Prestigious award

EDISON  The N.J. Employee Assistance Professional Association (NJ EAPA) selected Father Alan Savitt, CEAP, LCADC, M. Div., a retired priest of the Diocese of Paterson, as the Riley Regan Addiction Professional of the Year recipient. The award is presented annually to the New Jersey substance abuse prevention and/or treatment professional who consistently demonstrates extraordinary efforts, compassionate outreach and ongoing advocacy services on behalf of individuals and family members struggling with addiction issues. It is named after Riley Regan, past assistant commissioner of the N.J. Division of Addiction Services and founding executive director of the N.J. Governor’s Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse. Regan, a lifetime advocate for the provision of alcoholism and drug abuse prevention and treatment services and the development of EAP programs, died in 2012 and the award was enacted by NJ EAPA in 2013 in honor of his vision and lifelong dedication to the addiction field.

Father Savitt first met Riley in the 1980s and both had similar traits when it came to advocating for addiction services for an underserved statewide population. The award was presented to Father Savitt by Riley’s nephew, Dr. Kevin Leary, at the Pines Manor here.

Father Savitt, a pioneer in the EAP and addiction fields, was the founder and past executive director of the Passaic County Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Prevention, Inc., formerly in Clifton. The Council was created in 1984 with the goal to increase public awareness, advocacy, information and referral services and also established an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for area employers in Passaic County. Father Savitt has long served as the public policy chairperson for N.J. EAPA and tirelessly advocates for people damaged by addiction. “Father Alan has a passion second to none when it comes to helping and educating people about addiction. Father and Riley Regan had a shared tenacity for serving many forgotten souls,” said Kevin O’Neill, NL EAPA president. “He has served as a past vicepresident of NJ EAPA and has always been active since becoming a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP) in the early 1980s, when he started the EAP within the Passaic County Council.”

Father Savitt retired from full-time priestly duties in 2013 but remains active as a senior priest in the field as a teacher, retreat master, volunteer and consultant. He has been a Nationally Certified Addiction Counselor, a N.J. Certified Prevention Specialist and a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

He is a past recipient of the 2002 New Jersey EAP of the Year Award as well as a National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence Executive Service Award. He served the Passaic Council for more than 27 years along with his Prevention Program director, Sister of Mercy Pauline Kuntne. He has also served for more than 30 years as a Fire Department chaplain in Clifton.

Also honored with Father Savitt was William John “Bill” Kane, Esq., with the 2017-18 EAP of the Year Award. The award is presented annually to the Employee Assistance Professional (EAP) who demonstrates strong leadership within the EAP field, significant support for EAPA chapter activities, a commitment to serving individuals within their own organization and an ongoing commitment to core EAP values, integrity and selfless service to others. He is the founder and director of the N.J. Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP), created in 1993 to help lawyers, judges and law students experiencing personal problems that may affect their professional lives. Kane was one of the first Certified Employee Assistance Professionals (CEAP) in the nation as a member of the Association of Labor-Management Administrators and Consultants on Alcoholism (ALMACA), now known as the Employee Assistance Professional Association (EAPA).