Ruby Qazilbash

Deputy Director for Policy, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Ruby Qazilbash is the Deputy Director for Policy at the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) within the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs. As deputy director, she leads a team of criminal justice experts in developing and implementing programs that meet the challenges facing today’s criminal justice systems, leaders, and practitioners. BJA’s policy team interprets legislation and congressional intent for more than $1.2 billion of discretionary funding appropriated to BJA annually to support and strengthen state, local, and tribal criminal justice systems. For the past 12 years at BJA, Ms. Qazilbash has directed policy and programs to support the criminal justice field to develop community-based alternatives for people with substance use and mental health disorders and to improve programming, conditions of confinement, and sexual safety in the nation’s jails and prisons. During her tenure, Ms. Qazilbash and her team have implemented the Prison Rape Elimination Act and the Second Chance Act. She helped fund, launch, and sustain the Stepping Up Initiative to reduce the prevalence of people with serious mental illness in the nation’s jails and Justice Counts, a nationwide initiative to develop and build consensus around a set of key criminal justice metrics that drive budget and policy decisions. She has also overseen the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, which uses data to identify and address drivers of crime and state corrections costs, shifting state resources to more effective uses of criminal justice dollars to produce more public safety for the same cost. Ms. Qazilbash has been with DOJ for 19 years, with previous experience at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Arlington County, Virginia; and the New York City, New York, Mayor’s Office on Criminal Justice.

Carrie Thompson

Chief of Intelligence, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Arlington, Virginia

Carrie Thompson was selected as chief of intelligence for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in October 2022. In this role, she serves as a strategic advisor to the DEA Administrator on intelligence matters and works daily to achieve DEA mission goals through data-driven intelligence operations, engaging global partners, advancing law enforcement intelligence tradecraft, and promoting a diverse and professional workforce. Chief Thompson began her career at DEA as an intelligence research specialist (IRS) in September 1998, assigned to the DEA Detroit Field Division Office. Throughout her distinguished career, she has held DEA posts at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia; the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan; and the United States Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium, as the field intelligence manager for Europe and Africa. Chief Thompson has also served in a variety of capacities at DEA Headquarters, during which she developed wide-ranging expertise in global strategic intelligence, intelligence policy and strategic planning, and partner engagement. Chief Thompson received her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Notre Dame, where she studied international relations and economics.

Mallory O’Brien, MS, PhD

Associate Scientist, Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University

Mallory O’Brien is a distinguished public health professional and researcher specializing in violence prevention, injury epidemiology, and overdose prevention. She currently serves as an associate scientist at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Department of Health Policy and Management, at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, focusing on violence and overdose prevention as well as public health and public safety partnerships. Mallory contributes and supports overdose prevention efforts through two Interagency Personnel Agreements—one with the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), under the U.S. Department of Justice (through August 2023) and at the Centers for Disease Control, Division of Overdose Prevention. Dr. O’Brien holds a doctor of philosophy degree in epidemiology, a master of science degree in epidemiology and environmental studies, and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Douglas B. Marlowe, JD, PhD

Senior Scientific Consultant, Law and Policy, All Rise

Douglas B. Marlowe is a senior scientific consultant for All Rise (formerly the National Association of Drug Court Professionals). He is a lawyer and clinical psychologist whose research and practice focus on the effects of treatment courts and other rehabilitation programs for persons with substance use and mental health disorders involved in the justice system, as well as behavioral treatments for persons with substance use disorders (SUDs) and justice system involvement. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Dr. Marlowe has published more than 175 journal articles, monographs, books, and book chapters on the topics of correctional rehabilitation, forensic psychology, and treatment of SUDs. He is the editor-in-chief of The Journal for Advancing Justice, serves on the editorial boards of Criminal Justice and Behavior and the Drug Court Review, and was formerly the editor-in-chief of the Drug Court Review.

Michelle White, MPA

Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance

Michelle White is currently serving in dual roles as both a Senior Policy Advisor for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and a Senior Program Advisor for the State Justice Institute (SJI). At BJA, she supports the statewide grantees of the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), along with work in the areas of prosecutor and court diversion programs, child welfare activities, harm reduction strategies, and support for rural communities across the portfolio. At SJI, she strengthens, supports, and guides the work of local and state court grantees across numerous program areas and monitors national trends in justice and their potential impact on the state courts and their justice system partners. Ms. White has more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of the justice and health systems, which includes providing training and technical assistance, program evaluation, and practical experience as a drug court coordinator, criminal justice planner, probation officer, and police officer. Ms. White graduated from George Mason University with both a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice.

Jac Charlier, MPA

Executive Director, Center for Health and Justice, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities

Jac Charlier is the executive director of both Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities’ (TASC) Center for Health and Justice (CHJ) and the Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative (PTACC). A national expert in crime reduction and deflection/pre-arrest diversion, Mr. Charlier specializes in practical solutions that bring together justice system partners, behavioral health service providers, and community leaders in common aims of creating safer, healthier communities. As part of his work with CHJ, Mr. Charlier leads the National Deflection Technical Assistance Center, including the provision of training and technical assistance to law enforcement and first responder-led deflection initiatives through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP). He is also a recognized civic leader in the Chicagoland area and brings his years of successful grassroots experience to work in developing justice solutions grounded in the context of the community.

Vicky Butler

Executive Director, Plymouth County Outreach, Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Vicky Butler is the executive director of Plymouth County Outreach (PCO) in Massachusetts, where she works closely with the PCO Chiefs Advisory Board and medical partners overseeing the program in its entirety as well as implementation of new program components. A person in recovery, Ms. Butler first started working with PCO in 2017 as a volunteer recovery coach. From there, she became the program coordinator through the first cohort of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) AmeriCorps members and was then hired as PCO’s first operations supervisor. Ms. Butler is a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach and recovery coach supervisor through the state of Massachusetts and holds certifications to teach multiple curricula, including the Recovery Coach Academy, the Massachusetts Drug Endangered Children curriculum, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) How Being Trauma Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses training. She has presented at national conferences throughout the country, including the PAARI Summit, the Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit, and the Stimulant Summit.

Stacie Schaner

Captain, Special Services and Innovation Bureau, Tucson Police Department, Tucson, Arizona

Stacie Schaner, a member of the Tucson, Arizona, Police Department (TPD) since 2004, is a captain currently assigned as the Community Engagement Division commander in the Special Services and Innovation Bureau. Her responsibilities include the Community Outreach Resource and Engagement Section, which houses the Mental Health Support Team, the Substance Use Resource Team, and the Homeless Outreach Team and works closely with the Analysis Division and community partners to use evidence-based strategies to implement and evaluate progressive policing strategies and partnerships to better serve the community of Tucson. The TPD substance use pre-arrest deflection program was implemented in 2018 and continues to be a tool for all department patrol officers. Captain Schaner’s former assignments included Rapid Response Team supervisor, Downtown Entertainment District captain, and Patrol Services Bureau executive officer.

Mike Skowyra

Detective Lieutenant, Special Operations Commander, Kingston Police Department, Kingston, Massachusetts

Michael “Mike” Skowyra is the special operations commander for the Kingston, Massachusetts, Police Department (KPD) and currently holds the rank of detective lieutenant. Also an army combat veteran, he has served with the KPD for 10 years. There, he has held positions including patrol, detective, police prosecutor, supervisory roles, and various specialized assignments. In the decade that he has been with the KPD, Detective Lieutenant Skowyra leads the department in arrests yet also advocates for alternative remedies to drug violations. He has played an active role as an outreach officer for Plymouth County Outreach (PCO), in Massachusetts, since the program’s inception and continues to work with PCO’s leadership team to educate law enforcement on the importance of the PCO post-overdose deflection program.

Molly Roffers-Susa, MS

Special Programs Coordinator, Winnebago County District Attorney’s Office, Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Molly Roffers-Susa is the current special programs coordinator for the Winnebago County, Wisconsin, District Attorney’s Office (WCDAO). Starting as an administrative assistant, she carved out this new role for herself in the WCDAO after discovering her passion for working in a position that truly makes a difference. Using her background in medicolegal death investigation and anthropology, Ms. Roffers-Susa focuses much of her work on creating and implementing new alternative-to-incarceration programs for defendants in Winnebago County, securing grant funding for these programs, and connecting agencies in these efforts. Currently, she oversees all grant-related activity for the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP)-funded Stimulant and Opioid Addiction Recovery (SOAR) Program, as well as co-manages a prosecutor-led data transparency grant with evaluation partner New York University to update the WCDAO data infrastructure. Ms. Roffers-Susa earned her master of science degree from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and her bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Caitlin Weihing, MS

Crime Data Analyst, Winnebago County District Attorney’s Office, Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Caitlin Weihing is the crime data analyst for the Winnebago County, Wisconsin, District Attorney’s Office (WCDAO). She is the first to hold the position since its approval in 2020. Although the WCDAO has long valued the importance of data, this position serves as the next step toward improving the data-driven decision making within the WCDAO. In this position, Ms. Weihing serves as data wrangler, data analyst, and data communicator. She oversees data connected to program evaluation, grant management, collaborative research projects, and evaluation of performance for the WCDAO as a whole. She thoroughly enjoys the challenges that accompany working with public sector data. Ms. Weihing earned both her master of science and bachelor of science degrees in psychology from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Luiza Barnat, MS, LMFT, MBA

Director of Opioid Services, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Hartford, Connecticut

Luiza Barnat is currently serving as the director of opioid services at the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Office of the Commissioner. She is a Connecticut Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, with 16 years of experience in the field of mental health and addiction, both in public and private nonprofit settings. Ms. Barnat has been managing behavioral health teams since 2010 and, since 2018, has worked on opioid grants and services, including oversight of the state opioid response funding. Ms. Barnat earned a master of science degree in family therapy in 2007 and a master of business administration degree in health care administration in 2016.

