KENNETH E. BLACKMAN, Ph.D.
2480 Belshaw Dr.
Leland, NC 28451
910-399-2366 home910-523-3307 cell
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
I joined CoastalCare in May 2013 as a member of their Community Development Team. In that capacity, I am part of a team of people focused on developing community resources to fill the gaps in services to assist people in need with mental health and substance abuse challenges.As a veteran, I have a passion to make a difference for veterans. One of the best programs with success in helping veterans and preventing them from falling into the cracks is the Peer Specialist Program. Since coming to Wilmington, I have been successful in becoming a certified instructor of the Peer Specialist training program. I have been able to teach the course at each of the four (4) community colleges in this area. I have also been certified to teach two suicide intervention programs, QPR and ASSIST. Also I have become a WRAP facilitator. These programs can save lives and help our veterans regain their lives.
My initial relevant experience in working with alcoholics, drug addicts and individuals with mental challenges was obtained in Annapolis, MD 1997-2004. Icarried the message of recovery and hope into the AnneArundelCountyDetentionCenter and assisted inmates in finding meetings, shelter and work upon release from prison. I received the Chaplain Herman W. Fletcher Memorial Award as volunteer of the year 2002 for the above service.
I worked as a treatment assistant at PathwaysTreatmentCenter; Anne Arundel Hospital 2003-2004.Pathways was the only inpatient hospital based treatment center in Annapolis, MD. As a treatment assistant, I was responsible for delivering the JCAHO approved alcohol/drug addiction lectures, writing daily clinical notes, conducting informal groups and maintaining a recovery atmosphere on the unit. I worked alternating weeks on the adolescent and adult units. I also transportedpatients to community AA and NA meetings.
In April 2004, my wife and I moved to Lake Gaston, NC. Once settled, I met Dr. Al Mooney, author of The Recovery Book which we had in Pathways for the clients. I was appointed to the Vance Granville, Franklin, Warren (VGFW) board and at my first board meeting (6/2005), VGFW absorbed HalifaxCounty and became Five County Mental Health Authority (FCMHA). I served on the FCMHA Board of Directors from 2005-2009.
In September 2005, I accompanied Dr. Mooney to Baton Rouge, LA for Katrina relief and assisted in getting alcoholics and drug addicts out of the streets and into recovery using a temporary shelter we established.
I was instrumental in bringing Lake Area Counseling Inc,(501 c 3) into existence by working with Dr. Al Mooney and Foster Norman, the former executive director of the FCMHA. Lake Area Counseling has been involved in a number of community based programs designed to prevent underage smoking or drinking, as well as early intervention and recovery programs. The new recovery home on Walker Avenue in Norlina is the newest venture in the FCMHA’s programs to move the community from an environment of denial to one of recovery.
I was Principal Investigator on the ICARE North Central Pilot project which had as one of its priorities the implementation of the SBIRT tool for the early detection of alcoholism. I gave many presentations to hospital groups, physician practices, health departments and schools. Supplemental information in Appendix 1
I acquired and converted a “Gentlemens’ Club into a recovery home which has now been licensed as a 13 bed halfway house (5600E). During the course of this project, I successfully handled the NIMBY problem through open communication with city council and all the neighbors and concerned citizens. I was responsible for all phases of this conversion and the establishment of the recovery home. The facility is now a door to recovery for everyone in the Tier 1 counties in which we live.
Since moving to NC in 2004, I have continued to carry the message of hope into the Warren Correctional Facility, Manson, NC and assist the men in finding sponsors in the community, help arrange housing and recruit volunteers and other resources in an attempt to give these men a decent shot at a new life inside and outside the prison. I was honored as the Warren Correctional Institute volunteer of the year in 2010.I was the first and currently the only volunteer at the NC state prison in Manson to be issued a state ID badge for easier access to the facility for the volunteer work.
I have been a member of the homeless committee in VanceCounty and have established key community contacts in all five of the rural counties and am comfortable reaching out into any community to try to bring the message of hope to the suffering. I think I can work effectively in out reach or in reach, especially in rural counties. I guess I am just an old country boy at heart and understand country folk. I hated my office on Broadway in the heart of Manhattan but the money was good.
I am a NC Certified Peer Support Specialist and completed several additional certifications to enable me to better achieve my goals. These include CIT, CISM group and individual, assertive engagement, CPR, and Red Cross First Aid.
I served 4 years in the USAF Communications Intelligence, trained as an Arabic linguist. I spent the last 18 months of my service at the National Security Agency (NSA)I received my BS from Georgetown University, and my MS and Ph.D from theUniversity of Cincinnati,
Prior to entering the field of mental health and substance abuse, I had a very successful 25 plus year career in upper and senior management in the biopharmaceutical industry working for early stage companies as well as established public companies. A separate resume covering that part of my life is available on request.