Leadership

President and Dean – Jean LaCour, PhD, CPP

Dr. Jean LaCour is a Certified Prevention Professional (CPP) and has extensive experience in the addiction field. She co-founded the NET Training Institute Center for Addiction and Recovery Education which offers online training in addiction, counseling and recovery support services. Since 1996, the NET Institute has trained over four thousand people who desire to serve the addicted, the marginalized, and the poor. As a tireless advocate for people in recovery and for people who serve in the addiction field around the world, she launched the Recovery Heroes Initiative in 2009.

Dr. LaCour is a sought after trainer, author, curriculum developer and international consultant whose mission is to raise the standard of care through worldwide collaboration and comprehensive online addiction training. She has trained in fifteen nations including Egypt, Russia, Pakistan, India and Malaysia and took part in the United Nations NGO drug policy workgroup in Vienna, Austria in 2008. As a United Nations consultant she trained HIV and addiction workers from a dozen Arab nations in 2009 in Egypt.

For nearly two years she served as the statewide Faith Coordinator for the Florida Department of Children and Families and helped to bring $21 million to Florida as part of a federal program called “Access to Recovery” which served over 12,000 Florida clients statewide and integrated faith-based recovery programs with clinical treatment.

Dr. LaCour oversees curriculum development, faculty selection and insures the maintenance of professional standards. She interacts with professional Certification Boards and represents the Institute nationally and internationally. She currently serves as the President of ISAAC (International Substance Abuse and Addiction Coalition).

Director – Cheryl Brown, CRSS, CM, MHR

Cheryl A. Brown, CRSS, CM, MHR, has more than 20 years of experience as a human resources, management, recovery and education professional.  She is currently serving as the Director of the NET Institute – Center for Addiction and Recovery Education.  Cheryl’s accomplished career has taken her in many directions.  She is the former Director of Training and Development for Florida’s Blood Centers and has acquired broad experience through her work as a Human Resources Manager. As an Organizational Development and Training Specialist with industry leader, AT&T, Cheryl was recognized nationally for other work that she did relating to corporate compliance and the development of online learning systems. In additional to being an advocate for lifelong learning, Cheryl has been a University level faculty member since 2004, currently teaching at University of Phoenix and Strayer University.  

Cheryl earned a Masters degree in Human Resources Development and Administration from Barry University, and a Bachelors degree in Professional Management from Nova Southeastern University. In addition to her degrees, she is a Certified Manager and the 2008-2009 Chairman of the Board of Regents for the Institute of Certified Professional Managers. She is a Certified Recovery Support Specialist and her professional associations include the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the American Society for Training and Development.

Robert Perkinson, PhD

Robert R. Perkinson is the clinical director of Keystone Treatment Center in Canton, SD. He is a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, South Dakota Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor, Level III, Nationally Certified Gambling Counselor and Supervisor. His specialty areas focus on treating alcoholics, addicts, and pathological gamblers.

He is the author of Chemical Dependency Counseling: A Practical Guide, Fourth Edition, 2012, by Sage Publications which is the leading treatment manual in the world for chemical dependency counselors. With Dr. Arthur E. Jongsma, Jr. he is the coauthor of The Addiction Treatment Planner, Fourth Edition 2009, by John Wiley and Sons, the best selling treatment planner and computer software program for mental health and addiction professionals. He has published The Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Client Workbook, 2012 and the Gambling Addiction Client Workbook, 2012 by Sage Publications. These workbooks have all of the exercises patients need to enter a stable recovery. He has a new book by John Wiley and Son's titled Treating Alcoholism: How to Help Your Clients Enter Recovery 2004 that trains professionals how to treat patients with alcohol problems. He is the author of the book God Talks to You by First Books, and the meditation tape, A Communication from God by cdbaby, which help addicts make their first conscious contact with God.

Dr. Perkinson is also a composer and has completed his second CD, Peace Will Come, music that helps addicts learn the essentials of a spiritual journey. With Dr. Jean LaCour he wrote the Faith-Based Addiction Curriculum (2004) to teach professionals of faith how to treat addiction. Dr. Perkinson is an international motivational speaker and regular contributor to numerous professional journals. He is the webmaster of several WebPages including, www.robertperkinson.com, www.alcoholismtreatment.org, www.keystonetreatment.com and www.godtalkstoyou.com where he gets over 2.6 million hits a year and answers questions on addiction for free. His biographies can be found in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who's Who in Science and Engineering and Who's Who in the World.

We strive for excellence in every service we render. NTI continues to attract the skills, talents and commitment of professionals from every discipline in the human services field, including: educators, chaplains, health practitioners, ordained ministers, pastoral counselors, clinical psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed mental health counselors, certified addiction counselors and prevention specialists.