Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator, Charles Curie, announced the appointment of three new members to the SAMHSA National Advisory Council. SAMHSA's National Advisory Council is charged with advising, consulting, and making recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the Administrator of SAMSHA, concerning activities carried out by and through the agency.

The new members on the council are:

James R. "Duke" Aiona, Jr., is Hawaii's lieutenant governor. He has previously served on the Corrections Population Management Commission and the Advisory Committee of the Hawaii Drug Court. After being elected into office in 2002, he quickly set the tone for his new administration by immediately addressing the issues of public safety to include substance abuse and other Native Hawaiian issues such as health, education and federal recognition.

Columba Bush, First Lady of Florida, dedicates her time and energy to promoting a variety of issues including substance abuse prevention and art appreciation and education among Florida's youth. She is also a board member of the Columbia University's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), a resource institution on the prevention of substance abuse. She is also on the Board of Phoenix House, which is devoted to the treatment of prevention of substance abuse.

Kenneth D. Stark has worked in the substance and alcohol field since 1971. He is served as a consultant and educator on alcohol and drug issues. He has managed the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse within the Department of Social and Health Services since 1988. He previously served on SAMHSA's National Committee for Women's Services.

Retiring from the council are Pablo Hernandez, M.D., former administrator, Wyoming Department of Health and Administrator of the Wyoming State Hospital, and Jane C. Maxwell, Ph.D., a research scientist at the Center for Social Work Research at the University of Texas at Austin.

Source: SAMSHA News Release