Lauren Pristo, MPH

Director of Community Engagement, McCall Behavioral Health Network, Torrington, Connecticut

Lauren Pristo is the director of community engagement at McCall Behavioral Health Network in Torrington, Connecticut, and serves as the statewide project manager for Connecticut’s Community and Law Enforcement for Addiction Recovery (CLEAR) project. In her role as the Litchfield County, Connecticut, Opiate Task Force (LCOTF) Network Coordinator, Ms. Pristo is responsible for the planning and management of LCOTF initiatives, including implementing and expanding a regional harm reduction program; engaging stakeholders and coordinating efforts in the development of an overdose spike alert response plan; creating a multidisciplinary toolkit and training stakeholders statewide, including state police troopers, on developing a trauma-informed community; and coordinating regional multiagency outreach and recovery coaching work. Ms. Pristo holds a master’s degree in public health in epidemiology of microbial diseases from the Yale School of Public Health, where she assessed the needs and barriers to care for people living with HIV with an emphasis in using epidemiological research methods to examine synergistic health and social conditions, including injection drug use. She attained her bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Northern Arizona University, where she co-authored research on the infectious disease melioidosis.

Liz Evans, BScN, MEd

Senior Director, Liberation Programs, Norwalk, Connecticut

Liz Evans is a senior director at Liberation Programs, working to further advance harm reduction approaches and enhance services for individuals at risk of overdose and those who are underserved by mainstream resources in Connecticut. She is the site coordinator for the Connecticut Community and Law Enforcement for Addiction Recovery (CLEAR) Project. Ms. Evans is a recognized authority in the field and has extensive expertise and an unwavering commitment toward transforming the perception and treatment of substance users both nationally and internationally. She has more than 30 years of frontline experience and has dedicated her career to marginalized individuals living in poverty and struggling with substance use. During her tenure in New York, Ms. Evans led two renowned harm reduction organizations and established a pioneering Drug User Health Hub, expanded mobile outreach services, developed new programs, and significantly increased the organizations’ impact. She expanded the use of overdose prevention services and managed the merger of New York Harm Reduction Educators and the Washington Heights Corner Project, forming OnPoint NYC. As a former Open Society Foundation fellow and founder of the PHS Community Services Society (formerly the Portland Hotel Society), Ms. Evans has been instrumental in introducing groundbreaking housing-first policies in Canada and was part of a visionary team that established North America’s first legally sanctioned injection site in 2003. Ms. Evans holds a master’s degree in adult education and a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

Pearl Evans, MAPL

Overdose Prevention Program Administrator, Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, Minnesota

Pearl Evans works as an overdose prevention program administrator at the Minnesota Department of Health. She is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist who brings lived experience to the work. Listening to community voices inspires her to champion health equity within her overdose prevention work.

Jim Rieber, MS, LCSW, JD, PhD

Director of Emergency Services, Perham Health, Perham, Minnesota

Jim Rieber is the director of emergency services at Perham Health in Perham, Minnesota, and has 44 years’ experience in emergency medical services (EMS) working as an emergency medical technician, paramedic, firefighter and SWAT tactical paramedic. He has been in EMS management for 28 years and in management of other systems for 10 additional years. Dr. Reiber is a past president of the Minnesota Ambulance Association and has served as chair of the Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board. He has been with the West Central Minnesota EMS Council for 25 years and the chair for the past 10 years.

Deanna Bunce, LCSW, CASAC-T

Program Coordinator, Niagara County Department of Mental Health, Niagara Falls, New York

Deanna Bunce has worked with the Niagara County, New York, Department of Mental Health for more than 6 years, supervising the Bureau of Justice Assistance grant programs for 4 years. She developed the Presenting Alternatives to Treatment and Healing (PATH) program as an innovative intervention of community-based harm reduction strategies. To date, the program assists more than 1,200 individuals and their families with recovery-oriented supports.

Joshua Anderson, CERPA

Recovery Coach, Niagara PATH Program, Niagara Falls, New York

Joshua Anderson has served as a recovery coach with the Niagara County Presenting Alternatives for Treatment and Healing (PATH) program for almost 3 years. With more than two decades without any mind-altering substances, Mr. Anderson is able to provide his clients a rock in their storm. He serves the community he lives in, and it shows in his passion and day-to-day efforts working with those struggling with substance use disorder. He lives his mission 24/7, providing a health example that there is hope and recovery is possible.

Linda Davis, JD

Executive Director, Families Against Narcotics, Clinton Township, Michigan

Linda Davis, the executive director of Families Against Narcotics (FAN), was appointed to the bench on March 27, 2000, by Michigan Governor John Engler. Prior to her judgeship, she spent 13 years as an assistant prosecutor with the Macomb County, Michigan, Prosecutor’s Office. Judge Davis played a crucial role in FAN’s inception and, as its executive director, has been instrumental in the success and growth of the organization. She was recently appointed as a voting member of the new Opioid Advisory Commission in Michigan, which will determine how funds from the National Opioid Settlement will be spent in the state.

Joshua Barnett, MA, MHS, PhD

Behavioral Health Data Scientist, Pinellas County Human Services Department, Pinellas County, Florida

Joshua Barnett is a behavioral health data scientist with the Pinellas County, Florida, Human Services Department and has served as an administrator of public and not-for-profit behavioral health services since 2009. He served as a policy and clinical consultant to the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and a U.S. Department of Justice-appointed court monitor and led multiple initiatives to reduce opioid-related overdoses in both Manatee County, Florida, and Pinellas County. Dr. Barnett is a professor of public health at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and has published in the areas of substance use and harm reduction. He has a doctor of philosophy degree in behavioral and community sciences from the University of South Florida, a master of health science degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a master of arts degree in thanatology from Hood College.

Kimbra Reynolds, MBA, LCAC, CAPRC I, CAPRC II

Executive Director, Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition, Inc., Portland, Indiana

Kimbra Reynolds is the executive director of the Jay County, Indiana, Drug Prevention Coalition and is a Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor and Certified Addiction Peer Recovery Coach. She has 34 years’ experience in successful coalition building and addiction intervention and prevention. Ms. Reynolds provides contractual work with various coalitions and is a local and federal grant reviewer. She leads two of the five pilot sites for the Integrated Reentry and Correctional Support (IRACS) Program in Indiana and serves on the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute’s Local Coordinating Council Advisory Board. She most recently became a member of the Indiana Counselors Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (ICAADA) workgroup for prevention professionals. Her years of leadership experience provided her the opportunity to become a graduate of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s (CADCA) Graduate Coalition Academy and National Coalition Academy. Ms. Reynolds holds a master of business administration degree specializing in health care from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Rhonda Sanford, LCSW

Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Coatesville, Pennsylvania

Rhonda Sanford is a veterans justice outreach (VJO) specialist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a position she has held since 2012 to serve the needs of veterans at the front end of the justice system: those in contact with law enforcement, incarcerated in local jails, on probation, and/or participating in treatment courts. Ms. Sanford collaborates with community partners and provides education and support around veteran issues. She has collaborated with Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, partners to establish a veterans response team that provides support to first responders who encounter veterans. This collaboration provides the highest-priority connections to the Coatesville, Pennsylvania, VA VJO and VA police, community mental health crisis responders, local veteran service organizations, and the Montgomery County Veterans Treatment Court. Ms. Sanford began her VA career in 2008 and spent 4.5 years as a VA Homeless Outreach Social Worker.

Cecelia Gonzalez, MSW, LCSW

Homeless and Justice Programs Supervisor, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Wilmington, Delaware

Cecilia Gonzalez first joined the Wilmington, Delaware, Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2010. She currently serves as the homeless and justice programs supervisor. Ms. Gonzalez has a master’s degree in social work and certifications in management and public administration and has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for 22 years.

