pregnant and post partum women. She has presented to hospital staff, child welfare and the courts on special needs of women on medication assisted treatment during pregnancy and post partum. As a participant in a project with Neonatal Intensive Care nurses at Summa Hospital to reduce stigma, increase positives outcomes for mothers and babies and provide support to mothers and babies, a collaborative relationship has been developed that will better support women and their newborns.

R. Gil Kerlikowske, B.A., M.A.

R. Gil Kerlikowske was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In his position, Mr. Kerlikowske coordinates all aspects of Federal drug control programs and implementation of the President's National Drug Control Strategy.

Mr. Kerlikowske brings 37 years of law enforcement and drug policy experience to the position. He most recently served 9 years as the Chief of Police for Seattle, Washington. When he left, crime was at its lowest point in 40 years. Previously, he was Deputy Director for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, where he was responsible for over 6 billion dollars in Federal assets. Mr. Kerlikowske was also Police Commissioner of Buffalo, New York. The majority of his law enforcement career was in Florida where he served in the St. Petersburg Police Department.

He was elected twice to be President of the Major Cities Chiefs, which is comprised of the largest city and county law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada, and was also elected President of the Police Executive Research Forum. He has received numerous awards and recognition for leadership, innovation, and community service. He served in the U.S. Army where he was awarded the Presidential Service Badge.

He served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national organization that advocates for evidence-based programs that prevent youth from being involved in crime. He has also served on the advisory boards of the Salvation Army in Buffalo and Seattle. Mr. Kerlikowske received the American Medical Association's, Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service in 2011. Mr. Kerlikowske holds a B.A. and a M.A. in criminal justice as well as an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the University of South Florida.

Christine Sabino Kiesel, Esq.

Christine Sabino Kiesel is the Assistant Coordinator of the Child Welfare Court Improvement Project for New York State’s Office of Court Administration. She previously presided over a best practices permanency part in Oneida County Family Court as a Court Attorney Referee and served as a Court Attorney to Family Court Judges in Oneida and Albany Counties. As an attorney, Christine=s practice focused primarily as a Family Law Attorney serving as the First Assistant Public Defender for the Oneida County Public Defender=s Office - Civil Division, as well as acting as Law Guardian for many Oneida County children. Christine taught Business Law to undergraduate and graduate business students at SUNY Institute of Technology and at Ithaca College. She was the recipient of a local award entitled the “Accent on Excellence@ for her work in the area of Court Improvement and service to the community. In 2001, Christine received the National CASA Board Member of the Year Award. Christine regularly trains both within the state and nationally on child welfare topics.

Robert Long, L.C.P.C, L.A.D.C., C.C.S.

Bob is currently the Administrator for Access, Substance Abuse, and Outcome Management Services at Kennebec Behavioral Health located in Maine. Bob currently serves on and chairs the Substance Abuse Services Commission. He is also a member of the DHHS Child Welfare and Substance Abuse Committee, which is developing and implementing initiatives related to Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. Bob also serves as the Agency’s representative on the Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs (MASAP).

Kate McGinty, B.H.T.

Kate McGinty is the Manager of Peer Development at TERROS, Inc., a community based behavioral health organization in Phoenix, Arizona. Kate is the former Recovery Coach Coordinator for the Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. program, which provides substance abuse treatment services to parents involved with Child Protective Services. She has specialized in both the Arizona child welfare system as well as the behavioral health field since 1999. Her experience in cross-systems collaboration for these two systems was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Parent to Parent (P2P) Recovery Coach program. The P2P program improved client engagement and retention in treatment, thereby improving outcomes for children and families.

Kate currently oversees peer development at TERROS in four programs that include Outpatient Services, The Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. (Families in Recovery Succeeding Together) program, the LADDER (Life Affirming Dual Diagnosis Education and Recovery) program and the Co-Location program. All of these provide variations of group and individual treatment, family education and involvement, community referrals, case management, and medication services for eligible persons. These programs employ a total of thirteen Recovery Support positions.

Dr. Alicen McGowan, Ph.D.

