About

Lee Rush, M.Ed.

Lee is the Executive Director of justCommunity, Inc. a non-profit organization based in Quakertown, PA. justCommunity provides training and consultation services to communities, schools and organizations in the area of youth development, community mobilization strategies, student assistance programs and restorative practices. A current board member for the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice, Lee also serves as a consultant with Designed Learning, Inc. and has studied with Designed Learning’s founder Mr. Peter Block to learn facilitative skills using A Small Group methodology. Lee is also a certified trainer for the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP), the world’s first graduate school dedicated solely to Restorative Practices. Through his work with IIRP and justCommunity, Lee has trained over 30,000 people throughout the United States and abroad.

In 2004, Lee was appointed by Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA), to serve as a member of the statewide Advisory Commission on Children and Families, an inter-disciplinary group to provide guidance to the Governor’s senior cabinet members on public policy issues involving families and child and youth issues. In 2013, Lee was also honored as the 2013 National Prevention Advocate by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). CADCA is the country’s largest advocacy group working on behalf of over 5,000 members to prevent substance abuse.

Lee served as the Executive Director of the National Student Assistance Association (NSAA), (a membership driven organization devoted solely to enhancing the development of SAP's across the country), from 1995 to 2008. NSAA presently has 17 state chapters and represents the interests of thousands of professionals in the student assistance field. He was a co-founder of the Pennsylvania Association of Student Assistance Professionals (PASAP), and served as a charter board member, treasurer and membership chair from 1989-1993.

From 1995 to 1998, Lee served as the Director of Human Resources for LifeQuest, a 600-person company specializing in senior healthcare services. During this same period he also served as Executive Director of LifeQuest Foundation, which sponsored Project CARE, (now sponsored by justCommunity), a state approved student assistance program (SAP) training provider. From 1986 to 1995 he was the Director of Project CARE, a training program for educators and counselors in prevention and intervention skills. His direct experience with adolescents was in various positions as an administrator, counselor and teacher in a private school and day-treatment setting from 1976 to 1985.

Lee is a former Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC), and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvaniawhere he earned an undergraduate degree (BA) in Criminology. He completed his graduate work (M.Ed.) in education at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, specializing in organizational dynamics, group processes and adult learning. In addition to his work in education and youth development, Lee is also is a seasoned leader in personal transformation and leadership development having been trained through the International Mankind Project’s New Warrior Training program.

Also, in 1981 Lee was certified as a national field representative for the New Games Foundation, a non-profit educational organization that provided trainings and seminars throughout the country on cooperative play and community building. Lee and his wife Kathy live in Perkasie, PA.