National Federation Members,

This is the first on what will be regular updates from the Executive Director of the National Federation. I just can’t believe its August already. I am busy preparing to take my youngest daughter off to college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Tar Hills!). She was just a few months old when I started this work.   

We are preparing for the 23^rd National Federation Annual Conference, November 14-18, 1012 in Washington DC. The conference theme is Sustaining and Expanding Excellence in Children’s Mental Health Services and Supports and Services. I am excited about our list of Keynote speakers this year.  We will open the conference with two great presentations. The opening speaker will be Elizabeth Smart. The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was abducted on June 5, 2002 and her captors had controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12, 2003 after being held prisoner for 9 months. Through this traumatic experience Elizabeth has becom