Andrew Klein, PhD

Senior Justice Scientist, Advocates for Human Potential

Andrew Klein is a senior scientist for criminal justice at Advocates for Human Potential. His areas of expertise include criminal justice, court administration, institutional and community corrections, substance use disorder treatment, domestic violence, medication-assisted treatment, and victim services. Since 2010, he has served as the project director for providing training and technical assistance for the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, prison and jail drug treatment initiative, the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program. Dr. Klein earned his doctor of philosophy degree in law, policy, and society from Northeastern University.

Cedric Love

Research Associate, Advocates for Human Potential

Cedric Love is a research associate at the Advocates for Human Potential Center for Research and Evaluation. He previously worked as a drug and alcohol therapist for juvenile boys and as a service coordinator helping at-risk youth in school systems get access to mental health treatment and navigate their way through the juvenile justice system. Mr. Love currently assists the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) team by providing summaries for recent medication-assisted treatment studies.

Erin Pfeltz, MA

Division Chief, Programs Office, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Erin Pfeltz is a Division Chief with the Programs Office in the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), within the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. In that capacity, she supervises a team that manages grants and cooperative agreements for the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP); the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program; the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program; and the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program, among others. Before joining BJA in 2016, Ms. Pfeltz worked in grants management at the U.S. Department of Education for more than 10 years. Ms. Pfeltz holds a master of arts degree in international economic affairs from The George Washington University and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Connie Priddy, RN, MA

Program Coordinator, Huntington Quick Response Team, Huntington, West Virginia

Connie Priddy currently serves as director of quality compliance at Cabell County, West Virginia, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and program coordinator for the Huntington, West Virginia, Quick Response Team (QRT). She assisted in the development and implementation of the QRT model, which was developed utilizing a multidisciplinary team as the first point of contact after an overdose event. This is a collaborative effort among EMS, law enforcement, treatment providers, and faith-based leaders. Ms. Priddy serves on several advisory boards to develop the first responder deflection program on a national level; this includes developing standards and sharing data collection methods. She continues to promote first responder involvement as a critical component in fighting the opioid crisis through information sharing. Ms. Priddy worked for 25 years as a flight nurse for a hospital-based medical helicopter before transitioning to a county-based EMS system. She is active on many national committees and serves on many stakeholder boards with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities’ Center for Health and Justice, and the Addiction Policy Forum, among others. She was recognized as West Virginia EMS Instructor of the Year for 2018 and selected as a presenter at the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, in April 2020. Ms. Priddy also did multiple presentations at the BJA “United We Stand” 2020 Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP) Forum in Washington, DC. She currently does various presentations on the QRT model across the country and in British Columbia, Canada. Ms. Priddy graduated from Marshall University with a master’s degree in sociology and a nursing degree.

Larrecsa Barker, NREMT-P, MPH Candidate

Community Paramedic, Cabell County Emergency Medical Services/Huntington Quick Response Team, Huntington, West Virginia

Larrecsa Barker worked as a field paramedic before transitioning to a position on the Huntington, West Virginia, Quick Response Team (QRT). She worked for nearly 4 years as a field medic in a high-volume, 9-1-1 county-based ambulance service. This involved working autonomously with critically ill and injured patients. Over the past year, Ms. Barker has played an important role as the emergency medical services component on the QRT, recently becoming the team leader with multiple responsibilities for the continued success of the unconventional QRT model.

Cheryll Moore

Medical Care Administrator, Erie County Department of Health, Buffalo, New York

Cheryll Moore has extensive grant administration and project management experience with the Erie County, New York, Department of Health and has directly administered and implemented numerous grant projects over the past 20 years. She has been a leader in addressing the opioid epidemic in Erie County, providing naloxone trainings to first responders and community members and integrating data to focus her efforts. She also manages the nationally recognized community-engaged intervention known as the Erie County Opioid Epidemic Task Force to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths.

Bonnie M. Vest, PhD

Research Associate Professor, Primary Care Research Institute, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

Bonnie M. Vest is a research associate professor in the Primary Care Research Institute at the University at Buffalo. She is a medical anthropologist with 10 years of experience in mixed-methods program evaluation related to the implementation of community programs and interventions. She has served as lead evaluator for multiple Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-funded programs implementing interventions to address opioid and other substance use in the community. Dr. Vest is and has been a co-investigator on large U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs- and National Institutes of Health-funded health services research studies. She has extensive expertise in research related to substance use, using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Stephen Amos, MS

Chief, Jails Division, National Institute of Corrections

Stephen Amos is the chief of the Jails Division at the National Institute of Corrections within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He has directed frontline training, technical assistance, information dissemination, program planning, and policy development in support of the nation’s jails and detention facilities at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels. In addition to a broad array of agency-specific mission-critical services provided to the field by his team of expert correctional program specialists, some of the select broader impacting initiatives achieved include the DOJ Jails Technical Assistance and Training Working Group; the Jail Collaborative Reform Initiative; Jail-based Medication-assisted Treatment: Promising Practices, Guidelines, and Resources for the Field (publication); the Texas Mental Health Officer Training Initiative; the Justice-involved Veteran’s Initiative; the National Sheriffs’ Institute Expansion Initiative; the National Institute of Corrections and American Jail Association Curriculum Collaboration Initiative; the Strategic Inmate Management Initiative; the Restrictive Housing Initiative; and the Massachusetts Special Commission on Correctional Funding Staffing Analysis Initiative.

Margaret Chapman, MA

Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance

Margaret “Meg” Chapman is a policy advisor supporting the Corrections, Reentry, and Justice Reform Policy Office of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). She has spent the past 25 years working in a variety of social science research, policy development and analysis, and program evaluation roles. Her portfolio of work is focused on the intersection of behavioral health and corrections and includes informing policy related to the identification of individuals with behavioral health disorders at the point of detainment, the assessment and provision of evidence-based treatment to individuals while in custody, and continuation of care upon release. Prior to joining BJA, Ms. Chapman spent more than 20 years with Abt Associates, Inc., where she managed and executed numerous research studies for federal and nonfederal clients. She served in leadership roles for projects that included providing analytic and research support for DOJ’s surveys and projects.

Linda Frazier, MA, RN, MCHES

Director, Principal Consultant, Addictions Initiatives, Advocates for Human Potential, Inc.

Linda Frazier is a principal consultant and director of addictions initiatives at Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP). She has worked in public health and behavioral health services for more than 30 years in a variety of clinical settings and has extensive leadership and consulting experience in behavioral health, addictions, and criminal justice. She worked in Maine state government for 10 years and last served as associate director of treatment and recovery services for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHS). Ms. Frazier has delivered technical assistance, nationally and internationally, on behavioral health and primary care integration, implementation of medications for addiction treatment, improving mental health and substance use treatment access, and outcomes in state service networks and adult drug treatment courts. She is a subject-matter expert in trauma, addiction treatment, recovery, large systems change management, research, and policy. Her consulting has also included work with criminal justice systems and services. Ms. Frazier is from a family in recovery and is experienced in co-occurring treatment.

Kristen Raese, MPH

Health Program Specialist, Drug Overdose Prevention Program, Division of Public Health, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Kristen Raese is a health program specialist with the Drug Overdose Prevention Program at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW), Division of Public Health. Since 2017, she has worked within the Drug Overdose Prevention Program on statewide opioid misuse and overdose prevention efforts, including the development, implementation, and evaluation of two statewide media campaigns, as well as assisting in the implementation of DHW’s naloxone distribution program. Ms. Raese holds a master of public health degree with an emphasis in health promotion and education from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Austin, Texas.

Natalie Bodine

Health Program Manager, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Boise, Idaho

Natalie Bodine is the health program manager for the Drug Overdose Prevention Program within the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Public Health. She has more than 18 years’ experience with state and local public health working within the Idaho Division of Public Health, Division of Medicaid, and local Public Health District 4. Ms. Bodine has experience in public health program management, public health preparedness, quality improvement, and prevention work that spans across not only public health but the private and nonprofit realms as well. Ms. Bodine obtained a bachelor of science degree in public health from Montana State University.

Timothy Santamour

Director and Peer Support Worker, Outreach and Networking, Florida Harm Reduction Collective

Tim Santamour is a long-time harm reduction activist working in the areas of infectious disease and overdose prevention. He currently works for Florida Harm Reduction Collective building networks of service providers and community organizations in efforts to eliminate infectious disease transmission and overdose fatalities related to substance use. As director of outreach and networking, Mr. Santamour organizes and facilitates regional and statewide harm reduction workgroups strategizing how to increase distribution of naloxone in Florida. In addition, he works on several collaborative partnerships of research investigators and community organizations. He has founded or worked for programs in Buffalo and New York City, New York, as well as Florida, and has served as executive director of DanceSafe.

