Must be a NAADAC Member by February 1, 2009 and Logged in to Vote!

NAADAC members are entitled to cast one vote for a representative in the region you reside in. Please consult the state listing for each region to ensure that your ballot is cast correctly. Ineligible ballots will not be counted. If you have any questions, please contact Donovan Kuehn at 800.548.0497, ext 125 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or the Election Administrator.

Every two years, different regions have the opportunity to select the representatives who will represent them and help determine the direction of the association. In April of 2009, NAADAC members will select four Regional Vice Presidents. All positions are for two-year terms.

ARTICLE VII: OFFICERS

1. Regional Vice Presidents. The Regional Vice Presidents shall encourage the chartering of local chapters and shall assist such organizations during their formation. They shall ensure that all Affiliated Associations within their respective regions operate within the guidelines established by the Association and are in compliance with approved Affiliated Association contracts and are kept informed of Association activities. They will serve on the Executive Committee for the directors and members within their region and shall be responsible for communicating to the Executive Committee any concerns or recommendations from their region.

Explanation of Write-in Policy
NAADAC members may write-in the name of anyone they deem suitable for serving on the NAADAC Executive Committee. To win election, this candidate must garner the most votes, be a NAADAC member in good standing and agree to serve.

The four positions open for election are:

From the NAADAC Bylaws:

1. Each Regional Vice President shall be elected by the members within the region to be represented by such Regional Vice President.
   
2. Nominees must be a member in good standing of that region.
   
3. Balloting is done by the members of that region.
4. Candidates can serve two terms.

The following candidates have been nominated for election to the NAADAC Executive Committee and deemed eligible for office by the NAADAC Nominations and Elections committee.

Only members in good standing who have been actively engaged in work in addiction counseling or as an addiction professional for at least two years immediately prior to nomination shall be eligible for an elective office with NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.

If you live in one of the states listed above and have not received an electronic ballot packet, by April 6, 2009, please contact Donovan Kuehn at 800.548.0497, ext 125 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .


Nominees At a Glance

Mid-Central Regional Vice President (Represents Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio & Wisconsin)
Nominee: John J. Lisy
Credentials: LICDC, OCPS II, LISW, LPCC
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

North Central Regional Vice President (Represents Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota & South Dakota)
Nominee: Harold Casey
Credentials: BA, CADC II
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Southeast Regional Vice President (Represents Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina & Tennessee)
Nominee: Katherine Turcotte
Credentials: ICADC, NCAC II
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Southwest Regional Vice President (Represents Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada & Utah)
Nominee: Jerome L. Synold
Credentials: CAADAC II, MAC, CPS, CCS
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


Candidate Descriptions

Mid-Central Regional Vice President (Represents Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio & Wisconsin)
Nominee: John J. Lisy
Credentials: LICDC, OCPS II, LISW, LPCC
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Summarize the nominee’s activities:
John serves as the current Mid-Central Regional Vice President. He is also a member of the Executive Committee, the Mentoring Committee and the National Addiction Studies and Standards Collaborative Committee. John was awarded the NAADAC Advocate of the Year for 2005 at the Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. He served on the NAADAC Public Policy Committee from 2000 to 2007.

John helped to secure two national earmarks for workforce development for NAADAC and the State of Ohio. He chaired the Workforce Development Committee, a statewide coalition representing all segments of the Addictions Prevention and Treatment Community. Accomplishments of this committee include assembling a comprehensive Workforce Development team, completion of four statewide workforce studies, the development of eBasedTreatment.org, numbers of regional and one national conference, a higher education study of Ohio colleges and universities, and strategic planning for the prevention and the treatment workforce. The committee also published a comprehensive report on its activities and a booklet of management activities that work in recruitment and retention.

On the state level, John was President of OAADAC from September 2001 to September 2003. He has served as State Legislative Chair, since September 1995. In 1998, John received the OAADAC August Martin Meuli Humanitarian Award.

Philosophy statement of the nominee on the future of NAADAC:
NAADAC is the premier organization for addictions professionals in the United States and the world. We as addiction professionals have an obligation to the individuals we serve to advocate for a system of care that has the capacity to provide them the help they need. Capacity includes both “treatment on demand” and a workforce that is empowered by the most current scientific advancements of our field.

The future of NAADAC should include a combination of strong advocacy and leadership in Addiction Workforce Development.

NAADAC must continue to build relationships with other national organizations to advocate effectively on a national level. We must also train advocates on both the state and local levels. The Public Policy Committee currently works with the Regional Vice Presidents to build capacity at the state and local levels a crucial component of advocacy.

Workforce Development is essential to the survival of our field. In Ohio, OAADAC and NAADAC have partnered with other key stakeholders to form the Ohio Addiction Workforce Development Project. NAADAC has the ability to be a driving force nationally on this important emerging issue.

Other qualifications of the nominee for this office:
Education/Licenses – John’s education includes a Masters in Social Work. He is also a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor, an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist II, a Licensed Independent Social Worker and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor.

Current work experience – John has been the Executive Director of the Shaker Heights Youth Center since 1996. During his tenure, he has been responsible for not only a 300% increase in funding and a 450% increase in services but even more important for the excellent quality of the services the Center provides to its consumers. The Center has received the Exemplary Prevention Award from the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services three times. The Center also received the Matthew Dunlop Prevention Services Award and John received the Calvin Thomas Community Leadership Award from the Addiction Services Board of Cuyahoga County in 2004.

