Kathleen Tavenner Mitchell, M.H.S., L.C.A.D.C., Sr. VP of Prevention and Recovery Services
Served as Vice President and Spokesperson for FASD United (formerly the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome-NOFAS) for 24 years. She is a noted invited speaker on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), Women and Addiction and Stigma and has presented for over three decades both nationally and globally. She holds a Master of Human Services (MHS) degree and is a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor (LCADC). She served as principal investigator (PI) and project officer for government projects that aimed to prevent FASD, reduce stigma and support families and individuals living with FASD. In 1990 she testified to Congress at the first hearing on FAS/FAE and in 1992 and 1994 she testified at hearings that later resulted in warning labels on all alcohol products. She served on the special committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) developing guidelines for the identification and management of substance use disorders in pregnancy and in 2019 presented FASD: A Vision for the Future at the WHO 2nd Alcohol Forum. She was the chief executive officer of Montgomery County, Maryland addiction contracted services overseeing detox, in-patient, out-patient and programs for pregnant women with substance use disorders and their children. She taught electives and health seminars on FASD and Addiction at both Georgetown and Northwestern University Medical Schools. She has co-authored or authored twenty-three published papers, and authored handbooks, chapters and curricula on addiction, stigma and FASD. She served as an FASD expert and advised the writers of NBC’s Law and Order; Special Victims Unit to create an episode about FASD. She has been featured in documentaries, news stories, television and other media including: The Doctors (CBS), NBC’s Later Today Show, Self Magazine, Glamour Magazine, BBC Radio, and National Public Radio. In 2016 the Washington Post covered her story and by day three it had been viewed over 8.7 million times, was posted to over 20 other unique websites around the world and trended as the #6 topic on Facebook. In 2004, she founded the international birth mother mentorship program, the Circle of Hope (COH) and in 2020 founded Recovering Mothers Anonymous (RMA). She continues to speak at conferences and provides training and support to members of the COH speakers bureau that partners with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to provide grand rounds to medical facilities across the U.S.
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