Alicen J. McGowan PhD, CAGS, CMI-I, LADC-I, CADAC-I, is not new to the addictions field. She hosts the radio program ‘Addiction’, as well as the blog ‘Addiction Central’. Presently, Director of Adcare Hospital Out Patient Clinic specializing in gambling, alcohol and drug treatment Dr. McGowan likes to think of herself as the ultimate pedagogue who enjoys doing therapy. Her specialties include opioid dependence, gambling addiction and teens with co-occurring disorders.

She is currently National Vice Chair of the Certification Board of the American Academy of Health Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders and has published many articles in both Forensics and Recovery. Two years ago, she co-founded A VETERANS COLLABORATIVE, a non-profit in Wareham, Massachusetts that assists young veterans with traumatic brain injury. They provide referrals, assistance with shelter, food, clothing and counseling for families and veterans with substance abuse issues free of charge. Run solely with volunteers, including a full time Executive Director and Assistant, their vision is to expand services beyond the southeastern MA area, to reach out to all veterans in need.

She has been married to her husband Gere for 20 years, has two children Sasha and
Arlen, and a grandsons Nate who is three and Josh, six months.

Dr. Gwendolyn Messer, M.D.

Dr. Messer is Medical Director at the Children's Research Triangle where she works with a multidisciplinary team to provide comprehensive evaluations for children prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol. Dr. Messer educates professionals in the medical and social services communities and offers seminars for prospective adoptive parents about the effects of prenatal substance exposure. She is in the process of earning a Master’s degree in Bioethics and Health Policy at Loyola University Chicago.

Dr. Brian Meyer, Ph.D.

Brian L. Meyer, Ph.D., is the Substance Abuse/Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Specialist at the H.H. McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center, and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duke University, specializing in the treatment of children, adolescents, and families. Dr. Meyer has worked in the child welfare and children’s mental health fields as a clinician, administrator, teacher, policy maker, program developer, and researcher. He has been the executive director of a children’s community mental health center, where he developed a treatment program for substance-abusing mothers whose children were in foster care. He was the Deputy Clinical Director of the Protective Services Division of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, where he oversaw child and adult abuse and neglect services in half of the state. Later, he became the Executive Director of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, where he was responsible for administrative oversight and direction of inpatient, residential, day treatment, and outpatient programs. He has been a member of numerous national, state, and local workgroups in the areas of children’s mental health and child welfare. In his current position, Dr. Meyer provides evidence-based treatments for veterans who have problems with substance abuse and PTSD. His experience as a child welfare administrator and as a clinician for military families struggling with substance abuse and PTSD provides him with a unique perspective on the subject.

Lilas Rajaee-Moore, M.S.

Lilas Rajaee-Moore currently serves as Director of TASC and Treatment Court Programs for the Denver Juvenile Probation Department and Denver Juvenile Court. TASC serves as the central evaluation, service planning, recovery management, and intensive case management component for juvenile and adult offenders with serious substance and co-occurring related issues. TASC has been a key component in the development and implementation of several different programs which include Denver Juvenile Drug Court, Denver Youth Development Court (DYDC), Denver County Special Services Court, Denver Family Integrated Drug Court (FIDC), and the Justice Initiative for Drug Endangered Children (JI-DEF) which seeks to identify and intervene with drug endangered children while supporting parental recovery and improved public safety. Recent TASC recognition includes the 2009 – International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Webber Seavey Award, the 2010 – IACP Webber Seavey Award, the 2010 US Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Science to Service Award, and the 2010 National Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness (JMATE) Government Facilitation of Evidence Based Practices Award.

In addition to project director, Ms Rajaee-Moore serves as principal investigator for several of the TASC projects and has generated approximately 20 million dollars in program funds since 2000. She continues to serve as consultant to SAMHSA, BJA, the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and the National Drug Court Institute which has provided her the opportunity to work with over 70 drug courts across the country since 1999. She currently serves as a steering committee member for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Ms. Rajaee-Moore also co-authored “Strategies in Practice for Juvenile Drug Courts” in 2007 which continues to serve as a best practices model for program development.

