U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL

ERIC HOLDER


Eric H. Holder, Jr. was sworn in as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States on February 3, 2009 by Vice President Joe Biden.

In 1997, Mr. Holder was named by President Clinton to be the Deputy Attorney General, the first African-American named to that post. Prior to that he served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. In 1988, Mr. Holder was nominated by President Reagan to become an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Mr. Holder, a native of New York City, attended public schools there, graduating from Stuyvesant High School where he earned a Regents Scholarship. He attended Columbia College, majored in American History, and graduated in 1973. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1976.

While in law school, he clerked at the N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense Fund and the Department of Justice's Criminal Division. Upon graduating, he moved to Washington and joined the Department of Justice as part of the Attorney General's Honors Program. He was assigned to the newly formed Public Integrity Section in 1976 and was tasked to investigate and prosecute official corruption on the local, state and federal levels. 


   

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY

DIRECTOR GIL KERLIKOWSKE


R. Gil Kerlikowske was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He was sworn in on May 7, 2009, as the Nation's sixth "Drug Czar." In his position, Mr. Kerlikowske coordinates all aspects of Federal drug control programs and implementation of the President's National Drug Control Strategy.

Mr. Kerlikowske brings 37 years of law enforcement and drug policy experience to the position. He most recently served 9 years as the Chief of Police for Seattle, Washington. When he left, crime was at its lowest point in 40 years.

He served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national organization that advocates for evidence-based programs that prevent youth from being involved in crime. He has also served on the advisory boards of the Salvation Army in Buffalo and Seattle, feeding the hungry and helping the homeless.

 

   

ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL

LAURIE O. ROBINSON


Laurie O. Robinson was sworn in as Assistant Attorney General on November 9, 2009. Ms. Robinson previously served as Assistant Attorney General at the Office of Justice Programs from 1993 to February, 2000. During that time, she oversaw the largest increase in federal spending on criminal justice research in the nation's history, and under her leadership the annual appropriations for OJP grew substantially - from $800 million in 1993 to over $4 billion in 2000. At the same time, she also spearheaded initiatives in areas ranging from comprehensive community-based crime control to violence against women, law enforcement technology, drug abuse and corrections.

Ms. Robinson served as Acting Assistant Attorney General and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of OJP from January 2009 until nominated by President Obama in September 2009. Since returning to the Department of Justice, she has overseen the implementation of the $2.7 billion in programs for which Congress assigned responsibility to OJP under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; launched a new agency-wide Evidence Integration Initiative to help ensure science-based approaches in OJP-funded programs; and held a series of "listening sessions" with state and local constituents to learn what OJP can do to better serve the field.

   

DENNY SEIWELL

Denny's first job took him to the famed Half Note Jazz club playing with the Zoot Sims/Al Cohn Quintet. From there a string of studio work which established him as the Big Apple's Premiere session Drummer.

Having played with the crËme de la crËme of the Jazz elite, Denny's Rock-n-Roll resume is no less envious, beginning with an invitation from Paul McCartney to move to London and become a founding member of the post-Beatles phenomenon "WINGS." Denny also toured with Wings playing on many of that era's biggest hits, "My Love" and the Oscar nominated "Live and Let Die" to name a few.

Denny's Signature Drumming can be heard on records by Art Garfunkel, James Brown, Astrud Gilberto, Deniece Williams, Janis Joplin's posthumus Farewell Song album, Billy Joel's "Cold Spring Harbor" and McCartney's "Ram", "Wildlife" and "Red Rose Speedway" albums.

While playing on some of LA's most prestigious TV and Film dates, his passion for music, his human spirit, his training and abilities have earned him the reputation as one of the industry's most respected drummers. 


   

RUBEN STUDDARD

Ruben Studdard is an American  pop, R&B, and gospel  singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol. He received a Grammy Award nomination in December 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Superstar."

In the years following Idol, Studdard has released four studio albums. In addition to appearing on various television shows he has toured with Robin Givens in the comedy-drama Heaven I Need a Hug and in 2008 accepted the role of Fats Waller in a national tour of Ain't Misbehavin'.


   

DR. HAROLD C. URSCHEL, III


Dr. Urschel is the founder/CEO of the Urschel Recovery Science Institute. He is also Chief Medical Strategist and Co-founder of EnterHealth, an addiction disease management company. He graduated from Princeton University for his undergraduate training and from U.T. Southwestern Medical School and the University of Pennsylvania for his graduate and medical training.

Most recently he has authored the book Healing the Addicted Brain.


   

FRANCINE WARD


Poverty, addiction, and hopelessness—this was her destiny.  Yet today, she's been called one of the most amazing examples of what is possible: lawyer, author, speaker, marathoner, advocate, & wife.  Francine Ward shares a message of strength, redemption, courage, resilience, and perseverance. Through stories, anecdotes, and facts she helps us see how recovery is possible when you do the work!

Francine Ward is the author of Esteemable Acts: 10 Actions for Building Real Sef-Esteem, 52 Weeks of Esteemable Acts:A Guide to Right Living, and The Staying Legal Guide to Copyright & Trademark Protection.



   

DAN GRIFFIN


Dan Griffin has worked for fifteen years in the mental health and addictions fields, and in the drug court field in Minnesota and nationally for the past eight years. He trained as a CD counselor at Hazelden. Dan is the author of A Man’s Way through the Twelve Steps (2009, Hazelden), the first holistic approach to sobriety for men. He is co-author of Helping Men Recover, the first trauma-informed curriculum written specifically to address men’s unique issues and needs (Jossey-Bass, Fall 2010). Dan lives in Minnesota with his wife and their daughter. He has been in long-term recovery for sixteen years.