Ruth Sanchez-Way, PhD, MSW, is the director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). CSAP is the federal government's primary agency for providing national leadership in the development of policies, programs, and services to stop illegal drug use, prevent underage alcohol and tobacco use, and reduce the negative consequences of using substances.
Dr. Sanchez-Way has served as an officer and member on several national boards, including the National Health Council, the National Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting, and Prevention, and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency. She co-founded the National Organization of Latino Social Workers, and she currently serves as a national operational volunteer for Girl Scouts USA.
Sanchez-Way received a doctoral degree in public administration from New York University, a master's degree in social work from Fordham University, and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from St. John's University in New York. She also has completed the Management Development Program at Emory University School of Business Administration in Atlanta, the Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and the Public Health Service Primary Care Policy Fellowship.
She has recieved numerous awards, including the Senior Executive Service (SES) Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award in 1998, an award presented by the president of the United States to recognize those SES members who exemplify the highest level of integrity, leadership, and personal conduct and who consistently demonstrate exceptional performance. Sanchez-Way was recently honored with the first annual Excellence in Government Award given by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.