John C. Maxwell Leadership Award

Among Top 100 Nominees for National Leadership Award
Across all of the following fields:

  Family/Youth

For his over three decades of committed leadership, profound contribution to multiple fields and life-changing service to youth and families, I believe Ted N. Strader deserves to be recognized with a John C. Maxwell Leadership Award. His 30 + year history of service to youth and families began as a local effort to prevent paint sniffing among youth, and grew into the nationally recognized prevention agency, Council on Prevention and Education: Substances (COPES). His legacy includes leading an effort that successfully integrated a K-12 substance abuse prevention curriculum in both the local public and Catholic school systems. Most profoundly, the Creating Lasting Family Connections® (CLFC) Curriculum Series he developed is now in use in all 50 states, the US Territories, and in several other countries. Those involved in his programs have consistently showed significant increases in 9 crucial relationship skills. His curriculum series has also received an unprecedented 4 Exemplary Awards from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)’s National Prevention Network and three separate listings on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP).

Below you will find selected comments provided to the Maxwell Nominations Team from other national/local experts, professionals and CLFC program participants:

Ellen Morehouse, LCSW, CASAC, CPP
Ted has dedicated himself to developing extremely effective evidence based programs for youth and all that are in a position to help them. He is a leader in the substance abuse prevention field and provided extensive consultation to government decision makers on how to best help youth. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award.

Chris Stewart, MD
Ted Strader’s influence on the understanding of addiction and that there can even be a prevention approach is very significant. Many of the ideas about addiction and the family are now taken for granted, but weren’t always appreciated on how important they were in the etiology and pathology of this illness. As a training director of an ACGME accredited addiction psychiatry training program, I am grateful for his work which strongly reminds the entire addiction community about the importance of attachment in relationships, where without his work I am afraid that the emphasis in training would be further imbalanced towards categorical and medication based treatments that fall very short. Instead of just being a good idea or a consensus, he has brought to the field with his lifetime of work real evidence about these principles, where many people might have been satisfied to work with a population helping as many people as they could, he not only has done that, but shaped an entire generation thru research, clinical work, data, and publications that are used worldwide. Being an effective communicator along with a world class leader in addiction prevention, I sincerely hope he continues to provide outstanding leadership in our field. I sincerely hope that he is given this recognition that he certainly deserves!

Nancye Campbell
I have known Ted for a relatively short time. It is his dedication to evidence of program effectiveness that led our paths to cross. He embraces and leads by example the need to collect the right data to help ensure that the programs and services he and his team are providing are actually making a difference – and when the evidence says otherwise, to follow the data and institute change. He is not afraid to put his programs “to the test” of rigorous evaluation to ensure his funders and, most importantly, program participants that they are getting the best he and his team can provide.

Jeannie Waldridge, CADC, Kentucky Department of Corrections
Ted and his staff have done an outstanding job working with our offenders. Ted has a keen understanding on giving the offenders what they need to hear and delivering it in a manner that they are able to digest and comprehend. Our 9 year partnership has been beneficial for our Offenders and our Department. Ted is team player and a good partner.

Stephen E. Gardner
Ted Strader is a man of principle and action, an idealist yet a realist. He is highly devoted to doing the right thing and has always demonstrated great vision and perseverance. He is not hesitant to express his views and demonstrate his principles in the face of those initially not inclined to share his perspective. I have gain these perspectives about Ted in my role as a Federal official working in the area of substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion.

Denny Crum, Retired U of L Basketball Coach
What a tremendous honor for Ted to be nominated for this award, and I just want to say how proud I am of his work, and to know Ted, and to have benefited with my players from his knowledge and dedication. I’ve known Ted personally for decades, but I teamed up with him in the early 1980’s to develop a comprehensive substance abuse prevention and intervention program for student athletes. We used it with our team initially, but it eventually was adapted for and adopted by all male and female athletes at the University of Louisville. And it wasn’t long before other schools imitated what Ted had developed… what can you say, it works! I felt our efforts definitely made a difference for my 1986 national championship team, and continued to use his programs successfully for more than 15 years. Ted dedication to young people and substance abuse prevention is unprecedented in my opinion and now he is putting that same passion into programs benefiting and creating healthy families and for people adjusting to life after incarceration. Congratulations and good luck Ted!

Nigel Vann
Ted is an emerging leader in the Responsible Fatherhood field. Over the last 7 years, he has bullt on lessons learned from his work in various areas to expand the COPES approach to work in the areas of Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Marriage and show how his approach can contribute to the strengthening of families across the country.

