RODGER MCDANIEL SELECTED TO LEAD WYOMING SUBSTANCE ABUSE DIVISION Note to broadcast media: An actuality (MP3 format) of the governor is attached (governor_mcdaniel_appointment.mp3, 8 seconds). CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Longtime Wyoming leader Rodger McDaniel is poised to tackle methamphetamine and other state issues when he takes over administering the Wyoming Substance Abuse Division. McDaniel has served as the director of the Wyoming Department of Family Services since 2003. He was a consultant with the Wyoming Department of Health Substance Abuse Division from 1999 until December of 2002 and is the co-author of the state plan for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and addiction. In his new role, McDaniel will be deputy director of the Wyoming Department of Health and administrator of the department’s Substance Abuse Division. The division’s mission is to assist communities in Wyoming to change attitudes and behaviors about the use and abuse of both legal and illegal substance (drugs, alcohol and tobacco) by helping communities to develop and implement programs to prevent use of all substances by minors, prevent use of illegal substances by adults and treat substance misuse, abuse and addiction. “I have a great passion for this work,” said McDaniel, 58. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the governor in meeting this challenge.” The Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers awarded McDaniel its Distinguished Service Award for that consulting work in 2002. In March of that year, former Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer appointed Rodger to the Board of Parole and a year later, Freudenthal named him director of the Department of Family Services, the state agency that administers child welfare and poverty programs. In 2006, McDaniel was awarded the “Knighthood of the Child” by Prevent Child Abuse Wyoming for his efforts to improve the child welfare system. He also serves as the chair of the Governor’s Advisory Board on Substance Abuse and Violent Crime. “Rodger has done a great job at DFS,” Freudenthal said. “We need someone of his talent, energy and experience to drive the evolution of our substance abuse programs.” McDaniel was elected to the Wyoming Legislature at age 22 in 1970 and served 10 years (1971-81). He received a law degree from the University of Wyoming in 1980 and, in 1982, was the Democratic Party nominee for the U.S. Senate. In 1992, McDaniel and his wife, Pat, took their family to Nicaragua where they served as the national directors for Habitat for Humanity operations for a year. When they returned to Wyoming, McDaniel resumed his law practice. In 1996, he enrolled in the seminary and was awarded a Masters of Divinity degree with honors from the Iliff School of Theology, a Methodist seminary in Denver. He was ordained as a minister in 1999. In January 2005, McDaniel was named by the Iliff Alumnae Association as “Outstanding Alumnus.” He is a fellow of the Cathedral College at National Cathedral in Washington, DC. “There is great urgency about this work,” McDaniel said. “Wyoming’s substance abuse problems impact every part of the state and every segment of the economy and state services. My priorities will be to support and encourage community initiatives, to restructure services to open more doors to effective treatment and to complete the work of implementing a coordinated substance abuse control plan among state agencies.” Dr. Brent Sherard, director of the Wyoming Department of Health, said he greatly looks forward to working with McDaniel. “He has been one of the stalwarts and leaders in substance abuse in Wyoming, and his forward thinking and direction will benefit all of the citizens of Wyoming,” Sherard said.

Handel began working with several juvenile detention facilities and the Montana Board of Crime Control in September to implement RiteTrack statewide. These Montana agencies will use RiteTrack to not only provide for the state’s informational needs in fulfilling federal OJJDP (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) compliance, but several of the sites will also use it for internal intake, assessments, incident reporting and juvenile monitoring. From Billings to Great Falls to Chinook, RiteTrack will be instrumental in realizing Montana’s vision of better individual and facility management of juvenile offenders.

Handel began working with Third Way Center in Denver, CO in June. Third Way Center operates four residential treatment facilities including a community-based residential treatment center, independent living program, a teen mother program and an accredited alternative high school. Third Way Center uses RiteTrack to manage their daily census at their different sites and record group attendance and notes, clinical notes, transfers between facilities and discharge planning. RiteTrack also aids in tracking per-diem and per-service billing in accordance with the state of Colorado’s new requirements for residential treatment centers. Third Way Center has been providing critical services to the Denver community for 35 years, and Handel is proud to be a part of their team.