Roberta Garson Leis, M.P.A., M.Ed.
Roberta Garson Leis, M.P.A., M.Ed., played an integral role in establishing the first Drug Court in New England, in MA, and has been involved in the national Drug Court movement since 1992. From 2012-2022 she was Executive Director of the New England Association of Recovery Court Professionals, where she had been the past president. She has been a consultant for the MA Trial Court and their Center of Excellence for Specialty Courts at UMASS Medical School. She is a consultant for Advocates for Human Potential (AHP), where she helped to design and implement the first drug court grant that was awarded to MA Bureau of Substance Addiction Services by Bureau of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice funded statewide Drug Court project. She is also a consultant for the National Center for RSAT (National Center of the BJA Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program) based at AHP. She served as senior staff of Join Together, where she worked from 1991–2010. Join Together was a national program funded primarily by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), based at Boston University School of Public Health, that helped communities throughout the country prevent and reduce alcohol and drug problems. She was on Governor Michael Dukakis’ staff as executive director of the first Massachusetts Governor’s Alliance Against Drugs, a high profile, effective statewide program that became a national model. She received her MPA from Harvard University, her MEd from Tufts University and her BA from Vassar College.
- Partnership, Sponsorships and Fund Development
- Policy Development
- Strategic Planning
- Organizational development
- Association management and leadership; board /staff governance
- Project Management
- Conference, program planning and implementation
- Peer to Peer technical assistance
- Creating How To manuals, drafting articles and other written material and documents
- Example of conference and program implementation, including speakers, sponsors, content and overall project management: https://nearcp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/NEARCP_2022_brochure_PROD.pdf
- Presentations about drug courts at universities including Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Example: The Opioid crisis- Aligning Public Health and Law Enforcement, from a Drug Court Perspective, April 2018, Harvard Kennedy School
- Presenter on Substance Abuse Prevention and Drug Courts for State Department consulates in Brazil and in Vienna, Austria
- Presentation at the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati
- Workshops at NADCP conferences
- An author of “National Policy Panel reports: Join Together, “Ending Discrimination Against People with Alcohol and Drug Problems” and “Join Together Blueprint for the States: Policies to Improve the Ways States Organize and Deliver Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Treatment.”
- “Preventing Underage Drinking: Getting to Outcomes with the SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework to Achieve Results.” Co-authors Wandersman, Imm, Chinman, Leis, Rosenbloom, Guckenburg, Shah shared 2008 Outstanding Publication Award from American Evaluation Association with five other organizations
- “The Road from Addiction Recovery to Productivity: Ending Discrimination Against People with Alcohol and Drug Problems.” Co-authors Leis, Rosenbloom, Family Court Review, published April 2009.
- HBO’s “Addiction” series led to 100 events held in 34 states, 500 house parties, and major city premieres. HBO received the Governor’s Emmy award at the Academy Awards. Co-wrote and published guide to the HBO documentaries. Worked with NIDA on this series and publications.
- Massachusetts Bar Association’s Drug Policy Task Force
- Substance Abuse Mental Health Agency Center For Substance Abuse Treatment, Recovery Month Advisory Group
- Framingham League of Woman Voters, former president
- MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation, first grant Distribution Committee
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Developing Leadership in Substance Abuse, selected as mentor
- Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, founder and Board member
- SAMHSA Northeast CAPT leadership award
- Maine Treatment Courts recognition award
- National Multidisciplinary Cannabis Symposium, planning partner
Click here to download her full resume.