Patrick McKiernan, Ph.D.
I have had the privilege of working with Ted Strader for thirty years. Through his contributions to substance abuse prevention and treatment countless individuals and families experience recovery from addiction. Ted’s visionary style accompanied with good old fashioned hard work led to the adaption of CLFC to meet the needs of diverse populations. Driven by his belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to recover from the devastation caused by addiction Ted Strader carries a message of hope. In a time where vanishing resources plague our communities Ted found a way to deliver assistance to the impoverished, incarcerated, and disenfranchised. Further he embraces this challenge with fervor finding partners to ensure delivery of high quality services. Ted Strader exemplifies the notion that a true leader treats those that need help the most with dignity and respect expressing gratitude for his opportunity to serve. We need more leaders like Ted Strader compassionate, intelligent, courageous, and committed.

Christopher Kokoski
When Ted N. Strader started in the field of substance abuse prevention over 30 years ago, there were no positive results in the prevention literature in the world. After years of diligent study, faithful practice and personal and professional experience serving youth and families, he developed world-renowned programming that not only demonstrated scientific evidence of positive behavioral change in substance abuse, but also across the diverse fields of violence prevention, prison reentry, substance abuse recovery, fatherhood, marriage enhancement and family strengthening. These profound results are now demonstrated and documented in the literature. This deep and broad leadership is why I nominated Ted for a John C. Maxwell Leadership Award.

Carlos Torrado
Mr. Starter go is simply put an amazing human being. He is wise and humble at the same time, qualities that are rarely combined in one single soul. He has my full support as he has supported my own leadership in Puerto Rico in finding ways to have Puerto Rican families grow stronger ties of love and prevent underage drinking. My most heartfelt respect for the man as well as the entrepreneur.

Donatus Weobong
I am honored to add my comment regarding Ted’s nomination for the John Maxwell Leadership Award. I first met Ted when he visited Ghana, West Africa in the late 80’s. He has been instrumental in helping my people in Ghana and around the world strengthen communities and enrich lives. A selfless individual, Ted examples the very essence of servant leadership. I think the John Maxwell awards will certainly be recognition of the immense contributions of Mr. Strader to making our world just a little bit brighter. Please allow me to humbly ask members of the award committee to give Ted N. Strader consideration for this award.

Jennifer L. Baker, PsyD LMFT
We were pleased when Ted Strader agreed to be one of our plenary speakers at the Mental Health and Corrections Conference 2014. Our theme, Upsetting the Status Quo: New perspectives on Corrections, Reentry and Recidivism, was a perfect fit for the outstanding work Ted has done to create lasting change with the formerly incarcerated, their families and the community at large. This kind of influence does not come without years of hard work and dogged determination. How fortunate we all are to have Mr. Strader as a leader in serving youth and families.

Adela Santana
I have had the privilege to work with Ted and the COPES program through the SAMHSA’s Service to Science Initiative. Through his leadership and dedicated efforts, he has greatly contributed to the field of substance abuse prevention. I strongly support Ted Strader as a recipient of this award.

Bernice Smoot, Saint Wall Street
Ted Strader is a “can-do” force for positive social change. His energy is unending, his knowledge far-reaching, and his commitment unwavering. I believe he epitomizes the success principles espoused by John Maxwell.

Michael L Osborne – CLFC Program Participant
I received Ted’s Fatherhood program while in the Jefferson County Jail. At first I didn’t think the class was going to be helpful to me, but after completing the class I realize how much of a difference it made in my life. I try to apply the tools that were given to me by Ted in my everyday life. My son is 21 years of age and the things that I learned through the Fatherhood Program have helped improve our relationship. My main problem in the past was telling him “No” and not feeling bad about it afterwards. After the class I am able to tell him “no” because I love him. I explained the class to him and he has accepted the new ways that I communicate and sees my trying to change. While I was incarcerated, my daughter overdosed on heroin. I wish I could have gotten this class sooner and applied it to my daughter’s life to help her. She would be here with me today. I am grateful to have met Ted and his whole staff. Today I am a different person thanks to what they taught me. I love the new me! I suggest that anyone who has the chance should take the program.

See additional testimonials.

COPES, Inc. Social Media Links

	http://www.linkedin.com/company/copes-inc-?trk=top_nav_home
	https://twitter.com/COPESInc
	https://www.facebook.com/pages/COPES-Council-on-Prevention-Education-Substances-Inc/246829665457253

Executive Director (Ted N. Strader) Social Media Links

	http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ted-n-strader/70/856/22a
	https://twitter.com/tnstrader
	https://www.facebook.com/tnstrader