Dana Longobardi, MPH

Administrative Director, Public Health Prevention Programs, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachusetts

Dana Longobardi is the administrative director of Public Health Prevention Programs at Fenway Health, a Federally Qualified Community Health Center in Boston, Massachusetts. In this role, she oversees the Access: Drug User Health Program, a harm reduction and syringe exchange program based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ms. Longobardi has a background in global public health, working in Sub-Saharan Africa on a number of initiatives related to sexual and reproductive health. She spent 8 years working in the field of quality improvement, project management, and program evaluation before assuming her current role. Ms. Longobardi has a strong passion for providing dignified care and services to people who use substances and believes that evidence-based harm reduction strategies are highly effective in reducing negative outcomes associated with substance use.

Brian Sink

Program Manager, Access: Drug User Health Program, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachusetts

Brian Sink is the program manager for Fenway Health’s Access: Drug User Health Program, a long-standing syringe services program in Boston, Massachusetts. Previously, he served as the outreach coordinator providing trainings, community engagement, HIV/hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infection testing, and mobile harm reduction services to the broader metro area. He also led the agency’s post-overdose follow-up efforts alongside community partners across neighboring municipalities. Mr. Sink comes to this work with both lived experience in the realm of substance use and having worked previously in the area shelter system, where he realized that the one-size-fits-all approach to human services can often leave many feeling left out. He is an enthusiastic advocate for systems and health care settings that utilize a harm reduction model, respecting the inherent dignity of people who use substances while acknowledging that they are the experts of their own lives.

Heather V. Gray, JD

Senior Legislative Attorney, Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association

Heather V. Gray is a senior legislative attorney with the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, where her duties include legislative research and analysis of laws and policies related to subjects touching on public policy and safety, as well as drafting and editing materials on various matters regarding alcohol, controlled substances, health care, and criminal justice. She also drafts, and assists others with the drafting of, model laws. Ms. Gray earned her juris doctorate degree from the University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. She is a member of the State of Tennessee Bar.

Muhammad Noor E. Alam, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Director, Decision Analysis Lab, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts

Muhammad Noor E. Alam is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and director of the Decision Analytics Lab at Northeastern University. He also holds a faculty associate position at the Centre for Health Policy and Healthcare Research and an affiliated faculty position at both the Global Resilience Institute and the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. Prior to joining Northeastern University, Dr. Alam was a postdoctoral research fellow in Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award in 2021. The key focus of Dr. Alam’s research is to develop strategies for addressing the opioid epidemic crisis. He has been serving as principal investigator and co-principal investigator in several federally funded projects, most of which are related to artificial intelligence/analytics, health care, and addressing the opioid epidemic.

Mark Cioffi, MBA, MS

Program Analyst, New Hampshire Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, Concord, New Hampshire

Mark Cioffi has been the program analyst for the New Hampshire Prescription Drug Monitoring Program since 2018. In that capacity, he is responsible for all data analysis projects, including communications to stakeholders and the New Hampshire Legislature. He served on two of the governor’s eight opioid crisis task forces. Mr. Cioffi’s health care career spans four decades, including positions as health care practice manager for Keane Consulting; in data analysis at three Blue Cross/Blue Shield facilities in New England; in data management for the New Hampshire Medicaid Management Information System; and as senior management analyst at New Hampshire Hospital, a psychiatric hospital. Mr. Cioffi earned a master of business administration degree from Plymouth State University, master of science degree in taxation from Bentley College, and a bachelor of science degree in engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Laura Ordway, PharmD

Pharmacy Consultant, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York

Laura Ordway is a pharmacist with a background in public health and clinical pharmacy. As a pharmacy consultant at the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, she advises on controlled substance regulations and dispensing trends. Her clinical experience includes extensive work with behavioral health conditions and using evidence-based practice principles to support the development of disease state management protocols and policies. In her role as an educator at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Dr. Ordway has actively advocated for pharmacist-led community health programs. She is passionate about expanding the use of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) as a tool for public health initiatives.

Angel Morfin, CPSW

Harm Reduction Services Project Coordinator, Pueblo of Pojoaque Behavioral Health, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Angel Morfin is the harm reduction services project coordinator for Pueblo of Pojoaque Behavioral Health in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the program manager for the Resources, Opportunity, Advocacy, and Diversion (ROAD) Program. She is a Certified Peer Support Worker and an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribe. Ms. Morfin returned to work for her tribe in 2020 after working as a teacher in high-risk communities for more than 10 years. Her goal is to help fight the stigma against substance misuse as well as to support those who struggle with substance use disorder and those in recovery.

Jill Campoli, MA, LPCC, CCTP

Clinical Director, Pueblo of Pojoaque Behavioral Health, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Jill Campoli is the clinical director for the Pueblo of Pojoaque Behavioral Health program in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has served the tribes of northern New Mexico through direct clinical services, program development, grant writing, and leadership since 2014. Ms. Campoli is currently pursuing a doctor of philosophy degree in visionary practice and regenerative leadership.

Megan Pinasco , LMSW, CMII, BHWC, PRSS

Program Director, Medication Assisted Treatment and Tribal Opioid Response Program, Muscogee Creek Nation Department of Health, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Megan Pinasco is the program director for the Muscogee Creek Nation (MCN) Medication Assisted Treatment and Tribal Opioid Response Program as well as the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) project coordinator, working with the Lighthorse Police Department to get Narcan trainings and Narcan to MCN communities. She is a Marine Corps veteran and Muscogee Creek citizen. She is the commander of the Este Cate Hoktvke Suletawv (MCN Women Veteran Honor Guard), trains service dogs for veterans, and is trained as a facilitator in Mending Broken Hearts, Warrior Down Recovery Coaching, and the 12-Step Medicine Wheel for Youth and Adults. Ms. Pinasco holds a Licensed Master of Social Work licensure and is a Case Manager Level II and Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist. She has obtained several college degrees: a master of social work degree from the University of Oklahoma–Tulsa, a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Tulsa, and a culinary arts degree in San Francisco, California, where she worked as a chef for many years.

Roberta C. Churchill, MA, LMHC

Senior Justice Associate, Advocates for Human Potential

Roberta C. Churchill is a senior justice associate at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) with more than 35 years of experience working with individuals living with the effects of trauma, substance use, and co-occurring mental health disorders. Since 1996, she has worked with justice-involved individuals who have multiple needs, developing and supervising medication-assisted treatment, educational, and gender-specific programming. She has worked with various jails and prisons, community correction sites, and treatment courts facilitating, supervising, and implementing substance use and co-occurring mental health disorder treatment programs. Ms. Churchill worked with a treatment specialist and program officers to develop one of the first Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) programs in Massachusetts, which is still operating after 25 years. Since coming to AHP, she has assisted Dr. Andrew Klein in developing publications and presentations on medication for opioid use disorder and withdrawal guidelines for jails and the pretrial population. Ms. Churchill has also helped research and co-present with Dr. Klein on the prevention of suicide among people with substance use disorder. She was responsible for the two revisions of the Promising Practices Guidelines for Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, is revising and developing toolkits on the topics of integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders and trauma-responsive care, and is currently working on the development of a diversity, equity, and inclusion manual that will help explore disconnections that exist between needs and services due to inequity, lack of diversity, and lack of inclusion.

Frank Craig, LCDC

State Director, Gateway Foundation, Wyoming Department of Corrections

Frank Craig has been the Wyoming State Director for the Gateway Foundation’s contract with the Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) since 2015. His tenure with the Gateway Foundation has included services with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice since 1999 (minus 3 years working as an investigator for Child Protective Services in Texas). As a former president of the Wyoming Association of Addiction Professionals (WAAP), Mr. Craig worked to re-establish the WAAP as an affiliate of the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) and as a legislative advocate in Wyoming, as well as Texas, to promote the field of substance use disorder (SUD). He volunteered as a member of the Hamilton County, Texas, Child Welfare Board for 8 years, serving as board president and as a board representative (then president) for the Central Texas Council of Child Welfare Boards. His community involvement also saw a term serving as a Hamilton, Texas, City Council member prior to relocating to Wyoming. Mr. Craig has had professional membership with the NAADAC through the WAAP and was formerly a member of the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals. For 26 years, he has dedicated his career to providing SUD services primarily to criminal justice populations with a recent initiative to establish trainings/supervision to justice-involved peers in collaboration with Recover Wyoming, the WDOC, and the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium.

