Rancho Mirage, Calif. (November 14, 2022) – Tessa Voss, administrator of the Betty Ford Center, a part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation—the nation's leading nonprofit system of addiction treatment, mental health care, recovery resources and related prevention and education services—has been recognized by Palm Springs Life's 40 under 40 selection committee as a "high achiever shaping the future of the Coachella Valley."
Last year, Voss stepped into her role as the fourth administrator and first woman to lead the Rancho Mirage institution, which was co-founded by former First Lady Betty Ford and is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2022. Voss also serves as vice president of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's California Region, leading the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage as well as outpatient treatment centers in San Diego and Los Angeles. She has devoted her entire career to the Foundation.
"Tessa has achieved so much in our organization in a short time, and we're very proud of her well-deserved recognition, which is a reflection of her professional dedication, action-oriented leadership, and commitment to Hazelden Betty Ford's mission of healing and hope," said Hazelden Betty Ford President and CEO Joseph Lee, MD.
Every four years, Palms Springs Life magazine asks the community for nominations of outstanding leaders and professionals, requiring only that the nominee be under the age of 40. From the group of nominees, 40 are chosen by a selection panel based on their positive impact on the desert communities and their expertise and service both professionally and philanthropically.
In a related video produced by Palm Springs Life, Voss describes her dedication to helping people transition from "some of the darkest days of their lives" to a new path where they "find joy and a new life of well-being and recovery."
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient addiction and mental health care for adults and youth, the Foundation has treatment centers and telehealth services nationwide as well as a network of collaborators throughout health care. Through charitable support and a commitment to innovation, the Foundation is able to continually enhance care, research, programs and services, and help more people. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in its services and throughout the organization, which also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction.