Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Maria DuPree, Douglas Frisk, Judi Gordon, Duane Reynolds, and Walter Roberts, Jr., to the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. 

Maria DuPree, of Buffalo, is a Bilingual (Spanish) Counselor at the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center in Buffalo .  She was previously employed at the Anoka-metro Regional Treatment Center.  DuPree also worked at the Social Development Commission in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  While there, she served as Co-Chair of the 1995 Latino American Cultural Competence Conference.  DuPree is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) in Minnesota.  She will serve as a LADC member of the Board.  DuPree is appointed to serve a term which ends January 2, 2006.  She will be the first appointee to this Board position which was created in 2003. 

Douglas Frisk, of New Brighton, retired after 35 years as a health education teacher at South Washington County Schools.  He continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor at the Hamline Graduate School of Education in Minneapolis.  Frisk received a B.A. in Health and Physical Education from Augsburg College in St. Paul, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Education from the University of Minnesota.  Frisk previously served as a member and vice chair of the Minnesota Board of Teaching.  He will serve as a public member of the Board.  Frisk is reappointed to serve a four-year term which ends January 7, 2008.  He was first appointed to the Board in November 2003. 

Judi Gordon, of St. Paul, is Executive Director and founder of C.R.E.A.T.E., a non-profit chemical health agency in Minneapolis.  She is a both a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) and a Registered Nurse (RN) in Minnesota.  Gordon previously served on the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Alcohol and Drug Abuse Citizen’s Advisory Committee.  She received an Associate Degree in Nursing from St. Mary’s College in Minneapolis.  Gordon will serve as a LADC member of the Board.  She is appointed to serve a term which ends January 3, 2005 .  Gordon will be the first appointee to this Board position which was created in 2003. 

Duane Reynolds, of New Hope, is Associate Executive Director of the Vinland Center in Loretto.  He previously worked as Director of Chemical Dependency and Allied Mental Health at Healthone-Mercy/Unity Hospital in Minneapolis.  Reynolds is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) in Minnesota.  He received a B.A. in Business Administration from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul.  Reynolds currently serves as chair of the Minnesota Department of Health’s LADC Advisory Committee.  He will serve as a LADC member of the Board.  Reynolds is reappointed to serve a four-year term which ends January 7, 2008 .  He was first appointed to the Board in November 2003. 

Walter Roberts, Jr., of North Mankato, is a Professor of Counselor Education at Minnesota State University—Mankato .  He is a Licensed School Counselor in Minnesota and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Minnesota and Arkansas.  Roberts holds a B.A. in Psychology from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, and a M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Counselor Education from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville .  Roberts previously served as a member and chair of the Minnesota Board of Teaching.  He will serve as a LPC member of the Board.  Roberts is reappointed to serve a four-year term which ends January 7, 2008.  He was first appointed to the Board in November 2003. 

The Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy is responsible for licensing and disciplining Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LADCs).  The board is made up of thirteen members appointed by the Governor.