Past President, Warren Daniels

With this being my last President's Corner I have spent a number of hours pondering all the things I want to say about our organizational experience over the past two years, how I would frame it, make it impactful, and a worth while read. Then I remembered I just need to keep it simple and sensible so here goes!   I thought I would start off by saying thank you for this most wonderful and rewarding experience of representing you as your President. Together we have gained much ground in many areas. The one elusive thing I have not been successful in bringing home to you is licensure however we are in the greatest position we ever have been due to some of the decisions I made on your behalf. By retaining one of the top lobbying and law firms in the state and by convincing them that our profession and our clients needed a voice at the Capitol has given us a stature we have until now only sought and dreamed of. I am extremely hopeful that within this next legislative session we will be successful with our quest to be licensed professionals in California. I am also hopeful by our renewed relationship with CAADE and our joint legislative committee that I spearheaded to co-sponsor a mandated reporter bill which will include AODA Counselors as mandated reporters.

I am very proud of the relationships we have forged and created during my tenure. CAADAC is now appointed to the DADP Directors Advisory Council, and we have seats on a number of important DADP committee's. We have good working relationships with all the state certifying bodies, and numerous other state associations which are aligned with our mission. Our desire to unify addiction professionals in California is actually within our reach. Our work with the Counselor Certification Advisory Committee has greatly increased ethical standards for Counselors and once adopted by the state will easily be one of the greatest steps for consumer protection since licensing for facilities was adopted in the 1980's. I believe CAADAC has been the driving force behind this process for years. You'll remember that until a couple of years ago there were no mandated ethical standards and no mandated testing nor mandated work experience, all you needed to be a an AODA counselor was a clear TB test.

A "big" piece of the above is CAADAC successfully lobbied to DADP to require NOCA accreditation for all certifying organizations and was successful. Now we have been successful with that process in becoming accredited by the National Association of Accrediting Agencies (NCCA) the accrediting organization of NOCA. This was no small feat and I believe only accomplished because of the intelligence, knowledge, and tenacity of our Executive Director, Rhonda Messamore. Although we all believe the education and experience hours now required are dangerously to low for an individual to be called a "Counselor" we must remember to continue our call for consumer protection and higher standards. Please use the tools we have retained for your use on the website to contact our law makers and advocate for higher standards in our profession.

So I've talked with you about legislation, about advocacy, and now I want to speak about our organizational foundation, without it we will surely crumble beneath ourselves. During my tenure our number of members and certified individuals has doubled. I believe this is solely due to the career path CCB implemented, while I was Chairman, in 2001 and now revised in 2006. The latter has allowed us to create a registration and certification process and level of membership which compliments the natural transition of an individual from an entry level to a professional level as an addition professional.

We are fiscally strong, our office space is secure, we have upgraded and remodeling our offices which now include a Board room which will substantially save us resources through out the years as we create a stronger and stronger presence at the Capitol. We have upgraded our technology to be inline with the needs of our members. Along with all this we have a "super" competent staff attending to the membership, certification, and financial needs of the organization. I would also be remiss if I didn't thank Sherry Daley. Our Public Policy Coordinator, for her staunch support of our cause and willingness to mentor me for years.

Greatest of all my decisions during my tenure is to have hired Rhonda Messamore, whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude to for her willingness to leave a very lucrative position in Los Angeles and move to Sacramento based on her belief in me and our shared vision for CAADAC.

Two years ago we had minimal member benefits. Today each of you has access to benefits that if utilized will actually save you much more yearly then what you pay in annual dues. As a CAADAC member you have access to professional liability insurance through HPSO, you have access to health insurance, at group rates, with five health insurance carriers, you have access to dental, vision, and legal services at group rates as well. You now have access to reduced rates on automobile and home insurance through Liberty Mutual, a 10% discount on banking products through Wells Fargo, a 33% discount on Hertz Rental Cars, discounts from Accucare, client management software, and in the coming months you will be presented with additional member benefits, all designed to maximize your affiliation with CAADAC and provide you with an abundance of useful benefits that actually create more incentives to remain a member.

As I close this chapter in my book of service to CAADAC I want to leave you all with some things to ponder. The recent vote to "support continued affiliation" with NAADAC was within only 25 votes and leaves our leaders with an extremely difficult mandate to follow. I have insured they will now be guided by our attorneys so that your leaders can make the best informed decisions for you.

I implore you to remain active in your regions; this is the backbone of our organization. Please support and call for workforce development, increased educational programs for counselors, state health insurance parity for addiction professionals, and a diversion program for impaired professionals. Use the easy legislative tools which your organization has made available to you through your CAADAC website, and please do the due diligence necessary to send support letters for licensure to your identified legislators.

Lastly, my thanks to the Past Presidents who have mentored me, the current and past Officers and Board members who have served with me for their patience and partnership, and to the members of CAADAC, thank you again for this great opportunity to have served you as President. I look forward to seeing each of you out on the CAADAC Trail!

— Warren A. Daniels III, CADC II, CAADAC Past President