Licensure – John worked to build the Coalition for Chemical Dependency Licensure. He very actively served on the Coalition from its inception through the passage of the licensure bill. John was a passionate advocate for grandparenting and adding diagnostic privileges. The seven year commitment to licensure in Ohio has elevated the profession and serves to better protect consumers.


North Central Regional Vice President (Represents Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota & South Dakota)
Nominee: Harold Casey
Credentials: BA, CADC II
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Summarize the nominee’s activities:
Harold Casey is the President/Project Director of the Substance Abuse Center of Kansas.

Education
Iola High School, 1973
Wichita State University, BA English, 1982

Experience
St. Francis Regional Medical Center, 1989-93
Prairie View, 1986-89
St. Joseph Medical Center, 1983-86
Recovery Services Council, 1981-83
Central Kansas Foundation, 1994-94
COMCARE of Sedgwick County, 1994-95
Substance Abuse Center of Kansas, 1995-Current

Philosophy statement of the nominee on the future of NAADAC:
No statement submitted.

Other qualifications of the nominee for this office:
Affiliations
Employee Assistance Program Association
International Critical Stress Incident Foundation
Kansas Association of Addiction Professionals
Kansas Alcohol And Drug Service Providers Association
National Association of Drug and Alcohol Counselors Special
State Task force: Kansas Re-Entry Project
Substance Abuse Policy Board (developed through legislation) which has just turned in a report to the Kansas legislature on the multiple DUI issue and recommendations for changing law.

Qualifications
SRS Addiction & Prevention Services Certification
KAAP Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor 3
NAADAC Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor 3
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Specialist
Outcomes Training
Grant Writing and Resource Management Training

Community Involvement
Butler County College Adjunct Instructor
Hutchinson Area SRS Youth In Need Of Community Services
Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center Operations Board
Sedgwick County Permanency Coordinating Council Operations Board
Substance Abuse Treatment Standards Work Group
Wichita Area SRS Youth In Need Of Community Services


Southeast Regional Vice President (Represents Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina & Tennessee)
Nominee: Katherine Turcotte
Credentials: ICADC, NCAC II
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Summarize the nominee’s activities:
Katherine has been an alcohol/drug abuse counselor for 30+ years. She received training at West Nebraska CDC and has worked in Albuquerque, N.M., Hattiesburg, Jackson and Vicksburg, Miss. She has been active in the fellowship of Alanon since 1975.

She has held the positions of family counselor, aftercare counselor, inpatient CD counselor and outpatient CD counselor.

Katherine has been the President of the Mississippi Association of Addiction Professionals (MAAP), has served as the certification chairperson for MAAP, is a certified CPM trainer and is an instructor for Mississippi Addiction Counselor Training (MACT).

Philosophy statement of the nominee on the future of NAADAC:
NAADAC can continue to be instrumental in upholding the standards of our profession. We must continue lobbying in Washington in order that our leaders are aware of the needs of our citizens who suffer from the deadly disease of addiction. NAADAC has a key role in assisting with the education of our counselors and assuring families of alcoholics and addicts that help is available to them.

Other qualifications of the nominee for this office:
Katherine received the following awards through MAAP: RT Douglas award, Hilda Denham award and was honored by having the Mississippi Counselor of the Year award being renamed the Katherine Turcotte Counselor of the Year award.

Retired from River Region, Marian Hill CDC in 2004, accepted position at St. Dominic hospital behavioral health CDC. Retired from St. Dominic hospital in 2007. Came out of retirement and returned to River Region, Marian Hill on a part time basis.


Southwest Regional Vice President (Represents Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada & Utah)
Nominee: Jerome L. Synold
Credentials: CAADAC II, MAC, CPS, CCS
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Summarize the nominee’s activities:
-Member for over 20 years
-Served as Regional Representative for NAADAC
-Speaker at the NAADAC Annual Conference in Las Vegas

Philosophy statement of the nominee on the future of NAADAC:
I would encourage the NAADAC Board of Directors to look at the special needs of some states and become more flexible in their approach towards them. I believe with some minor adjustments, state like California and Missouri could be encouraged to become active members. In the meantime, however, states that are active deserve the kind of support that only NAADAC can provide them. I would strongly support cooperation between ICRC and NAADAC National Certification Commission (NCC). I believe strongly that membership and certification should be well separated for consumer protection. I would encourage ICRC to accept the fine work of the NCC on their credentials and grandfather them into the crosswalk previously discussed by both parties. I encourage NAADAC and ICRC to agree to release the Shaw-Hoffman report for their members to review. I would hope that this report encourages NAADAC to take the bold and necessary move to unite the field for the good of all counselors and get out of the certification business. I would encourage the experienced and dedicated NAADAC leadership to listen to the feedback from members on what is important to them. I believe undeniably that counselors feel that one national credentialing board would only benefit them and their careers.

Other qualifications of the nominee for this office:
-Directed large, 250 bed treatment facility for the Navy for over ten years.
-Did special planning for a variety of research and initiatives for worldwide programs.
-Over 25 years of administrative and clinical experience.
-Served on numerous volunteer boards in the substance abuse field.
Coordinator and instructor for the University of California, San Diego’s drug and alcohol certification program.
-Conducted compliance reviews of drug and alcohol counselor education programs for the state of California’s CACO.
-Department Head for the past ten years of the Navy drug and alcohol counselors school and the Navy’s Certification and Contracts Division. This includes the monitoring of a contract to provide clinical supervision to treatment programs worldwide.
-Supported the development of certification standards and counselor curriculum in Australia, Russia and South Africa.
-Awards include being inducted into the California Counselor Hall of Fame, the James Fulton Award and the George C. Cobbs Service Award.