Terrance Bedient, SPHS CERT ’79, has been named chairperson of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. Bedient, a health care executive, has been a General Service Board Class A (nonalcoholic) trustee and treasurer since 2008.
A.A.’s General Service Board is comprised of 14 alcoholic (Class B) trustees and seven nonalcoholic (Class A) trustees. During A.A.’s 78 year history, a number of distinguished nonalcoholics have served on A.A. General Service Board.
Bedient has had a long career in the field of medical administration, beginning in the mid-1970s as Chief of Social Services for the U.S. Army in Fort Ritchie, Maryland. After leaving the military, he completed graduate work in health care administration at GW and has subsequently held administrative posts at hospitals in Virginia, New York City, Michigan, and Rochester, NY.
Currently, Bedient is vice president of the Medical Society of New York, in Albany, NY, and director of the Committee for Physician Health. He has also served on a dozen nonprofit boards, most recently with the Federation of State Physician Health Programs.
Bedient was first introduced to A.A. when he was in charge of a counseling program for military personnel at Fort Ritchie in 1975. It was then that he went to his first open A.A. meeting, became friends with people in recovery and began an association with A.A. that parallels his career in health care administration.
