Awards & Recognition

While we are proud of the recognition we receive, we are most proud of the changed lives and gallant efforts put forth by those seeking recovery. The true rewards come in the form of healed lives, renewed families, spiritual and emotional growth, and the productivity those in recovery can contribute to society as a whole.

Most Admired CEO – 2015
Jeanne McAlister was nominated by staff and then selected by San Diego Business Journal as the Most Admired CEO of a mid-size nonprofit. The award recognized her for taking her own story – her own 57 years clean and sober – and transforming it into a millenium of hope and change for her organization and the community.

Frank Goldsmith Lifetime Achievement Award – 2014
The San Dieguito Drug-Free Alliance recognized Jeanne McAlister at the 44th Annual Red Ribbon Awards Luncheon for her 37 years of leadership in the field of alcohol, tobacco, and drug prevention. Law enforcement, public officials, and the community joined together to recognize the initiatives – powered by her innovation, her vision, and her heart – that have helped address some of the largest barriers to early intervention and successful treatment in San Diego.

Woman of Dedication – 2014
The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary selected Jeanne McAlister as a 2014 Woman of Dedication for volunteering countless hours to help improve the quality of life for others.

Mental Health Person of the Year – 2010
In 2010, McAlister Institute’s Founder and CEO Jeanne McAlister was San Diego’s first alcohol and other drug professional to win the Mental Health Person of the Year award. Jeanne was honored for her heroic efforts and pioneering role in providing integrated treatment for both substance use and mental health disorders in San Diego. McAlister Institute continues to provide innovative programs specially tailored for co-occurring individuals and their families.

San Diego Magazine, Women of the Year Awards – 2009
Jeanne McAlister received recognition from San Diego Magazine as one of 2009’s Women of the Year for serving the children and families of San Diego for over 33 years.

Diversity Award – 2006
McAlister Institute received the County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators Association of California (CADPAAC) Valuing Diversity Award in May 2006. The award was presented to the agency in Sacramento for exemplifying diversity in providing substance abuse treatment and recovery services to deaf, hard-of-hearing, and late-deafened adults.

Innovative Recovery Approach Award – 2006
McAlister Institute received the award for Innovative Approaches to Recovery from the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs in 2006 for developing innovative ways to integrate cultural competence in treatment, prevention, and recovery.

Women Who Mean Business Award – 2006
San Diego Business Journal and Foley and Lardner, LLP honored Jeanne McAlister with the 2006 Women Who Mean Business award for her contributions to the business community, for the impact her agency’s services have had throughout San Diego County, and for her 30 years of innovation and creativity in addressing the needs of community members.

California Women’s Commission Award – 2005
Jeanne McAlister received The California Women’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Dependencies Award in 2005. Jeanne was recognized as a pioneer in the treatment field for implementing gender-responsive programs and services. McAlister Institute’s client-focused treatment services have been, and continue to be, designed to meet the individualized needs of target populations–a conception McAlister Institute practiced long before many of its predecessors.

KGTV Outstanding Non-Profit of the Year Award – 2000
McAlister Institute received the KGTV Channel 10 Outstanding Non-Profit of the Year Award in 2000. By paving the way for other agencies to follow, the award recognized McAlister Institute’s important role in professionalizing the field of alcohol and drug treatment and providing treatment models for others to emulate.

Sally Jessy Raphael Show – 1980
Jeanne McAlister and clients from one of her early treatment programs were guests on the Sally Jessy Raphael Show in the 1980s. Genuine and informative appearances like these gave individuals and families affected by the disease of addiction a sense of hope. McAlister Institute is still committed to providing education and training at a professional and multicultural level to interested parties in all regions of San Diego County.

Oprah Winfrey Show – 1980
Jeanne McAlister and clients from her Kiva Women and Children”s Learning Center were guests on the Oprah show in the late 1980s. The agency made history as the first residential treatment center in California (fifth in the nation) to allow women and their children to reside in treatment as a family unit. This family-centered model paved the way for other treatment providers to be successful at retaining mothers in treatment, allowing many participants to reunify with their children during the course of treatment as they became productive members of society.

For the last 8 months, I have gradually seen the rebirth of my son ~ that son that I bore ~ that brilliant child. The love, the caring–it is still there. He just had to find it again.

It hit. This place isn’t punishment. It’s a last chance at life. It brings you in with no judgment and helps you. This program has opened parts that I truly wasn’t aware of like how to deal with my anger and why I always felt the need to run and hide when things got bad.

“Life” was given to me, and there are no words to describe what it is actually like to “have a life.” I now have 6 years totally clean and sober, even cigarette-free after having smoked 2 packs a day for ten years. I have strong ethics against lying, tardiness, procrastination, and other such things.

ALG

Thank you, Jeanne McAlister. Without you and the programs you have, I would not be the person that I am today. It began at McAlister Institute, and here I will remain as long as they allow me to. I owe you my life.