Drug Abuse Prevention Agency Gets New Director

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Charles Curie announced in April that Beverly Watts Davis will take the helm of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) early this summer.

CSAP, one of SAMHSA’s three centers, works in partnership with federal agencies, state and local governments, and public and private sector organizations to prevent the onset of illegal drug use, alcohol abuse, and tobacco use by fostering resilience among youth and promoting protective factors within communities.

Watts Davis has worked in the substance abuse field since 1988. She is currently the senior executive vice president of United Way in San Antonio, Tex., and executive director of the San Antonio Fighting Back Anti-Drug Community Coalition.

Watts Davis has an extensive background in managing multisite community grant programs and comprehensive prevention and early intervention treatment programs for children and adolescents, ethnic minorities, pregnant and postpartum women, and ex-prisoners reentering society.

Curie praised her “proven leadership and extensive experience in community mobilization,” calling it pivotal as the center moves to design and implement a strategic framework for prevention at the community level throughout the nation.

More information on CSAP is posted on its Web site at www.samhsa.gov/centers/csap/csap.html. ▪