position for a job I had written specifically for our agency. At that time I worked for Marion Correctional Treatment Center a forensic facility in Southwestern Virginia.

Sharon Nicholas, MA CTRS in New Hampshire whom I’ve known over the years and still in New Hampshire was working on explaining our value in the rehabilitation settings. I kept in contact with Sharon while m working for the VA in Manchester New Hampshire and while at Health South in Concord New Hampshire,

I later moved from New Hampshire to Colorado but in Virginia with some knowledge of the happening in both the West and East Coast because I was in contact with Ann Houston.

Ann Houston, MPH, CTRS, became the President of ATRA, and this was after her leaving the VA in aPalo Alto, California. Ann spearheaded ATRA to a much larger need and audience. With its offices in Hattersburg, Mississippi.

As a member of ATRA, I remember having many discussion with Kelly Dunbar, about the formation and direction of ATRA, and NCTRC.

ATRA, became very involved in therapeutic recreation both locally and on Capital Hill. During the Clinton administration health care reform years , The Joint Commission o established that lTR was a part of treatment. Many of its members ATRA including myself went to Washington DC in 1980s to speak on behalf of the organization to our local representatives dto educate them on the three hour rule of health care reimbursment, which continues today

Kenneth is a graduate of Pepperdine University holding Masters in Educational Technology and Organizational Leadership currently Certified