Susan B. Blacksher, M.S.W. has made extensive contributions over the last 56 years as a public servant, policy advisor and implementer, lecturer, and community activist in substance abuse and addictions field. Over the first 10 years Susan directed community services including recovery homes, a detoxification center and an outpatient center. She also served the State of California as a Parole Officer who carried a caseload for 1 year while designing a detoxification center for parolees. The next 17 years Ms. Blacksher advocated for and established extensive women’s services. During her tenure with the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs Susan established the first Alcohol Related Birth Defects statewide committee and was instrumental in establishing over 23 new programs for women that predominantly responded to the needs of ethnic minorities and underserved women. She also worked closely with Betty Ford to write regulations for Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospitals. She was one of the designers and served as one of the first public members of the Impaired Physicians Program. Additional public service includes 5 years as Alcohol Program Administrator for Sacramento County, 13 years as Deputy Director for the Alcohol Program of the State of California. Following her retirement from the State in 1991 she served as Executive Director of the California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources (CAARR) where she advocated for social model programs and liaised with government and related agencies. She also had management responsibility for several community programs including Gateway Foundation, a residential program for women and Sacramento Recovery House, a residential program for men. While at CAARR Susan built a strong fiscal base including the award of multiple contracts and grants. She designed and implemented the successful CAARR Institute that enables individuals from all over the state to achieve the necessary education for certification. She served as Executive Director of CAARR for 23 years until 2014 when she became the first CEO of the newly formed California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP). She retired from CCAPP in 2015 but continues as Executive Director of Sacramento Recovery House, Inc. providing residential services for men and women in separate facilities around the Sacramento area. Susan serves on numerous boards and commissions and has received a multitude of awards and citations including being one of the first six Americans to receive the inaugural “America Honors Recovery Award” from the prestigious Johnson Institute.