Aspen Education Group, Inc
Cerritos, CA

Sainer To Retire From Aspen

It has now been ten months since the merger of Aspen Education Group with CRC Health Group. The integration has gone very well and I am personally very pleased with the support that CRC has given us to date. I believe as much today as I did when we completed the merger in November 2006 that CRC is the right "fit" for Aspen and its 1,700 employees. I am quite excited about the combination of Aspen with CRC, as the larger company provides even greater resources for innovation of new programs and ways to assist more families, as well as provide for our staff even greater career path opportunities.

With the integration now completed, I have decided to announce my retirement as President of Aspen Education Group, effective September 30. I have spent the last 18 years taking the initial idea of providing alternatives to troubled youth and their families, which began with Mount Bachelor Academy, and led the growth of Aspen to what it is today with the help of many, many talented people along the way. It is the right time for me to retire. I also strongly believe that the right leadership is in place to lead Aspen forward, as Jim Dredge will be replacing me as President of Aspen Education Group. Jim has worked closely with me and our senior management team for the past 3+ years as Chief Operating Officer. Other key senior managers will continue to report to Jim as they do currently. Jim's leadership style and integrity will give Aspen strong leadership moving forward.

But I am not totally going away! I will remain on the Board of Directors of CRC Health Group as Vice-Chairman of the Board, and will continue to have a strong voice advocating for services for troubled youth and their families.

In that role, I will be working part time in several important areas that will hopefully have a positive impact on the future success of Aspen/CRC and the families that we serve. I also have plans to work on some other non-profit and corporate Boards where I can make a positive contribution. So you will likely continue to see me at some of the national conferences like IECA and NATSAP in this new role. I know I will miss the regular interaction with the highly dedicated and passionate staff of Aspen, as well as the interaction I have had over the years with many of you. But looking to the future I feel very comfortable in knowing that Aspen is in very good hands with its leadership team and the stewardship of CRC. I believe strongly in Aspen's mission and will continue to vigorously support, although in a more time-limited way, all that we do for kids and their families, as we have already done so for over 27,000 families since we first began the first Aspen program. I look forward to your continued support of the work that we do for your families so that we can continue to provide Help for Today and Hope for Tomorrow.