Former President Passes Torch to Mary Woods, RNC, LADC, MSHS and Other Newly Elected Members

For Immediate Release - Alexandria, VA

Donovan Kuehn
703-741-7686, ext. 125
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals, elected new leaders at the last Annual Conference at the Sunspree Resort in West Yellowstone, Montana. The former President, Roger Curtiss, passed the torch to Mary Woods, RNC, LADC, MSHS and other newly elected members including Dr. Sharon Morgillo Freeman, Ph.D, MSN, MAC, the President Elect, and Robert C. Richards, MA, CADC II, NCACII, the Northwest Regional Vice President.

Mary Woods, a member of NAADAC since 1984, previously served as NAADAC's Northeast Regional Vice President. She received the Courage to Change Award, the highest award bestowed by Serenity Place, a New Hampshire-based emergency detox center, in October of 2003. Woods was a recipient of the Senator Harold Hughes Advocate of the Year award in 1998. As the Professional Development Chairperson and President, Woods was an active member of the New Hampshire Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NHAADAC) from 1992 to 1998. Her vision is for NAADAC to "become a leader in the resolution of workforce issues. We will continue to advocate for treatment, parity and other legislative issues and we will develop strong regional leadership."

Dr. Sharon Morgillo Freeman is from Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is an Advanced Practice Clinical Nurse Specialist and a certified cognitive therapist. Sharon holds a Ph.D. in Sociology as well as two master's degrees in Psychology Advanced Practice and Psychiatric Nursing. Dr. Freeman serves on Steering Committees of the Northeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center and the Practice Improvement Collaborative, a division of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration office of the U.S. National Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Freeman, as President Elect, plans to strengthen the organization through the "continuation and development of our current mission as the premier global organization of addiction-focused professionals and through expansion, increased coordination and support of our national affiliates."

Robert Richards, a member of NAADAC for the past 15 years, is from Eugene, Oregon and is the President of Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors of Oregon (AADACO), the Oregon affiliate of NAADAC. He has been a board member of AADACO for the past seven years and a NAADAC Board member the last four years. Richards was the past president of Oregon Detox Providers Association and is currently the Director of the Buckley Center in Eugene, Oregon. When asked about his aspirations for NAADAC he said, "I plan to work with state presidents to increase collaboration, coordinate joint and regional conferences, and to coordinate efforts to increase NAADAC membership throughout the Northwest."