CASAColumbia Experts

CASAColumbia's experts are recognized for their expertise on a broad range of issues related to substance use and addiction, including: prevention and treatment, healthcare, juvenile and criminal justice, welfare and social services, elementary and secondary and higher education, parenting, teen use, co-occurring disorders, and the needs of women and girls. The hard work, creativity and commitment of our talented team of professionals is responsible for the extraordinary growth and influence of CASAColumbia.
	Joseph A. Califano, Jr. is CASAColumbia’s Founder and Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Califano has had a distinguished career in public service. Mr. Califano received his Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of the Holy Cross and his LLB from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude. He has extensive experience in both government and private law practice. After service in the Navy, Mr. Califano joined the Kennedy administration in 1961 and served as General Counsel of the Army and Special Assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense. From 1965 to 1969 he served as Special Assistant for Domestic Affairs to President Lyndon Johnson. From 1977 to 1979 he was Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare in the Carter administration. In the intervening years and until 1992, Mr. Califano practiced law in Washington, D.C. and New York City. He founded CASAColumbia in 1992.
	William H. Foster, PhD is CASAColumbia’s President and CEO. For the past four years, Dr. Foster served as Dean of Maine’s Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, where he led a successful revamping of both the school’s academic and research programs and positioning the school well to extend the Senator’s legacy of public service. He has returned to CASAColumbia where he previously served for ten years as senior vice-president and chief operating officer. Dr. Foster has served as executive director of a Congressional Commission on Social Security, chief of staff and deputy commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor, and a policy advisor to Senator Bill Bradley. He spent 17 years on the faculty at the University of Illinois and Rutgers University. Bill holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
	Susan E. Foster, MSW is CASAColumbia’s Vice President and Director of Policy Research and Analysis. Ms. Foster is responsible for research and policy analysis on the impact of substance abuse on America’s systems and populations. Projects under her direction include studies of the nation's treatment system; how substance abuse affects state and local budgets, the justice system, schools and colleges, women, young people and the family; the role of religion and spirituality in prevention and treatment; the relation of substance abuse to sexual conduct, eating disorders, gambling, and violence. Prior to coming to CASAColumbia she was co-owner of a public policy consulting firm, providing advice and consultation to state and local governments, private agencies and foundations. During the Carter administration, Ms. Foster was Special Assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Under Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs, US Department of Health, Education and Welfare. She has authored publications on a broad range of public policy issues. Ms. Foster has an MSW in social policy from Rutgers University.
	Jon Morgenstern, PhD is CASAColumbia's Vice President and Director of Health and Treatment Research and Analysis. He is also Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of Substance Abuse Services at Columbia University Medical School. Prior to his position at Columbia, he was on the faculties of Rutgers University and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Morgenstern, a licensed psychologist in NY and NJ, is an expert in substance abuse treatment and health services research. His areas of interest include strategies to improve existing community-based substance abuse treatment. He has been called upon to serve on editorial boards, peer review committees, advisory boards and state agencies. He has been the principal investigator on numerous federal government grants from NIDA, NIMH, NIAAA, SAMHSA, CDC, and state grants from New Jersey and New York City.

For all media, communications and speaking requests* please contact:

Lauren R. Duran
Director of Communications
212-841-5260
lduran@casacolumbia.org

Ali McSherry
Communications Specialist 212-841-5209
amcsherry@casacolumbia.org

*All requests for speaking engagements must be written requests. Please include the event title, date, expected audience (size and composed of), time, location and if transportation will be provided or covered. Requests can be e-mailed to the addresses above or mailed to: CASAColumbia Communications Department, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017.