CHADD Leadership Changes
Clarke Ross, DPA, CEO of Children and Adults with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) for the past ten years,
resigned effective September 2, 2010.
“Clarke made a significant difference in the stature of CHADD and
the recognition of ADHD during his tenure,” commented Steve Peer,
president of CHADD’s board of directors. “Many of his
achievements will live within the organization long after he has
left.”
Among these achievements was the establishment of CHADD’s National
Resource Center on ADHD, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, which provides information on every aspect of ADHD in both
children and adults.
Ross’s strong commitment to diversity resulted in a series of
forty-two community forums designed to reach out to underserved
populations, where ADHD often goes undiagnosed and untreated. CHADD
developed a strong partnership with the National Medical Association,
which led to an NMA resolution recognizing the impact of ADHD on African
Americans.
During his tenure, CHADD hosted a series of Congressional briefings on
the impact of ADHD. More than six hundred people visited their senators
and representatives during CHADD’s Day on the Hill, which Ross
organized.
CHADD also met the highest standards for nonprofits by complying with
the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance and the National Health
Council Standards of Excellence.
Ruth Hughes, PhD, will serve as Interim CEO. Board president Peer
stated, “CHADD is fortunate to have an internal candidate who can
move into the leadership position while the board organizes a search
process. Her experience as a CEO, a psychologist and a mother of a young
adult with ADHD gives her a unique combination of talents that will help
CHADD to tackle the challenges facing it today.”
Hughes has served as Deputy CEO and Chief Program Officer at CHADD. She
has taken on many responsibilities during her five-year tenure,
including public policy, chapters, membership, and CHADD’s Parent
to Parent and Teacher to Teacher training programs. Under her leadership
these programs have impacted thousands of families throughout the
country.
The mother of a twenty-three-year-old son who has ADHD and learning
disabilities, Hughes is also a clinical psychologist. Prior to her
tenure at CHADD, she was CEO of IAPSRS, a national association
representing psychiatric rehabilitation programs, for more than
seventeen years. She also served as CEO of a Maryland state organization
for psychiatric rehabilitation and as executive director of the
psychiatric rehabilitation program of Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Posted September 7, 2010
| 
