WYOMISSING, Pa. — A new class of 177 Penn State Berks students will receive their baccalaureate and associate degrees at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, in the Santander Arena, located at 700 Penn St. in Reading, when Berks hosts its fall 2019 commencement ceremony.
The honorary keynote speaker this year will be Douglas Tieman, president and chief executive officer of Caron Treatment Centers, who has served in these roles since 1995. Under his leadership, Caron provides an extensive continuum of care for teens, young adults, adults, older adults and families at its facilities in Pennsylvania and Florida and its Regional Recovery Centers in Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, New England and Washington, D.C.
Tieman has more than 30 years of leadership experience in addiction treatment center and industry positions. A longtime advocate for patient-centered care, he has called for the implementation of standards and outcome-based treatment in the addiction treatment sector. Most recently, he testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on the issue of patient brokering and fraud in the addiction treatment sector. Under his direction, Caron adopted the Addiction Treatment Patient’s Bill of Rights and is working with other national centers to improve the standard of care for those struggling with the chronic, treatable disease of addiction.
Guided by the belief that research and prevention are key to resolving the addiction crisis, Caron has taken a leadership role in sponsoring research in addiction treatments and outcomes, advocating for ethics and standards, and participating in national conferences on addiction and recovery. Caron participates in studies with leading research universities including Penn State College of Medicine / Hershey Medical Center, the University of Pennsylvania’s Treatment Research Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health, and Stanford University.
Tieman began his career with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and has served as chairman of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers and a member of the American College of Addiction Treatment Administrators.
Following undergraduate degrees from both Concordia and Northwood Universities, Tieman completed the Minnesota Management Institute at the University of Minnesota and received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Concordia University.
The Philadelphia Inquirer named Tieman an “Emerging Icon” for his work in advancing addiction treatment and research. In addition, Tieman is an author, having published several treatment sector-related articles and the book, "Flying Over the Pigpen: Tried and True Leadership Lessons from Growing Up on a Farm."