Center for Excellence: Institute for Emerging Leaders in the Addiction Profession

We are currently at a crossroads where an extraordinarily large percentage of current leaders in the field of substance abuse treatment are approaching retirement. The identification and development of emerging leaders is essential for the continued success and survival of the field itself.

The Danya Institute’s Center for Excellence provides professional development for middle managers through a combination of approaches, which include:

• Evidence-based courses and seminars;
• Online training;
• Mentoring; and
• Completion of an interest-focused project

Learners undergo a formal assessment of their leadership and management interest, values and skills using a standardized instrument and feedback process. Supervisors, peers and subordinates of each learner provide input as part of a 360^o Assessment. This assessment becomes the basis for both the Individual Leadership Development Plan and the interest-focused project produced by the learner in consultation with his or her assigned mentor. The project is designed to improve an aspect of the learner’s work while demonstrating skills acquired through the leadership program. The mentor also assists the learner in applying his/her leadership skills on the job.

While there has been a proliferation of “Leadership Institutes” in the human services field over the past five years, the Institute for Emerging Leaders in the Addiction Profession is among the very few addressing specific issues faced by managers in substance abuse treatment facilities.

Current projects under the center for leadership training.

OSI/BSAS- NIATx Project

Quality Improvement Capacity Building Program
The Open Society Institute-Baltimore (OSI) has awarded the Danya Institute several grants over the years, the most recent being the establishment of the Institute for the Development of Excellence in Administration and Leadership (Project IDEAL) in 2005. This was a very successful program in Baltimore City, and OSI asked us to utilize remaining funds from Project IDEAL to continue our work in Baltimore City. We are currently collaborating with The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) and Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems Inc. (BSAS), to implement a Quality Improvement Capacity Building Program within 5 Baltimore City addictions programs. The goal of the program is to train Directors, and other agency leaders and change agents to use process improvement techniques and other system redesign strategies to improve access to and retention in treatment. The 6 month program began in January 2008, and will continue with face to face, and teleconference meetings with a process improvement coach, as the 5 agencies involved work on internal rapid cycle process improvement projects.

Previous projects under the center for leadership training.

OSI/BSAS - Project IDEAL

The Open Society Institute-Baltimore (OSI) awarded a grant to the Danya Institute in 2005, for the establishment of the Institute for the Development of Excellence in Administration and Leadership (Project IDEAL). Project IDEAL offered the directors of the publicly funded substance abuse treatment programs in Baltimore City the opportunity to enhance administrative and leadership management skills, exchange best practices with peers, and develop a professional development plan with a mentor. The Institute began in April 2005 and ended in January 2006. During those ten months, participants attended a half day of training once a month. The trainings focused on four major areas of management: Leadership and Vision, Business and Financial Management, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Governance.