NEW PASSAGES

Board of Directors

Thomas Endres

Mr. Endres is the former Director for General Motors PowerTrain, now retired.  He was previously a New Passages’ Board Member.  In 1998, he was re-assigned to Europe by General Motors and had to resign his position on the Board.  Tom was transferred back to the United States in late 2000, and graciously agreed to rejoin the Board.  Tom has an extensive background in management and organizational planning and mental health issues.  Before he was transferred to Europe, Mr. Endres served as a member on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Oakland County.

Daniel J. Montes, B.A. 

BOARD VICE CHAIR

7163 Needle Point Drive

Shelby Township, MI 48316

          Daniel J. Montes is the First Vice President of Commercial Banking for Citizens Bank, in Shelby Township, Michigan.  Mr. Montes was previously Vice President of Corporate Banking at National City Bank and prior to that, he was the Vice President of Corporate Banking at Bank One.  Mr. Montes’ background of over fourteen years of middle market corporate banking has provided him with a wide range of exposure in commercial finance for both profit and non-profit organizations, along with private and publicly held corporations, within a wide variety of industries.   

          Prior to banking, Danny was in the restaurant business for over 19 years.  He was President and Owner of D&S Concessions, Inc d/b/a The Willow Tree Restaurant.  He started this business in 1988 and sold it in 1991.  The majority of his restaurant career was in restaurant management with Mountain Jacks and Elias Brothers Big Boy.   In 1978 and 1979, he worked for the franchise division of Elias Brothers Corporation opening new franchise restaurants across Michigan and Canada.

          He holds a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from Walsh College.  Mr. Montes resides in Shelby Township, is married, and has three children. 

          Ms. Spring has 25 years combined experience at Blue Cross and Blue Shield in various capacities and disciplines, and most recently with Medicare Advantage.   She has extensive work experience in planning, organizing and implementing systems and work processes and the management of core operations and business improvements. Ms. Spring’s career focus has been in improving customer relationships and achieving business results through the development and marketing of consumer and industry driven products and programs, most recently, translating CMS and MDCH rules into development of processes for Medicare and Medicaid compliance.  She currently serves as the liaison between BlueCaid and government constituents and officials; coordinates all external reporting to ensure compliance with State and Federal regulations and statutes; is accountable for the day-to-day compliance direction and oversight of the Medicaid HMO program including service area, business planning, overall program budget, financial viability and operations and other related areas; and oversees and directs activities of the Medicaid HMO through a decentralized matrix reporting model.

Director Criminal Justice Studies

The University of Michigan-Dearborn

15519 Piedmont

Detroit, MI 48223-1716

          Kevin E. Early, Ph.D., is the Director Criminal Justice Studies at The University of Michigan-Dearborn.  He specializes in criminology, corrections, deviance, and alcohol/drug behavior.  He is a Certified Criminal Justice Specialist (C.C.J.S.) and a Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC) with more than fifteen years experience in the fields of mental health, corrections, and substance abuse. 

          Besides publications in death and dying, race and ethnic relations, prison-based treatment, and corrections, Dr. Early is the author of Religion and Suicide in the African-American Community (Greenwood, 1992), the coauthor of Nameless Persons: Legal Discrimination Against Non-Marital Children in America (Praeger, 1994), Drug Treatment Behind Bars: Prison-Based Strategies for Change (Praeger, 1996), and Criminal Justice in Michigan (Allyn and Bacon, 2001).  His book, Religion and Suicide in the African-American Community, has been compared to the work of Elliot Liebow in his Talley's Corner that was an award-winning study.  Drug Treatment Behind Bars:  Prison-Based Strategies for Change was presented at the 1998 White House Consensus Meeting on Drug Treatment in the Criminal-Justice System.

Lynda Joye Ashford-Scales, D.V.M

Advisor

Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine

6162 Wincliff Drive

West Bloomfield, MI 48322

          Mrs. Scales holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine and is currently an Advisor to that institution.  She is also an Associate Veterinarian for the Morris Hospital for Veterinary Services in Redford, Michigan. 

          Some of Mrs. Scales credits include: membership in the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association and was the Chair of the State of Michigan Board of Licensing and Regulation, Veterinary Medical Board; President of The Roeper School Parents Association; and currently is a member of the Birmingham-Bloomfield Families in Action, a representative of the Parents League Association of Independent Michigan Schools; and also serves as a member of the New Passages Development Committee.