The Johnson Institute (JI), one of America’s leading organizations advancing addiction recovery, has named former Milwaukee County Supervisor and veteran leader in the addiction recovery field Rev. Dr. James White as its new President.
A leading political and community leader in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rev. Dr. White is an ordained minister, veteran addictions recovery counselor, program manager and three-term Milwaukee County Supervisor.
“We are at a special point in time when a number of movements are coming together to affect change in how America responds to problems with alcohol and other drugs. There is a movement to establish evidence-based practices. There is a movement to maximize faith-based initiatives. There are major advances in brain chemistry. And there is the tremendous growth in the movement of people in recovery, their families, and allies to put faces and voices around the demonstration that recovery and healing happens,” said Rev. Dr. James White.
Rev. Dr. White will replace retiring CEO, Johnny W. Allem. Allem will continue as President Emeritus on a part-time basis.
“Bringing James White on as our President is a great transition for our programs and the thousands of people we serve across America. He brings skills as an organizer and passion as a leader and teacher,” said Mike Sime, Board Chair of the Johnson Institute.
For over forty years, the Johnson Institute has pioneered in better practices and better policies for addiction prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery. Vernon Johnson, an Episcopal priest in recovery from alcoholism, founded the Johnson Institute in 1966 to demonstrate that early intervention in the disease of addiction is successful.
Dr. Johnson and his colleagues created and taught intervention technology to thousands of counselors and related professionals throughout America and the world. His work contributed to the wide recognition of the Minnesota Model of treatment, Employee Assistance Programs, and school-based Student Assistant Programs.
With the sharp reduction of professional care that characterized the 1990s, the Johnson Institute focused on barriers to appropriate and timely intervention and treatment. The Institute helped funded the organization of Faces and Voices of Recovery, a national umbrella service organization for recovery community organizations.
JI then launched the Recovery Ambassadors Program, training members of the recovery community in practical organization skills. To date, more than 2200 leaders have been trained in 51 one-day workshops.
In 2002, the Johnson Institute introduced the acclaimed Faith Partners congregational team model now used by more than 17 faiths and denominations to equip people of faith to educate, assist, and support the process and people of recovery.
“I have been pleased to be associated as a volunteer and participant in many Johnson Institute programs, especially Faith Partners, which I helped co-found with Trish Merrill years ago. The congregational team ministry has seen major acceptance in recent years and has 17 major faith traditions participating. I believe we are ready for major expansion of this program to congregations throughout America,” said Rev. Dr. White.
Rev. Dr. White will manage the full line of Johnson Institute programs, products and events. Including:
Faith Partners – a national program to establish congregation teams and equip people of faith to educate and assist all phases of recovery: awareness, prevention, intervention, referral assistance and honoring people in successful recovery.
Recovery Ambassadors – a leadership training program preparing grassroots leaders in the recovery community to organize, plan and conduct education and advocacy efforts on behalf of addiction recovery.
The National Forum – a bi-annual mini-conference of leaders from all national agencies with a stake in addiction disease and recovery – private and public. Since 1995, these forums have served over fifty agencies with key science presentations and a networking event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Publishing – a variety of classic Johnson Institute texts, current advocacy and education texts and the periodical Faith Partners Journal.
American Honors Recovery Luncheon – an annual celebration during Recovery Month that honors six Americans who have used their recovery experience to advance the opportunities for recovery in the future.
“The Johnson Institute has been at the center of many initiatives that advance the possibility of recovery and I cherish this opportunity to lead us to yet another level,” said Rev. Dr. James White.
Dr. White is a graduate (cum laude) of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He organized community coalitions and initiatives in prevention and treatment from 1985 to 1996, including working with the Fighting Bank Initiative. He was chairman and executive director of the Milwaukee Coalition Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
During his political career as Milwaukee County Supervisor, he chaired the Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee with oversight for Milwaukee’s two airports, its mass transit system, and the regional highway commission.