Lori Moriarty

Commander Lori Moriarty (retired) began her career in law enforcement in Colorado in 1987 where she held numerous positions to include a child abuse investigator and the commander of a multi-jurisdictional undercover drug. Cmdr. Moriarty was instrumental in implementing protocols for the safe investigation of methamphetamine labs, undercover drug operations and marijuana grow operations to include the identification of the children living in these dangerous drug environments. Cmdr. Moriarty’s safety stance and public awareness efforts won her regional and national attention when the Office of National Drug Control Policy, recognized her in Washington, DC as the 2001 Drug Commander of the Year. Currently, Cmdr. Moriarty is the Vice President of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children and in 2008; Cmdr. Moriarty became a foster parent to a newborn child and his two-year old brother who were at risk due to caregiver’s substance use.

Dr. Pat L. Nation, Ph.D.

Dr. Pat Nation is a Clinical Sociologist; Marriage and Family emphasis, Criminologist, Licensed Professional Counselor, Forensic Counselor and Nationally Certified Sentence Mitigation Specialist. Dr. Nation has been in academia for more than 20 years, in the counseling field for more than 30 years, served as a consultant for Federal, State and Local policing agencies. She served as a Behavioral Analyst and Profiler for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.

Dr. Stephen L. Nelson, Ph.D.

Stephen L. Nelson is a prosecutor working on the Organized Gang Prosecution Team of the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and is also cross-designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Utah and a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Utah. Steve has been a prosecutor for 8 years, and has tried over 55 felony jury trials, including homicides, attempted homicides, robberies, burglaries, rapes, drive-by shootings, and other violent crime. Steve was named the 2008 Gang Prosecutor of the Year by the Utah Gang Investigators Association

Steve also serves as the Law Enforcement Subcommittee Chair of the Salt Lake City Police Department’s COPS Methamphetamine Initiative. Steve has served as a member of the Data Collection Working Group of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children and has completed the National DEC Core DEC Training Program. Steve is the lead author on the first two articles published in law review journals on drug endangered children. These articles detail data and findings from a retrospective, cross-discipline, and multi-agency study undertaken by agencies participating under the Salt Lake City Police Department’s COPS Methamphetamine Initiative.

Steve is a 2002 graduate of the University of Utah’s S. J. Quinney College of Law, where he served as a member of the Utah Law Review, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Science form the University of Utah. Steve regularly instructs both undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Utah and Salt Lake Community College.
Chuck Noerenberg

Chuck Noerenberg joined National DEC in February 2010. As president, Chuck is responsible for leadership of all aspects of the organization, including strategic planning, program development and implementation, staff management and operations, fundraising and resource enhancement, board relations and development, and creation of effective external partnerships.

Prior to joining National DEC, Chuck was the Minnesota state drug policy coordinator appointed by the governor to develop and coordinate drug policy and substance abuse issues across agencies and jurisdictions. He also served as a senior policy advisory to Governor Tim Pawlenty and worked as leadership and committee staff in the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives covering criminal justice and other public policy issues.

Chuck is currently an advisory board member for the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) program in Minnesota which is aimed at reducing underage drinking and enhancing services to substance-abusing veterans. He has also served as a member of the Judicial Branch Drug Court Initiative Advisory Committee, the Partnership for a Drug Free America/Minnesota Advisory Committee, the Minnesota Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Coordinating Council, the Inter-Agency Substance Abuse Collaborative, the Minnesota Meth Resource Center Board of Directors, and the University of Minnesota Law School Alumni Board of Directors. While in the governor’s office, Chuck served on the National Governor’s Association Criminal Justice Advisors, Internet Crimes, and Emergency Communications policy development committees.

Chuck is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and federal district court.

Carol Owens, M.P.A., Ph.D.

Senior Policy Analyst with the National Meth Center and the Washington State Meth Initiative. 30-years in substance abuse prevention, treatment and law and justice programs with nonprofits and state and county governments. Experience includes research and evaluation of JAG and Community Mobilization programs and coordination of Washington’s Governor’s Council on Substance Abuse. Areas of expertise are organizational development, community organizing, program evaluation, substance abuse prevention, treatment and law & justice policy and strategic planning.