Melissa Heinen, RN, MPH

Senior Research Associate/Manager, Overdose Fatality Review, Institute for Intergovernmental Research

Melissa Heinen is a senior research associate/manager with the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR). She works on the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), providing day-to-day oversight of staff members, programmatic activities including coordination and provision of support to overdose fatality review teams, information sharing/privacy issues, and harm reduction initiatives, as well as assistance with document development, project evaluation, and provision of training and technical assistance (TTA) to COSSUP grantee sites. Ms. Heinen has expertise in facilitating meetings; data analysis; program design, implementation, and evaluation; strategic planning; grant writing; and TTA delivery. She has more than 20 years of experience working in injury and violence epidemiology and prevention at the local, state, regional, and national levels. Previously, she was a senior epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, where she led the analysis and project coordination of the Minnesota Violent Death Reporting System, including facilitating suicide, homicide, and overdose fatality reviews. Ms. Heinen earned her master of public health degree in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and her bachelor of science degree in nursing, with a minor in psychology, from Winona State University.

Jennifer Cantwell

Jennifer Cantwell, Community Engagement Coordinator, Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, Brockton, Massachusetts

Jennifer Cantwell leads the Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Initiative for the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. The DEC Initiative connects families impacted by substance use to resources and support and trains schools and first responders in Plymouth County on trauma informed practices. Mrs. Cantwell also serves as the Chair of the Plymouth County Drug Abuse Task Force subcommittee on community coalitions.

Erica Hochberger, MSW, LICSW

Clinical Director, National Children’s Advocacy Center, Huntsville, Alabama

Erica Hochberger is the Intervention and Clinical Director at the National Children’s Advocacy Center (NCAC) in Huntsville, Alabama, where she facilitates the child abuse multidisciplinary team and carries a small trauma therapy caseload. Prior to joining the NCAC 9 years ago as a therapist, she worked primarily with children who were impacted by domestic violence. She is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and has trained in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and a problematic sexual behavior adaptation of TF-CBT (TF-CBT/PSB). Ms. Hochberger earned a master of social work degree from Alabama A&M University and a bachelor of arts degree in human development and family studies from Samford University.

Andrea Darr

Technical Expert Lead, JBS International

Andrea Darr is a Handle With Care subject-matter expert at JBS International. Prior to this position, she was the director of the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice from 2015 to 2023. The West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice promotes and supports a statewide trauma-informed response to child maltreatment and children’s exposure to violence. Ms. Darr is a cofounder of the West Virginia Handle With Care Initiative, which promotes safe and supportive homes, schools, and communities that protect children and help traumatized children heal and thrive. Before devoting her work full-time to children’s initiatives, Ms. Darr served as the coordinator of Victim Witness Services at the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute from 2005 to 2015. In that capacity, she coordinated with prosecution-based victim-witness assistance programs as well as community-based programs to improve their collective knowledge concerning available resources and information and to establish a bridge between local, state, and federal agencies regarding victim issues. Ms. Darr has also worked in direct services with victims of crime, violence, and abuse while serving as the victim liaison at the Kanawha County, West Virginia, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office from 2002 to 2015.

Edmond Hayes

Assistant Superintendent, Director, Opioid Treatment Program, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Greenfield, Massachusetts

Ed Hayes is an assistant superintendent at the Franklin County, Massachusetts, Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), located in rural Western Massachusetts. During Mr. Hayes’ 10-year tenure as treatment director, the FCSO has been recognized nationally as a demonstration site by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as well as the Bureau of Justice Assistance for its work with incarcerated co-occurring clients. The FCSO treatment program was the first in Massachusetts and one of the first in the nation to offer a comprehensive treatment approach for incarcerated clients living with opioid use disorder by becoming a fully licensed opioid treatment program. Mr. Hayes was a 2020 National Institute of Health Learning Experiences to Advance Practice (LEAP) Scholar and has a background in clinical social work and provision of special education for adult learners.

Rachel Katz, MSN, FNP-BC

Director, Addiction Services, Community Health Center of Franklin County, Greenfield, Massachusetts

Rachel Katz is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with more than 15 years of experience in primary care, most of which has been in rural settings. She has been a practicing addiction clinician for the last 10 years and is a strong advocate for incorporating treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) into the scope of routine primary care. She is a strong proponent of low-barrier access to care and firmly believes in incorporating harm reduction principles into all aspects of treatment for SUDs. Ms. Katz currently sees patients at the Community Health Center of Franklin County in Greenfield, Massachusetts, where she directs the Office-based Addiction Treatment program and is actively engaged in teaching students and residents. She is currently a community faculty member for the National Institutes of Health-funded HEALing Communities Study. Ms. Katz is a graduate of Smith College and Columbia University and is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Levin Schwartz, MSW, LICSW

Assistant Superintendent, Director, Reentry Services, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Greenfield, Massachusetts

Levin Schwartz is the assistant superintendent of clinical and reentry services at the Franklin County, Massachusetts, Sheriff’s Office (FCSO). He is the implementation specialist for FCSO special projects, including the FCSO’s federally licensed opioid treatment program; behavioral health grants, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Medication-assisted Treatment (MAT)-Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction (PODA) grants (2018 and 2021); and Bureau of Justice Assistance/U.S. Department of Justice Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, and Second Chance Act grants. Mr. Schwartz has co-developed and implemented what has become a nationally recognized mindfulness-based opioid treatment and reentry program at the FCSO. Mr. Schwartz earned his master’s degree from Smith College School for Social Work and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Evans, PhD

Professor, University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Elizabeth Evans is a professor of public health and health sciences at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst. Her research focuses on how health care systems and public policies can better promote health and wellness among vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly for individuals at risk for substance use disorders, mental illness, and infectious diseases. Dr. Evans joined UMass Amherst in 2017 and since then has focused on addressing the opioid epidemic, particularly among criminally involved populations.

Janene Holter, PhD

Strategic Initiatives Operator, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General

Janene Holter is the strategic initiatives operator for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, where she manages the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative (LETI) currently for 23 counties, as well as the Office of Attorney General’s policy. She works with the District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to develop countywide policies. Dr. Holter attends monthly case management meetings with treatment providers and counties regarding LETI referrals. She also instructs law enforcement officials on substance use disorder, stigma, and referring persons for treatment using their county LETI policy. She is currently working with other counties to develop additional countywide LETI policies. Dr. Holter has been employed in the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General since 1999. Prior to attaining her current position, she worked as an undercover narcotics agent and supervisory narcotics agent and with the Office of Public Engagement. Dr. Holter also is employed at Alvernia University as an adjunct faculty member.

Lori Lawrence, MBA, MS, LPC

Deputy Director, Community Health Initiatives, Criminal Justice and Centers of Excellence, Program Evaluation and Research Unit, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Lori Lawrence is the deputy director of community health initiatives with the Criminal Justice and Centers of Excellence portfolio of projects at the University of Pittsburgh Program Evaluation and Research Unit. She has more than 15 years of leadership and management experience in the behavioral health industry with a focus on individual, organizational, and system change. She also provides counseling services to individuals, couples, and families as a Licensed Professional Counselor and offers leadership and organizational coaching and consulting. Ms. Lawrence earned a master of science degree in psychology from Chatham University, a master of business administration degree in strategic leadership and globalization from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Ohio University.

Erica L. Barnes

Supervisor/Assistant Administrator, Case Manager, Columbia, Montour, Snyder, and Union Counties Drug and Alcohol Unit, Danville, Pennsylvania

Erica Barnes currently manages a fully functioning drug and alcohol case management unit for Columbia, Montour, Snyder, and Union Counties. The case manager types include general, Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative (LETI), and specialty courts. Ms. Barnes recently held the positions of clinical supervisor at an outpatient facility and juvenile behavioral health supervisor, specifically working with drug and alcohol at-risk youth. She has worked in the drug and alcohol field for 20 years in many different capacities. Ms. Barnes holds a bachelor of science degree from Bloomsburg University.

Mickenzie Simmons, MA

Behavioral Health Analyst, Community Health Division, Altarum

Mickenzie Simmons is a behavioral health analyst for Altarum’s Community Health Division and currently serves as the behavioral health analyst for the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) Training and Technical Assistance Center on peer recovery support services. Ms. Simmons has worked in the criminal justice field for more than 10 years and, prior to joining Altarum, worked with and for law enforcement agencies and assisted justice-involved individuals by providing subject-matter expertise, training, and curriculum development for patrol and corrections divisions, as well as behavioral health and substance use evaluations within the judicial system. Her expertise also includes data collection and dissemination, webinar and podcast production, technical writing, behavioral health research, and program analysis. Ms. Simmons holds a master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Memphis and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee.

