New Members Joining the Board of the Mentor Foundation USA

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three new members have joined the Board of Mentor Foundation USA; Robert L. DuPont, Richard Fore and Daniel F. Runde. They will support Mentor's work with empowering children and youth in the United States to avoid drug abuse.

Robert L. DuPont, MD is vice president of Bensinger, DuPont and Associates, a consulting firm dealing with substance abuse. Dr. DuPont has focused his career on reducing the use of illegal drugs. He served as the founding Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and also as White House Drug Chief. He has served as Administrator of the District of Columbia Narcotics Treatment Administration (NTA). He is currently on the Boards of directors of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, the Kolmac Foundation, the American Council on Science and Health, the National Anxiety Foundation and the World Federation Against Drugs.

Richard Fore is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fore Property Company, a national real estate development company, which builds, owns, and manages multifamily residences throughout the United States.  Mr. Fore is a former official of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and founder of the National Multifamily Housing Council.  He presently serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Strategic & International Studies.  Mr. Fore founded and was the Chairman of the California Commission on Drugs.

Daniel F. Runde is Schreyer Chair for Global Analysis and Director of Project on Prosperity and Development, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Previously, he was the Head of Partnership Development for the International Finance Corporation. He has also been Director of the Office of Global Development Alliances (GDA) at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He serves a board member of the Society for International Development, the Peter C. Alderman Foundation, the Alliance for the Family.

"These three distinguished people with unique and varied experience in the areas of medicine, philanthropy and entrepreneurship will be a great addition to our Board," says Yvonne Thunell, the Chairman of the Mentor International Foundation and the Mentor Foundation USA. "Their knowledge is key as we continue to develop programs for specific American needs on drug prevention."

The Mentor Foundation (Mentor) is a non-government organization, which is unique in its focus on international drug abuse prevention in children and adolescents. Mentor was founded by HM Queen Silvia of Sweden in 1994 in Switzerland and has its administrative offices in United Kingdom with national chapters in Sweden, Lithuania, Germany, UK, Colombia, including the newly opened office in Washington D.C.  Mentor also has a regional chapter in Lebanon serving 22 Arab League Countries.

"I am proud to join Mentor because it is unique in the prevention world. I value Mentor's   distinguished Swedish roots and its outstanding international program. I am eager to be part of the extension of Mentor into the United States where Mentor brings a time-tested global perspective and a valuable convening function to enhance the well-developed U.S. prevention efforts, especially mentoring activities that link corporations to communities," says Dr. DuPont.

Dr. DuPont, Mr. Fore and Mr. Runde join Board Members, Marie-Therese Allen, Mandy Dodsworth, Jeff Lee, Dr. Richard MacKenzie, Prof. Ken Winters and Melvin A. Yellin.

SOURCE The Mentor Foundation