The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) has named Elizabeth R. Currier as the Marty Mann Founder's Award recipient for 2012. The award will be presented during the NCADD 2012 Conference of Affiliates to be held October 24-26 in New Orleans, LA.

Elizabeth Currier (Betty) enjoys 36 years of sustained recovery from addiction. It was her own struggle with alcohol that led her to become a co-founder of the LEAF Council on Alcoholism and Addictions in 1982 and to affiliate that agency with NCADD. LEAF, Inc. serves as the local agency that provides education, information and referrals on the disease of addiction and is now in its 30th year of operations.

During her tenure as Executive Director of LEAF, Ms. Currier received a New York Woman of Distinction Award from State Senator James Seward, as well as many other honors and awards for her work in the field of addiction. In the 1990's, Betty served for six years as President of the Council on Addiction of New York State (CANYS), New York's State Affiliate of NCADD.

She has been integral in providing support and training to many local Addiction Councils in counties around New York State and has been a standard bearer for the legacy of Mrs. Marty Mann and of NCADD.

While serving as the Executive Director of LEAF, Betty spearheaded the founding of Friends of Recovery of Otsego and Delaware Counties, a grassroots recovery community organization. She helped to secure the property for a two-county recovery center, The Turning Point, along with public and private funding to revitalize that property. There are now Turning Point recovery centers in both Oneonta and Delhi, serving residents of both counties. Each week, these two centers provide services and meeting space to hundreds of people affected by addictions.

These days, Betty can often be heard saying, "I'm not retired, I'm rewired." She has tirelessly sought to educate the public about the disease of addiction as a treatable and preventable condition from which people can and do recover. Her resume as a champion of addiction education, prevention, treatment and recovery continues to grow. Ms. Currier is a founding Board member of the national Faces and Voice of Recovery (FAVOR) and served as the Northeast Regional Representative of that Board. She also is a 2008 "America Honors Recovery" Honoree from the former Johnson Institute. Betty is a founding member of Friends of Recovery, New York (FOR-NY) and has diligently worked to keep the needs of recovery services at the forefront of New York State and Federal funding decisions. Betty is a nationally recognized advocate for Recovery Coaching, rising to the level of Master Trainer for the Recovery Coach Academy.

The NCADD Mary Mann Founder's Award honors individuals of national prominence in the field of alcoholism and drug dependence whose life work strongly reflects the energy, dedication and focus exemplified by NCADD's founder, Mrs. Marty Mann. The award recognizes at least 10 years of exceptional contributions to public and professional education about alcoholism and other drug problems as treatable and preventable conditions and as major public health concerns. NCADD Marty Mann Founder's Award honors Life Achievement.

Over the years, The NCADD Marty Mann Founder's Award has honored many extraordinary leaders in our field including: Stanley Gitlow, MD, Sally & David Brown, William G. Borchert, Mark L. Willenbring, MD, Adele C. Smithers, Veronica Uss, Sheila B. Blume, MD, Jean Kilbourne, EdD, Jasper Chen See, MD, Geraldine O. Delaney, LeClair Bissell, MD, James E. Royce, SJ, PhD, George A. Mann, MD and others.

To read more about NCADD's Awards and Recognition, please click here.