Hope Fiori, MPPA

Acting Director, National Deflection Technical Assistance Center, Center for Health and Justice, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities

As acting director of the National Deflection Technical Assistance Center at Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities’ (TASC) Center for Health and Justice (CHJ), Hope Fiori provides training and technical assistance (TTA) and strategy development for public safety and public health agencies, with a primary focus on deflection and pre-arrest diversion, alternatives to incarceration, and linkages to care for individuals with behavioral health conditions, including substance use and mental health disorders. She also serves as CHJ’s project lead for the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) TTA grant. Prior to joining TASC in 2019, Ms. Fiori was a program coordinator at the Cook County, Illinois, Juvenile Court Clinic, a clinic responsible for providing forensic clinical support to the Juvenile Courts of Cook County. There, she was responsible for grant and budget management and served as a liaison between the clinic’s partners, Northwestern University, and the Office of the Chief Judge of Cook County. She also managed the clinic’s operational needs and supported its research initiatives. Ms. Fiori earned her master of arts degree in public policy and administration from Northwestern University and her bachelor of science degree at Loyola University Chicago, where she majored in criminal justice and psychology.

Sarko Gergerian, MS, MHC, CARC

Lieutenant, Winthrop Police Department, Winthrop, Massachusetts

Sarko Gergerian currently works as a police peace officer at the rank of lieutenant and as a psychotherapist. In these roles, he founded one of the first guardianship police models in the country, known as CLEAR (Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery). He is a certified police peer professional who works to help civilians connect with first responders so they do not succumb to job-related stress injuries. Lieutenant Gergerian is the first working peace officer in the country to earn the Certified Addiction Recovery Coach credential from the commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is a certified HeartMath meditation instructor and trainer and is trained in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. In addition, he holds the 100-hour certificate from the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies and is a federal government-recognized subject-matter expert of the integration of people with lived experience into public safety and health systems. Lieutenant Gergerian is a master’s level clinical mental health counselor with a background in philosophy, religion, and psychology and is currently doing doctorate-level work at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Psychology.

Mike Campbell, EMT-P

Deputy Chief, Training Division Chief, Stanly County Emergency Medical Services, Stanly County, North Carolina

Mike Campbell serves Stanly County, North Carolina, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as the training division chief. In 2019, he played a key role in the development and implementation of the Stanly County EMS Community Paramedic Division. During his tenure at Stanly County EMS, he has served in multiple roles, including paramedic, community paramedic, EMS field training officer, and EMS lieutenant. Deputy Chief Campbell began his career in public service in 2003 as an EMS volunteer. Shortly after becoming a paramedic, he developed a passion for education and training and became a paramedic instructor, certified by the North Carolina Office of EMS. He spent many years working for Mecklenburg EMS Agency, the busiest EMS service in North Carolina, before transitioning to Stanly County EMS. Currently, Deputy Chief Campbell also serves as a part-time instructor providing EMS and community paramedic education in North Carolina and is the co-chair of the North Carolina Community Paramedic Coalition.

Jess Nickila, PRS

Substance Use Response Team Program Coordinator/Peer Recovery Specialist, Duluth Police Department, Duluth, Minnesota

Jess Nickila is the creator and program coordinator of the Substance Use Response Team (SURT) in Duluth, Minnesota. SURT is a peer recovery-led diversion and deflection program housed within the Duluth Police Department, serving three counties in Minnesota, as well as the City of Superior, Wisconsin.

Mallory O’Brien, MS, PhD

Associate Scientist, Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University

Mallory O’Brien is a distinguished public health professional and researcher specializing in violence prevention, injury epidemiology, and overdose prevention. She currently serves as an associate scientist at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Department of Health Policy and Management, at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, focusing on violence and overdose prevention as well as public health and public safety partnerships. Mallory contributes and supports overdose prevention efforts through two Interagency Personnel Agreements—one with the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), under the U.S. Department of Justice (through August 2023) and at the Centers for Disease Control, Division of Overdose Prevention. Dr. O’Brien holds a doctor of philosophy degree in epidemiology, a master of science degree in epidemiology and environmental studies, and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Stephanie Rubel, MPH

Health Scientist, Overdose Preparedness and Response Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Stephanie Rubel is a health scientist who leads the Overdose Preparedness and Response Team within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Overdose Prevention, where she also directs the Opioid Rapid Response Program (ORRP). She has more than 20 years of experience designing, managing, and evaluating national public health programs. Prior to joining the CDC, Ms. Rubel worked as a consultant and federal government contractor supporting a wide range of public health program areas, including teen pregnancy prevention, cancer screening, and public health emergency preparedness and response. In 2019, she joined the CDC’s Center for Injury Prevention and Control to work on public health and public safety coordination in addressing the overdose crisis. She led the development of the CDC’s Public Health and Safety Team (PHAST) Toolkit, designed to support data-driven, multisector collaboration to reduce overdose deaths. She currently leads a team focused on building state and local capacities to respond to overdose spikes, anomalies, and emergent threats that may increase overdose risk. Ms. Rubel earned her master of public health degree in behavioral science and health education from Emory University in 2001.

Shaun Doyne

Drug Intelligence Officer, Overdose Response Strategy, Wisconsin

Shaun Doyne is the drug intelligence officer for the Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) in Wisconsin. The ORS is an unprecedented and unique public health-public safety partnership between the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Mr. Doyne supports statewide and local overdose prevention and response efforts at the intersection of public health and public safety, facilitating cross-sector collaboration and supporting evidence-based strategies. Mr. Doyne retired as a captain from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Police Department (MPD) in September 2021 after 26 years of service. As a captain, he commanded the MPD’s Forensics and Violent Crimes Divisions. His assignments as a lieutenant included the Homicide Division, the Narcotics Division, the South Investigations Division, and patrol shift commander. Throughout his law enforcement career, he has collaborated with federal, state, and local partners as well as intergovernmental, public health, and other community partners. Mr. Doyne holds a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Jessica Wolff, MPH

Public Health and Public Safety Team Lead, Division of Overdose Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Jessica Wolff is a lead health scientist within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. She is the public health and public safety team lead in the Division of Overdose Prevention and also serves as the public health director of the Overdose Response Strategy (ORS). The ORS is a national public health and public safety program and a partnership between the CDC and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program to prevent and reduce overdose. In this capacity, Ms. Wolff coordinates with federal partners at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, HIDTA, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance and provides oversight to a team at the CDC Foundation that supports 60 ORS public health analysts. Ms. Wolff has 12 years of program evaluation and project management experience in various public health fields, including global HIV/AIDS prevention, youth suicide prevention, and children’s mental health services.

Rene Ramirez

Program Sponsor, Healing Spirit Clinic Opiate Treatment Program, Lummi Nation, Whatcom County, Washington

Rene Ramirez is the program sponsor for the Lummi Healing Spirit Clinic Opiate Treatment Program (OTP). The Lummi Healing Spirit Clinic (Lummi) is one of the longest-running tribally owned and operated buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone)-only OTPs in the nation. It is a part of the Lummi Counseling Services and provides outpatient treatment for people who are dependent on opiates, including prescription drugs, heroin, and fentanyl. During his time with Lummi, Mr. Ramirez has been instrumental in transitioning from an office-based opioid treatment model to an OTP with a paperless electronic health record. Also, he has streamlined the business processes for efficient revenue capture at Lummi Nation. Currently, he works with a total of 14 counselors, 3 medical providers, and 4 nurses. Prior to his promotion to program sponsor, Mr. Ramirez served as the primary computer systems analyst for 4 years. Since the inception of the OTP, Lummi has expanded services through grants and third-party revenue to include peer support services (recovery coaches and peer support counselors), transitional housing, youth engagement and prevention, and various other harm reduction strategies. Currently, Lummi is working on adding methadone to its OTP and a secure withdrawal management services wellness center that respects both tribal sovereignty and culture to combat the fentanyl epidemic.

Marcus Julius

Recovery Coach, Lummi Nation, Whatcom County, Washington

Robyn Feese, MA, LCADC, CPC, NCC

Director, Substance Abuse Program, Nevada Department of Corrections

Robyn Feese is the Nevada Department of Corrections Substance Abuse Program Director, in which she oversees five substance use disorder programs statewide. She formerly was the substance abuse lead counselor for the Wells Center within the Illinois Department of Corrections as well as an adjunct professor in Illinois for a community college. Ms. Feese has 17 years of experience in the addiction, behavioral health, and corrections fields and has earned national recognition for implementation of evidence-based principles for corrections programs. She holds state licensure for co-occurring disorders (Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor), mental health licensures in Nevada and Illinois (Clinical Professional Counselor), and a national certification in counseling. Ms. Feese holds a master of arts degree in human development counseling.

