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TREATMENT ADVOCACY CENTER LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Mary Zdanowicz laid groundwork for nonprofit's continued success

ARLINGTON, VA – The Treatment Advocacy Center has launched a nationwide search for an executive director following the resignation of its current executive director, announced board president Dr. E. Fuller Torrey today.

TAC’s assistant director Jonathan Stanley will be the acting executive director effective July 28, 2007.

The Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) is a national nonprofit dedicated to removing barriers to timely and effective treatment of severe mental illnesses.

“The Treatment Advocacy Center has been very fortunate to have Mary Zdanowicz’s strong leadership for the past nine years,” said Dr. Torrey. “Mary guided TAC through its infancy and laid the groundwork for TAC’s many victories. Today TAC is a well-respected advocacy organization that has played a major role in influencing positive changes in mental illness treatment laws, policies and attitudes.”

Over the past nine years, TAC has been involved in reforming treatment laws in 17 states, including Kendra’s Law in New York, now hailed as a national model for assisted outpatient treatment, a way to court order someone with severe mental illness who is too ill to recognize they need help into community-based treatment. And TAC is now a force to be reckoned with in the national media, drawing coverage from national and local media outlets alike, its messages reaching an estimated 79 million people through the press in 2006 alone.

Zdanowicz is returning to work in the environmental field, where she spent most of her career before joining TAC. “The change will enable me to more effectively care for my two siblings who suffer from schizophrenia,” said Zdanowicz, who remains passionate about the issues TAC addresses. “I am sad to leave the Treatment Advocacy Center but proud of what we have accomplished so far, from improving laws to changing minds. We have succeeded in bringing real hope to families who suffer the most extreme consequences of untreated mental illnesses,” said Zdanowicz. “I am certain TAC will continue making a profound difference in the lives of a group of people many other mental health advocacy organizations find it easier to ignore.”

During Zdanowicz’ tenure, the American Psychiatric Association awarded TAC its Presidential Commendation, noting in part that TAC’s “unique advocacy is restoring the important balance between individual freedom and caring coercion."  And this past month, TAC earned a prestigious 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, a testament to the organization’s strong fiscal responsibility.

“The staff and board are grateful to Mary for her years of service and wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors,” said Dr. Torrey. “The general reluctance of other mental illness organizations to address issues surrounding the need for assisted outpatient treatment means the Treatment Advocacy Center is the only organization focused on this critical issue. I am supremely confident in our staff and board and look forward to continuing the fight for treatment.”

The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illnesses. TAC promotes laws, policies and practices for the delivery of psychiatric care and supports the development of innovative treatments for and research into the causes of severe and persistent psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. TAC takes no money from pharmaceutical companies.

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