SAMHSA recently announced the selection
of Frances M. Harding as Director of
the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
(CSAP).
Ms. Harding served as Associate
Commissioner of the Division of Prevention
and Recovery, New York State Office
of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.
She has worked for the state in positions
of increasing responsibility for 26
years.
Ms. Harding is recognized as one of
the Nation’s leading experts in the
field of drug and alcohol policy.
Over the years, she held numerous
national positions and received recognition
from her peers for her work, including
serving as president of the National
Prevention Network (NPN), an organization
representing alcohol
and other drug prevention offices in
all 50 states.
She also served as New York state
representative to the National Association
of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors,
where she served on the board of directors.
She received the prestigious 2004
Science to Practice Award from the
International Society for Prevention
Research.
In November 2006, the U.S. Department
of Education appointed Ms. Harding
to serve on the Review
Group for the Department’s
Higher Education Center for Alcohol
and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention.
This eight-member panel advised the
Department on the development and implementation
of effective alcohol and substance
abuse and violence prevention resources
for the Nation’s institutions
of higher education.
Most recently, in February 2008, Ms.
Harding was appointed to the Council
of Advisors for the Network Addressing
Collegiate Alcohol and Other Drug Issues,
a volunteer organization developed
by the U.S. Department of Education
in 1987.
Echoing SAMHSA’s vision of “a
life in the community for everyone,” CSAP’s
mission is to bring effective substance
abuse prevention to every community.
For more about the Center and its activities,
visit SAMHSA’s Web site at http://prevention.samhsa.gov.