Cathleen Otero, M.S.W., M.P.A

Ms. Otero is the Deputy Project Director of the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. In this role she develops and provides training and technical assistance to States and local jurisdictions to enhance the understanding of substance use disorders in the child welfare system, where she encourages the development of effective and appropriate practice and policy.

Ms. Otero has concentrated her presentations and trainings on increasing collaborative efforts between child welfare, substance abuse, and the judicial systems. Her research work continues to focus on issues that intersect with substance abuse and includes collaboration on the Women with Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study at the University of Southern California, Social Science Research Institute; policy research and analysis relating to the 2003 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act amendments regarding substance exposed births, and cognitive and personality predispositions associated with depression in children living in low-income communities at Yale University. Ms. Otero's practice and research has led her to author and publish several publications continuing the discussion around substance use disorders, treatment, child welfare, and outcomes.

Ms. Otero received her B.A. in psychology from Yale University and both her M.S.W. and M.P.A. degrees from the University of Southern California.

Peter Panzarella, M.A., M.S., L.P.C., L.A.D.C.

Peter became the Director of Substance Abuse Services for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) in 1995. DCF is an integrated state children’ s agency with responsibility and programs for the child welfare, juvenile justice and children’s mental health and adolescent substance abuse treatment. Prior to being the Director he has worked over 15 years in the field of addiction treatment and mental health working in various settings as a clinician, clinical supervisor, and clinical/program management. In 2007 he received special recognition award for Collaboration from the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare and another award for Government Facilitation of implementing Evidenced Based Practices by the Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness. He has presented at many international, national and state conferences on substance abuse and evidence based practices and collaboration. He has written and received numerous federal grants to implement evidence based and promising practices for adolescents, families and drug exposed infants. He has re-directed and manages state funding which supported implementation and the quality assurance for evidence based practices such Multi-Systemic Therapy and Multi Dimensional Family Therapy in CT. He is actively involved in the Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Policy Council. He is licensed as Alcohol /Drug and Professional Counselor in Connecticut. He has two Master Degree’s, a Master’s in Arts in Clinical/Community Psychology from Lesley University, Master’s in Science in Administration from State University of New York College at Buffalo and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology State University of New York College at Buffalo. He also served as a private substance abuse treatment consultant to Pan American Health Organization for the country of Barbados.

John P. Passalacqua

John P. Passalacqua is an attorney in private practice in Mendocino and Lake Counties in California where he represents children and parents in juvenile dependency proceedings. He is certified as a Child Welfare Law Specialist by the National Association of Counsel for Children, which is accredited by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Passalacqua is a frequent presenter on juvenile dependency law throughout the state including serving as faculty at the Beyond the Bench conference and for the Dependency Representation, Administration, Funding & Training (DRAFT) program. He is a contributing author and editor for the Dependency Quick Guide, which is published by the California Administrative Office of the Courts, Center for Children, Families, and the Courts, as a reference manual for attorneys representing parents and children in dependency proceedings. Mr. Passalacqua is also a contributing author for California Juvenile Courts Practice and Procedure (Matthew Bender 2010-11).

Laura C. Peveto, B.S.W.

Ms. Peveto is employed by Travis County Health and Human Services in Austin Texas as a prevention and intervention manager with a focus on child welfare and mental health. Previously she worked for Child Protective services for 13 years. Ms. Peveto provides grant management to the RPG site – Parenting in Recovery.

McLean D. Pollock, M.S.W., M.P.H., L.C.S.W.

Ms. Pollock is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked in the field of violence against women and family violence for over seven years. Recently she began working on a project led by Dr. Sherri Green to explore the use of evidence based practices for families affected by parental substance abuse. Prior to that project, Ms. Pollock worked as a study coordinator for persons experiencing severe mental illness, a therapist for children and families experiencing family violence, and as a victim’s advocate for persons experiencing intimate partner violence. Her research interests include violence against women, reproductive health, and perinatal and maternal substance abuse, and her current research focus is on the impact of intimate partner violence on reproductive health and family well-being. Presently, Ms. Pollock is in her third year of the Maternal and Child Health doctoral program at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kiti Freier Randall, Ph.D.

