Reclaiming Futures Names New National Director

As we announced last June, Laura Nissen, the national director of the Reclaiming Futures initiative since its inception more than 10 years ago, will be stepping down. After a national search, we're proud to announce that Susan J. Richardson, of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in North Carolina, will take the reins as of June 1, 2011. 
Using the magic of the internet, we were able to get a brief video introduction from Susan herself:
 

 
"Susan Richardson has the right mix of skills, talents and experiences Reclaiming Futures needs in its next leader," says Kristin Schubert, program officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which launched Reclaiming Futures in 2002 in order to reinvent how juvenile courts address drug and alcohol problems. "We are thrilled that she has accepted the position."

Richardson is a senior program officer in the health care division of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has led a three-year effort involving the state’s juvenile justice and treatment leaders that resulted in the adoption of the Reclaiming Futures model by juvenile courts in six North Carolina counties.
“Susan’s work — and especially the terrific partnerships she built among North Carolina’s public agencies, foundations, and community organizations — offers a roadmap for how Reclaiming Futures can spread its model across the country," says Karen McNeil-Miller, president of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. "While we hate to lose Susan, she is the perfect person for this role. We look forward to working with her to promote the adoption of Reclaiming Futures by all of North Carolina’s juvenile courts and sharing what we’ve learned with other states."
Laura Nissen, an associate professor at Portland State University's School of School Work, plans to return to teaching and research and also will consult with Reclaiming Futures.
"Reclaiming Futures has benefited immensely from Laura's remarkable creativity, leadership and innovation," says Schubert. "Reclaiming Futures not only offers more treatment, and better treatment, it also recognizes that teens with drug and alcohol problems need help finishing school, finding a job and connecting with a mentor."
"Connecting these critical relationships between our health and our homes, schools, jobs and communities helps to improve the health of all Americans," says Schubert. "We are grateful for Laura’s extraordinary service and wish her well."
>>Full press release here.