Date: 2008-05-06
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the selection of Frances M. Harding as director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). “Fran is recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts in the field of drug and alcohol policy,’’ said SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the selection of Frances M. Harding as director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP).
“Fran is recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts in the field of drug and alcohol policy,’’ said SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D. "As CSAP director, she takes the helm of the federal center that is critical to advancing our nation’s progress in preventing substance abuse.”
Harding is currently 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 over the past 26 years.
“Fran brings the right mix of leadership and experience needed to help communities nationwide work together to change conditions within families, businesses, and schools,” Cline added. “Her expertise will help our nation drive down the rates of alcohol and drug use by young people.”
Over the years, Harding has 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 all fifty states’ alcohol and other drug prevention offices, and as New York state representative to the National Association of State Drug and Alcohol Directors, Inc., 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, Harding was appointed by the U.S. Department of Education 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. And most recently, in February 2008, she 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.
Harding is married to Robert M. Harding, an attorney in New York City. Fran and Bob have two daughters, Rachael, 21 and Madeline, 14.