Dr. Kiti is a Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Psychologist with high-risk infant and youth population expertise. Her academic career includes professorships at University of Miami, Brown University, Andrews University and Loma Linda University. She serves the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children as a board member and working group co-chair. Dr. Kiti dedicated her career (training in over 40 countries) to enhance the physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual lives of children and their families in order to promote optimal and healthy living.

Tyrone C. Richardson, M.A., Ed.S.

Tyrone C. Richardson is the Statewide Manager for Child Welfare and Substance Abuse Services for New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families, Division of Youth and Family Services, (DYFS). Mr. Richardson offers more than a decade of accomplishment and experience in the field of child welfare and substance abuse. He has worked in the provider community and state government where he was instrumental in developing interagency collaborations as well as program design for state and local systems change. Currently, Mr. Richardson is the State liaison to the local child welfare offices for issues impeding the functioning of DYFS families affected by substance abuse. Mr. Richardson restructured the only Statewide Initiative that integrates substance abuse counselors and child welfare workers in the same offices. Mr. Richardson is the child welfare representative for the In-Depth Technical Assistance (IDTA) grant through the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW). He is a compassionate advocate who has focused his career on the needs of children and families. An important aspect of his life is family…his wife is a child welfare professional as well, a teenage daughter and son who both have aspirations in the medical field along with an eight year old son who keeps him forever young. Mr. Richardson holds Master’s Degrees in Counseling Psychology and Educational Counseling / Educational Specialist.

Julia L. Roguski, M.A.

Julia Roguski, MA, LPC, CACIII is the Director of Child Protection Services for Savio a private non-profit in Denver, Colorado. Ms. Roguski has developed an expertise in child protection and in-home counseling with substance abusing parents. Ms. Roguski is both a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Addictions Counselor Level 3, providing an important understanding of the co-occurring disorders of mental health and substance abuse. Ms. Roguski has been a key person in developing two specialized family treatment drug courts in Colorado. Additionally, Ms. Roguski is an Expert Child Protection Consultant for the State of Colorado and a trainer for the National Drug Court Institute. Ms. Roguski’s twenty years of experience as a direct practitioner, addictions counselor, supervisor and administrator provides important understanding of service delivery and program development.

Tianna Roye, CAS

Tianna Roye, CAS has worked in the alcohol and drug recovery field for over nine years. She received her certification as an alcohol and drug counselor in 2005 and is currently pursuing her psychology degree at California Coast University. Ms. Roye began working at Bridges in 2006 where she currently manages The STARS Program. Ms. Roye is the STARS court liaison for the EIFDC as well as the Director of the Celebrating Families Program.

Malika Saada Saar, M.Ed., J.D.

Throughout her professional journey, Malika Saada Saar has dedicated herself to the improvement of women and girls’ lives. She founded and is the executive director of the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, a policy and advocacy organization that works to address the unacceptable levels of violence, exploitation and poverty impacting women and girls in the U.S. and Africa. Newsweek recognized Ms. Saada Saar’s work by honoring her as one of “150 Women Who Shake the World.”

Before founding the Rebecca Project, Saada Saar started Crossing the River, a written and spoken word workshop for mothers in recovery from substance abuse and violence. She also founded and is the former executive director of Family Rights and Dignity, a civil rights project for low income and homeless families in California.

The White House selected Ms. Saada Saar to serve on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. She also serves as on the Board of Directors for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights.

Saada Saar has received many awards, including the Ford Foundation’s “Leadership for Changing World” fellowship and Redbook magazine’s Mothers and Shakers award. Saada Saar and her work have been featured in the Daily Beast, Huffington Post, O Magazine, Newsweek, Politico, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Redbook Magazine, Essence, Tavis Smiley Show, BBC, and National Public Radio.

Malika Saada Saar received her B.A. from Brown University, M.A. in Education from Stanford University, and received her JD from Georgetown University in 2001. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and three children.

Dr. Cindy M. Schaeffer, Ph.D.

