Centerstone, a not-for-profit organization providing a wide range of mental health and addiction services, announced it has hired James L. “Red” McCormick as program manager of its Foster Parent Program which has expanded to the Hamilton County and Southeast Tennessee areas.
In his newly created role, Mr. McCormick will manage Centerstone’s Foster Parent Program in Chattanooga and the surrounding areas. The program provides foster care, case management and therapy for children and teenagers, ages 12-18, who are in state custody.
Mr. McCormick will work to recruit foster parents and pair them with children, while also helping to provide support, training and mentoring. Mr. McCormick will collaborate with local service providers, families and the state of Tennessee to help expand Centerstone’s service offerings for families and children in the Hamilton County and southeastern Tennessee.
“We are very excited to welcome Red to our team at Centerstone, and we know he will make a positive difference in the lives of foster children and parents throughout Hamilton County and beyond,” said Centerstone CEO Dr. Bob Vero. “Red is the perfect person for this position, because as a former foster child himself, he has a keen understanding of the needs of foster care children and parents and how to build help them build supportive and lasting relationships.”
Before joining Centerstone, Mr. McCormick served as assistant director of Youth Services for the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, Inc., a multi-service social service agency, where he was employed in various roles since 1996.
Mr. McCormick holds a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UTC. He also completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course in leadership and management at Fort Benning, Ga.