Roberta C. Churchill, MA, LMHC

Senior Justice Associate, Advocates for Human Potential

Roberta C. Churchill is a senior justice associate at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) with more than 35 years of experience working with individuals living with the effects of trauma, substance use, and co-occurring mental health disorders. Since 1996, she has worked with justice-involved individuals who have multiple needs, developing and supervising medication-assisted treatment, educational, and gender-specific programming. She has worked with various jails and prisons, community correction sites, and treatment courts facilitating, supervising, and implementing substance use and co-occurring mental health disorder treatment programs. Ms. Churchill worked with a treatment specialist and program officers to develop one of the first Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) programs in Massachusetts, which is still operating after 25 years. Since coming to AHP, she has assisted Dr. Andrew Klein in developing publications and presentations on medication for opioid use disorder and withdrawal guidelines for jails and the pretrial population. Ms. Churchill has also helped research and co-present with Dr. Klein on the prevention of suicide among people with substance use disorder. She was responsible for the two revisions of the Promising Practices Guidelines for Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, is revising and developing toolkits on the topics of integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders and trauma-responsive care, and is currently working on the development of a diversity, equity, and inclusion manual that will help explore disconnections that exist between needs and services due to inequity, lack of diversity, and lack of inclusion.

Samatha Kossow

Research Associate, Advocates for Human Potential

Samatha Kossow is a research associate at Advocates for Human Potential (AHP). She has more than 10 years of experience working with a wide array of populations, including older adults and justice-involved individuals. Before joining AHP, she was the assistant director overseeing the implementation of clinical services and program evaluation at the Beverly Council on Aging in Massachusetts. Ms. Kossow has experience providing training on the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) with drug courts, substance use treatment providers, behavioral health providers, and law enforcement. She has also worked on regional public health planning to address substance use prevention, treatment, intervention, and harm reduction using EBPs.

Jessica Perillo, MS, CADC

Program Manager, Boone County Health Department, Belvidere, Illinois

Jessica Perillo is the program manager at the Boone County, Illinois, Health Department and leads the Community Outreach, Advocacy, and Recovery (COAR) Team by directly supervising the staff as well as managing the grants and contracts. She has 10 years of experience in the field of addictions and has experience supervising a substance use treatment program and a problem-solving court. Ms. Perillo holds a master’s degree in forensic psychology and is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

Kevin Hunter, MS

Captain, Hope and Recovery Team, Fort Wayne Police Department, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Kevin Hunter is a captain with the Fort Wayne, Indiana, Police Department (FWPD) and currently oversees the Hope and Recovery Team. He has worked for the FWPD since 1989 and has served in various divisions within the department. He served as the vice and narcotics commander from 2012 to 2020 and saw the evolution of the drug crisis affect the community. Captain Hunter has learned over the last few years that we cannot arrest our way out of this drug crisis! What the current epidemic has taught us is that treatment and recovery is the best way to help people who suffer from substance use disorder. Captain Hunter is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy, 223rd Session, and the FBI National Crisis Negotiation Course. He is a graduate of Indiana Tech, holding a master’s degree in organizational leadership and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Michelle Schwartz

Community Law Enforcement Officer, Belvidere Police Department, Belvidere, Illinois

Michelle Schwartz is the community law enforcement officer through the Belvidere, Illinois, Police Department (BPD) and an integral member of the Community Outreach, Advocacy, and Recovery (COAR) Team. Officer Schwartz has been with the BPD for more than 20 years and is also a crisis negotiator. She is certified in Mental Health First Aid and Crisis Intervention. Officer Schwartz uses her experience to serve on the Boone County, Illinois, Drug Prevention Coalition; the Family Violence Coordination Council; and the Boone County Behavioral Health Task Force.

Libby Martin

Vice President, Family Services, Lutheran Social Services of Indiana, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Libby Martin currently serves as the vice president of family services with Lutheran Social Services of Indiana. During her more than 15 years of social services experience, her work has been focused on trauma-responsive care for families, children, and adults. Ms. Martin specializes in program development and implementation of services for both prevention and intervention of individual and family crises, including abuse and neglect, addiction and recovery, clinical services, and home-based safety education. In all roles, her goal is to create systems and support frontline staff to provide individuals and families with the skills necessary to overcome barriers and achieve lasting change.

Angela Hawken, PhD

Professor, New York University, New York, New York

Angela Hawken, PhD, is a professor of public policy and the director of the Marron Institute at New York University (NYU), where she leads a team of research and practice scholars, along with NYU graduate students and consultants, who work closely with government agencies and nonprofits in more than 40 states and 6 countries to develop and test policies, practices, and new technologies. Dr. Hawken is dedicated to empowering practitioners and the individuals they serve by giving them a central role in research, ensuring that studies focus on the issues that matter to them and are conducted with them. She also directs the NYU Collaborative, which partners with justice agencies and community-based organizations in nine Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP)-supported sites to design, implement, and test responses to assist individuals with substance use disorders. Previously, Dr. Hawken was a professor of public policy at Pepperdine University; a research economist at the University of California, Los Angeles; and an associate policy analyst at the RAND Corporation.

Tina Mitchell

President/Executive Director, CrossBRIDGE, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee

Tina Mitchell is the founder, president, and executive director of CrossBRIDGE, Inc., a nonprofit organization that operates in the heart of one of Nashville, Tennessee’s most impoverished and high-crime areas. CrossBRIDGE aims to break the destructive cycles of generational poverty, substance use disorder (SUD), and incarceration that inflect this community. When Ms. Mitchell moved to Nashville 20 years ago and began working at Trevecca Community Church, her heart was moved to make a difference after seeing the suffering occurring daily on and around the Murfreesboro Road area. Her passion for change led to the establishment of CrossBRIDGE, which includes the Restoration House and KidPOWER programs. Restoration House has grown from 6 beds in 2009 to its current capacity of 74. At Restoration House, residents receive safe and supportive housing and services for managing their SUDs, along with peer-led programming and medication management. The KidPOWER program aims to prevent these problems in the youth they serve.

Shreeti Bickett

Director of Programs, Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, Nashville, Tennessee

Shreeti Bickett is the director of programs at the Davidson County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), where she has dedicated 28 years of service in various roles, from officer to case manager to her current position (and Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program [COSSUP] project coordinator). Her current responsibilities include overseeing programming across Davidson County jails and building partnerships with community-based organizations. Ms. Bickett is passionate about transforming the culture of corrections and witnessing positive change. In addition to her work with the DCSO, she coordinates school-based programming in Davidson County, focusing on reducing the risk of incarceration and substance use in communities impacted by substance misuse and crime. Ms. Bickett has a strong affinity for children, and her experience with jail visitation led her to realize the importance of creating a family-friendly atmosphere. Thus, the idea of the Father’s Day Out program was born. She worked tirelessly with her team and collaborators to bring her vision to fruition and establish in-community, child-friendly visits.

Dennis A. Reilly, JD

Statewide Drug Court Coordinator, Division of Policy and Planning, New York State Unified Court System, New York, New York

Dennis A. Reilly, Esquire, is the statewide drug court coordinator for the New York Unified Court System’s Division of Policy and Planning. Previously, he served as a national project director at the National Drug Court Institute and as the director of operations for treatment court programs at the Center for Court Innovation. Prior to joining the New York Unified Court System, Mr. Reilly worked for the Connecticut Judicial Branch as a special deputy sheriff, trial court clerk, pretrial services officer, supervision officer, and court planner and was a founding team member of Connecticut’s first three drug courts. He served as director of the Brooklyn, New York, Treatment Court and the problem-solving courts coordinator for the Kings County, New York, Supreme Court. Mr. Reilly has served as an expert consultant to the National Drug Court Institute, the Justice Management Institute, the American University Drug Courts Program Office, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Mr. Reilly is a graduate of the University of Connecticut’s School of Administration and Management, the University of Denver College of Law, and the University of Amsterdam School for Executive Development in International Relations.

David Whitesock, JD, MA

Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Commonly Well, Potsdam, New York

David Whitesock is the chief executive officer and founder of Commonly Well. He has led innovative and entrepreneurial programs in addiction, recovery, and technology since 2004. While designing new approaches to peer coaching, he developed the Recovery Capital Index® (RCI). The RCI is a scientifically validated assessment that measures recovery and overall well-being. Mr. Whitesock founded Commonly Well in 2020 to broaden the reach and impact of the RCI. Through Commonly Well, he works with health care systems and behavioral health clinics to design and implement improved patient experiences. Mr. Whitesock is a regular speaker and advocate for addiction and mental health. He focuses his advocacy on improving well-being for fellow attorneys and reducing impaired driving.