Dr. Schaeffer has expertise in juvenile offending, substance abuse, child maltreatment, and family-based interventions. She is a developer of a treatment model called Multisystemic Therapy-Building Stronger Families (MST-BSF), designed to serve families involved in the child protective service system for the co-occurring problem of parental substance abuse and child maltreatment. Dr. Schaeffer is the author of numerous scientific articles and one book entitled, Reinforcement-Based Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: A Comprehensive Behavioral Approach.

Peggy Scheuermann, M.Ed., CPM

Ms. Scheuermann has a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling and over thirty years experience in child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, and criminal justice.

Currently Ms. Scheuermann is responsible for the Child Protection Team Programs, Sexual Abuse Treatment Programs and the Statewide Child Abuse Death Review Committee. She serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children and is the Chair of the Florida Alliance.

Celeste Smith, M.A., PC

Celeste Smith, Project Coordinator and Licensed Professional Counselor has worked for Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center (MSVMC) for 23 years. She is the current Chair for the Mercy St. Vincent Cultural Diversity Council and serves on many different committees and workgroup throughout Lucas County. She is a member of the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality, and co-chairs the Disparities/Racism workgroup. Her passion is serving the underserved. Her experience includes many years of working in the community with culturally diverse families, many living in poverty. She served as an educator for MSVMC Positive Choices teen pregnancy prevention program, and adapted that program for special needs students and served the special population through in-school and after school programming. She has a master’s degree in counseling and holds a bachelor’s degree in family life education. Ms. Smith has been a group home provider for adults in the mental health system.

Ms Smith has presented at many national conferences around the issues of Substance Exposed Newborns, use of illegal substances, issues surrounding infant mortality and mental health issues. She also participates in trainings to increase her knowledge of issues related to sexual health, cultural diversity, the nature of youth, and strategies for working with women and teens, mental health and substance abuse.

Dr. Rita Sullivan, Ph.D.

Rita Sullivan is a Licensed Psychologist, Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Addictions Counselor III. Dr. Sullivan has been with OnTrack in Jackson County, Oregon, since 1979 and has directed the agency since 1984. OnTrack offers an array of substance abuse prevention and treatment services including: family strengthening and permanency programs, residential treatment for pregnant/parenting women and custodial fathers with their children; adolescent residential treatment; outpatient services; family therapy; and affordable drug- and alcohol-free housing.

Rebecca Swift, B.A., C.P.S.

Becky Swift is the Prevention and Education Programs Coordinator for the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy. Since 2004, she has worked to build the Drug Endangered Children program and currently serves as the coordinator for the initiative. By providing training and technical assistance on DEC issues, Becky been instrumental in assisting Iowa counties establish local Alliances. Becky is active with the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children and is a certified Core DEC trainer.

Erin Telford, Psy.D.

Dr. Telford is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been with Children’s Research Triangle since 2004. She is currently the Project Coordinator and Clinical Director of Family and Child Treatment Services (FACTS), a clinic in Belleville, Illinois funded by a 5-year grant from the Administration for Children and Families. FACTS provides assessment and therapy services to a wide range of children and adolescents impacted by prenatal and environmental substance exposure, trauma, and disrupted placements.

Rosemary Tisch, M.A.

ROSEMARY TISCH is lead author for numerous curriculums replicated throughout the US, Mexico, and Russia, addressing needs of children of alcoholics/addicts, learning differences, teen pregnancy prevention, and school-based substance abuse prevention. She is the lead author of Celebrating Families!, and Project Director for ¡Celebrando Familias! which received the 2010 California State Director’s Award for Cultural Diversity. Ms. Tisch holds a Master Degree in Counseling Psychology from Stanford University. She is married with two grown daughters.

Dr. Jean Twomey, Ph.D.

