FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2020
PROJECT TURNABOUT NAMES MARTI PAULSON CEO, REPLACING RETIRING MIKE SCHIKS
GRANITE FALLS, MINN. --
Project Turnabout Addiction Recovery Centers, which is marking its 50th year providing drug, alcohol and gambling treatment services, has named Marti Paulson its new chief executive officer and executive director, effective October 1, 2020.
Paulson, most recently Project Turnabout’s chief operating officer, succeeds the retiring Mike Schiks, the organization’s leader since 2006. Schiks, who has had a long and distinguished career in the treatment field, will be assisting Paulson in the transition process over the coming months.
“We’re certainly sad to see Mike leave, and we’re extremely grateful for the impact he’s had on Project Turnabout,” said Duaine Amundson, president of the Project Turnabout Board of Directors. “As a board we are pleased with our mission, culture, strategic plan and the cohesiveness of the teams currently in place. The board’s unanimous decision was that Marti was the best candidate to succeed Mike, and we’re confident of her abilities to lead the organization.”
“I joined Project Turnabout 16 years ago with energy and a passion to make a difference in the lives of those continuing to suffer with the disease of addiction, and I look forward to this new role with the same intentions,” said Paulson. “I am privileged and excited to have been given the opportunity to lead an exceptional management team and staff and help Project Turnabout meet the challenges of the next decade and beyond. I am honored to be a part of this great organization.”
Schiks spent the first 26 years of his career in the treatment field with the Hazelden Foundation, rising to the position of executive vice president of recovery services, in charge of the organization’s operations in Minnesota, Chicago, Florida, New York and Oregon. He also served as executive director of the Hazelden Center for Youth and Families in Plymouth, Minn. In 2017, Schiks was a driving force behind the establishment of the Minnesota Alliance of Rural Addiction Treatment Programs (MARATP).
“I am happy and excited Marti Paulson will be my successor,” said Schiks. “I could not agree more with her selection. I see it as an affirmation of the mission and values that I believe make this agency so special.”
“I want to thank everyone who has supported me and the agency over the years,” he added. “When I first arrived at Project Turnabout in 2006, I could not have known what a special place Project Turnabout is, or how much it would steal my heart. I look forward to watching it continue to grow and serve the people who need its help.”
“Since the day he landed at Project Turnabout, Mike Schiks has been a mentor, a coach and a great role model, all while leading this very organization to great levels,” said Paulson. “I have big shoes to fill, but I am determined to fill those shoes – one step and one day at a time.”
MARTI PAULSON BIOGRAPHY
Marti Paulson has been Chief Operating Officer at Project Turnabout Addiction Recovery Centers since 2018. She has served in several positions for Project Turnabout since joining the organization in 2005, including Senior Director of External Relations. She has also been Director of Healthcare and Intake Services, managing care for 131 patients in an array of specialized addiction services including detoxification, four gender-specific specialized inpatient/residential treatment units, and the Vanguard Center for Pathological Gambling. She has presented at multiple state and national conferences on both problem gambling and chemical addiction.
As a founding member and current administrator of Minnesota Alliance of Rural Addiction Treatment Programs (MARATP), Paulson also works with other treatment providers to advocate for legislative policy related to rural healthcare and addiction. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Rural Health Association.
Over Paulson’s 30-year career she has worked in various nursing/leadership capacities. She was instrumental in the development of an Internal Occupational Medical Department for a national company, and was the Director of Nursing for a large, 11-site medical organization in rural Minnesota. Paulson is one of a handful of nurses in Minnesota who is an Internationally Certified Addictions Registered Nurse and holds a certification in Rapid Cycle Improvement from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Beyond her nursing experience, Paulson holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and a Master of Science in Business/Organizational Development.
MIKE SCHIKS BIOGRAPHY
Mike Schiks has worked in the substance abuse field for more than 40 years, starting as a counselor in 1979. He spent 26 years with the Hazelden Foundation (now known as Hazelden Betty Ford) and since 2006 has been Executive Director/CEO at Project Turnabout.
Schiks served in a number of capacities at Hazelden, including Executive Director of Hazelden’s youth facility and Executive Vice President of National Recovery Services, directing services at facilities in Minnesota, Florida, New York, Oregon and Illinois. Schiks left Hazelden in 2005 and started a consulting firm, Minnesota Model Consulting Inc., to assist addiction treatment programs nationwide, which he ran until joining Project Turnabout.
He has served on numerous boards including the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, National Adolescent Treatment Association, Minnesota Institute of Public Health and North Star Alliance Board for Compulsive Gamblers. He is currently President of Minnesota Association of Rural Addiction Treatment Programs.
Schiks’ passion and commitment to helping families and individuals are well known throughout the country in the field of addiction treatment. His blend of personal experience with addiction, education, and the real work experience has given him a unique perspective in the field.
ABOUT PROJECT TURNABOUT
Project Turnabout, a nonprofit organization (incorporated as Reverence for Life and Concern for People, Inc.) has operated for 50 years within a mission of providing inpatient and outpatient treatment services for individuals affected by the disease of addiction to alcohol, drugs and/or problem gambling.
The organization’s main campus is a 131-bed facility located in Granite Falls, Minn., with outpatient offices in Willmar, Marshall and Redwood Falls. Project Turnabout provides a full continuum of services from inpatient residential treatment, outpatient and continuing care treatment, transitional housing and sober living and is accredited at the highest level by the Commission on the Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
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