Susan McCafferty, MA, MPA

Statewide Opioid Court Project Director, Division of Policy and Planning, New York State Unified Court System, New York, New York

Susan McCafferty is the statewide opioid court project director for the New York State Unified Court System’s Division of Policy and Planning. In this role, she oversees the development, policies, practices, and sustainment of all opioid courts throughout New York State. Ms. McCafferty is the former project director of the Brooklyn, New York, Treatment Court, where she was responsible for managing the court’s operations, including the DWI court, the veterans court, the co-occurring disorders track, and the opioid court. She has conducted numerous workshops and presentations at the national and international levels. She has also co-authored several articles examining the factors related to substance misuse and criminality among adolescents cross-culturally with a specific focus on the impact of trauma. Ms. McCafferty earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton and holds a master’s degree in forensic psychology and a master’s degree in public administration from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Natasha Cheatham, CHW/CRS

President, Minority Recovery Collective Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Natasha Cheatham is a social entrepreneur from Indianapolis, Indiana, who specializes in embracing the simplicity of life through her businesses, Intimate Oasis and Minority Recovery Collective Inc. (MRCI), the latter for which she serves as president. With more than 15 years of life and work experience, Ms. Cheatham focuses on addressing cultural and family dynamics along with systemic barriers to address the root cause(s) of addiction, mental illness, and mindless violence in black communities. Through her work, she aims to bridge the sectors of harm reduction, prevention, and recovery to provide culturally curated programs and services that support and affirm traditionally exploited groups. Ms. Cheatham leads as an advocate for the recovery of black people, black families, and black communities from colonialism and white supremacy.

Iisha Wesley, CAPRC I, CHW/CRS

Executive Director, Minority Recovery Collective Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Iisha “Esha” Wesley is an Indianapolis, Indiana, native who serves in many capacities within her community. As the executive director of Minority Recovery Collective Inc. and first national vice president for the Center for African American Recovery Development, she strives to ensure that those who identify as black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) or a minority have access to recovery resources that provide top quality and care. Ms. Wesley is an advocate for nontraditional stress and harm reduction efforts and the revitalization of impacted communities.

Anthony Pantaleo

EMS Opioid Outreach Coordinator, Bureau of Emergency Preparedness, EMS, and Systems of Care, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Anthony Pantaleo is the emergency medical services (EMS) opioid outreach coordinator for the Bureau of Emergency Preparedness, EMS, and Systems of Care with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. He has more than 25 years’ experience in public safety as a paramedic, firefighter, and instructor. He also coordinates critical incident stress management debriefings for public safety responders when needed. Mr. Pantaleo earned a bachelor of applied sciences degree in public safety from Siena Heights University.

Rita Seith, MS

Manager, Opioids and Emerging Drugs Unit, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Lansing, Michigan

Rita Seith manages the Opioids and Emerging Drugs Unit at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The team leverages a number of substance use disorder-related data sources to support program and policy decisions. Ms. Seith holds a master of science degree in occupational and environmental epidemiology from the University of Michigan–Rackham Graduate School and a bachelor of science degree in biobehavioral health from Pennsylvania State University.

Gerard Gonzales, MPH

Data Analyst, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts

Gerard Gonzales is a data analyst at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, a position he has held for the last 2 years. His area of focus is analyzing emergency medical services data, with a particular emphasis on conducting research related to opioid-related incidents.

Kevin Mariano

Project Coordinator, National Criminal Justice Training Center, Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wisconsin

Kevin Mariano is the project coordinator at the National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. Prior to joining the agency, he served as the chief of police with the Pueblo of Isleta Police Department, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Mariano has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience capitalizing on supervisory experience, operational management, staff development, administrative and finance management, motivational leadership, and decision making. He served as the liaison between the Pueblo of Isleta, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and surrounding law enforcement agencies to build relationships in matters related to community safety. He has worked closely with diverse teams to successfully receive federal grant funding, implement memoranda of agreement, develop policy and procedures, and implement and manage the Sex Offender Registry Program. As chief of police, Mr. Mariano implemented innovative approaches to tribal and community policing and, prior to retirement, initiated a movement to merge reentry and tribal law enforcement. He also created a case worker position within the tribal police department to better serve tribal community members experiencing mental health crises and struggling with addiction to get them better connected to appropriate services, including treatment or a reentry caseworker, if appropriate.

Caley Small, MPH

Project Coordinator, Community Health Division, Altarum

Caley Small is a project coordinator for Altarum’s Community Health Division. She has served as project manager, project coordinator, and analyst in the public health field for 8 years, focusing on tribal health, behavioral health, and maternal and child health. She currently serves as a behavioral health technical assistance specialist for the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) Training and Technical Assistance Center on peer recovery support services (PRSS), specifically working with tribal populations. Ms. Small has worked closely on various community-based projects to address health disparities and health equity among tribal populations across the United States. Most recently, she co-authored a paper addressing PRSS, including information on how to navigate the uniqueness of the different intercepts in tribal communities, and has worked with the National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College and the Rural Alaska Community Action Program (RurAL CAP) on bringing awareness for the need of PRSS in Alaska Native villages through roundtable discussions, focus groups, and webinars. Ms. Small holds a master of public health degree from Michigan State University and a bachelor of science degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Sarah Chivers

Peer Recovery Supervisor, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Anchorage, Alaska

Sarah Chivers works for the Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) in Anchorage, Alaska, as the peer recovery supervisor and is also a person in long-term recovery—not having a desire to use illicit substances since August 2019. When she started her recovery journey, she went to CITC for her assessment. CITC helped her get into a detox facility and find a treatment program. She now works directly with many of the people who helped save her life as well as many of the staff from the residential facility she went to. Ms. Chivers is a certified Peer Support Professional III as well as a Traditional Peer Support Professional III. She is also certified as a Chemical Dependency Counselor I in the state of Alaska and is an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) facilitator. Her heart is in empowering individuals new to recovery to build the tools to navigate a healthy recovery. Ms. Chivers facilitates a group in a detox facility, as well as several other peer support groups in the community. With fentanyl sweeping through this country, she also helps to facilitate community Narcan trainings and supports Project Hope in getting Narcan kits to rural Alaska. Ms. Chivers is a lifelong Alaskan and grew up in Barrow, Alaska, an Inupiat village, which is the farthest northern point in Alaska one can go. In 1991, her family moved down to Anchorage, where she continues to live.

Bobby Dorton

Reentry Program Manager, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Fairbanks, Alaska

Bobby Dorton is a reentry program manager with the Tanana Chiefs Conference in Fairbanks, Alaska. An Athabascan from Northway, a village in the Upper Tanana Region, he has lived experience with prisons and substance misuse. His previous job was as an addiction counselor at the Ralph Perdue Center, a 3.5-level-of-care residential treatment center in Fairbanks. Mr. Dorton’s most tremendous success is being a member of the Peer Support Advisory Board, which focuses on helping peers get certified through the Alaska Commission for Behavioral Health, where he serves as a commissioner. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Alaska Mental Health Board. He has served as the community co-chair for the Fairbanks Reentry Coalition for the past 3 years. In addition, he worked with the Reducing Recidivism Conference as a planning committee member for 3 years.

Caroline Lee

Tribal Justice Coordinator, Alaska Tribal Justice Resource Center

Caroline “Aranagiaq” Lee is of Yup’ik and Caucasian descent. She has been employed with the Rural Alaska Community Action Program (RurAL CAP) since November 2020 as a tribal justice coordinator under the Alaska Tribal Justice Resource Center. Ms. Lee has worked with Alaska Native organizations since 1992 in the areas of case management, elder provider, annual meeting coordinator, and support positions in the field of treatment. She was raised in Anchorage, Chuathbaluk, and Aniak, Alaska. Ms. Lee graduated from the University of Alaska, Anchorage with a bachelor’s degree in legal studies and an associate of applied science degree in paralegal studies. She is currently working toward an associate of applied science degree in tribal governance from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Laura Viafora Ray, MPH, CPH

Project Director, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, Jacksonville, Florida

Laura Viafora Ray is the project coordinator of Opioid Abatement with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) in Jacksonville, Florida. Prior to this, Ms. Viafora Ray was the project director of a community-based overdose prevention and Narcan distribution project with JFRD, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), for four years. She has been an adjunct instructor with the University of North Florida (UNF), Department of Public Health, since 2015, teaching courses in substance misuse prevention, program planning and evaluation, and public health research. Ms. Viafora Ray earned a master of public health degree from UNF and a bachelor of health sciences degree from the University of Florida.

Jon Woodruff, JD

Senior Legislative Attorney, Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, Charlottesville, Virginia

Jonathan (Jon) Woodruff, Esquire, is a senior legislative attorney at the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA). At LAPPA, his duties include researching, drafting, and speaking about model laws and other legislative materials covering state and federal criminal justice and health care issues. These issues include fentanyl test strips and other drug paraphernalia, naloxone access, health information disclosure provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and 42 Code of Federal Regulations Part 2, deflection initiatives, and Good Samaritan fatal overdose prevention. Mr. Woodruff is the lead drafter of LAPPA’s Model Fentanyl Test Strip and Other Drug Checking Equipment Act (April 2023); Model Law Enforcement and Other First Responder Deflection Act (March 2022); and Model Overdose Mapping and Response Act (March 2020). Mr. Woodruff earned a juris doctorate degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2003, where he was a member of the Virginia Law Review, and a bachelor of arts degree in physics from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1995.