Dr. Twomey is an Assistant Professor (Research) in the Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Pediatrics at Brown Medical School. Dr. Twomey has extensive clinical experience in early childhood and provides therapy to young children and their families through the Behavior and Development Clinic at the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk. She also provides clinical services to parents who are concerned about infant cry and sleep problems through the Infant Behavior, Cry and Sleep Clinic. Dr. Twomey has worked with families affected by perinatal substance use through research, program development and clinical interventions. Her research interests include parenting abilities of substance-using women, developmental outcomes of substance-exposed infants with child welfare involvement, and the impact of infant behavioral difficulties on parental mental health and family functioning. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Association for Infant Mental Health. She was named 2010 Social Worker of the Year in Children & Families by the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Judge Korey Wahwassuck, J.D.

Judge Korey Wahwassuck has served as a tribal court judge for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Court since 2006. Previously, she practiced law for 15 years, specializing in Indian law, child welfare, and juvenile delinquency. Judge Wahwassuck is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. She is also an alumnus of the The National Judicial College and joined its faculty in 2008.

Robert Walker, M.S.W., L.C.S.W

Robert Walker, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., is Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research with conjoint appointments in Psychiatry and Social Work. He has over 25 years experience as a community mental health center director, clinician, and clinical supervisor. He has been a co-investigator on partner violence studies in rural and urban areas and has been an evaluator of substance abuse treatment programs in rural and inner city programs. He is the principal investigator for the Kentucky Substance Abuse Treatment Outcome Study and is the evaluator for one federal and three other state funded projects. He has over 70 articles and book chapters in the areas of substance abuse, ethics, brain injury, and intimate partner violence victimization and has co-authored three books. He teaches social welfare policy analysis in the University of Kentucky College of Social Work.

Susan C. Whalen, M.A.

Ms. Whalen is a Senior Health Education Specialist in the Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Bureau in Solano County, California. She is the principal data analyst for the BabyFirst Solano Perinatal Substance Abuse 4PsPlus Project. Her background includes 10 years working directly with pregnant women in a clinic setting. Her duties included providing education and intervention to high risk women with many challenges, including depression, domestic violence, mental health issues and perinatal substance use.

Nancy K. Young, Ph.D., M.S.W.

Nancy K. Young, Ph.D. is Director of Children and Family Futures, a California-based research and policy institute that works to improve outcomes for children and families, particularly those affected by alcohol and other drugs and involved in the welfare and child welfare systems. She currently serves as the Director of the federally-funded National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, which provides technical assistance to states in support of their efforts to enhance cross-system collaboration for the benefit of affected families, and develops and disseminates information on advances in policy and practice in this field. She also serves as the Director of the federally-funded Regional Partnership Grantee Support Contract, which provides guidance and technical assistance to grantees striving to improve safety and permanency outcomes for children affected by methamphetamine or other substance abuse. She also serves as the Project Director of the federally-funded Family Drug Court expansion, which offers a comprehensive Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program that includes TTA on key components of FDC success: cross-system collaboration; implementing policies and procedures; staff training and development; and, evaluation and sustainability.

She has been involved in numerous projects related to alcohol and other drug issues in the welfare and child welfare systems. These projects include: development of a CSAT-funded technical assistance publication on substance abuse and child welfare; a report on policy issues and effectiveness of substance abuse treatment for welfare reform published by the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD); development of a guidebook for state welfare and substance abuse directors on the substance abuse implications of welfare reform; and the development of a policymakers guidebook on substance abuse issues for the Child Welfare League of America titled Responding to Alcohol and Other Drug Problems in Child Welfare. Over the past seven years, Dr. Young has worked as a consultant to over 30 states and regional offices on prevention and treatment issues affecting families involved with welfare and child welfare.

Prior to her current position with Children and Family Futures, Dr. Young served as research consultant to the Directorate of the State of California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. During her tenure, she led a consensus effort to develop a statewide outcomes monitoring system in California. Additionally she consulted on the development and was primary author of the California’s TOPPS II application, CalTOP. She successfully built political support within the state’s alcohol and drug administrators and the new state administration to convert CalTOP into an on-going outcomes monitoring system to be implemented as CalOMS.

Dr. Young is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton and received a Masters of Social Work degree and her Ph.D. from the USC School of Social Work. During her doctoral studies, she was the recipient of a pre-doctoral fellowship with the National Institute on Drug Abuse focused on the public policy and research issues affecting children of substance abusers.