BREAKING THE STIGMA AND ENDING THE ADDICTION CYCLE: Critical Steps for States, Counties & Tribes

In-person and Livestream

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

9:00AM – 5:00PM EST

Georgetown University, Washington D.C.

Event FOCUS

Guidance and lessons learned to support opioid/substance use abatement efforts; using evidence to guide spending.

Critical steps for states, counties and tribes to develop an equitable, coordinated, and aggressive opioid response plan.

Current environment of opioid litigations/settlements and their impact on abatement efforts at the state and local levels.

How stigma affects health outcomes within communities and guidance to address the social factors that contribute to those health inequities.

EVENT PROGRAM

Who Should Attend

  • Counselors, social workers, therapists, psychologists, interventionists
  • Physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, pharmacists, dentists
  • Advocates, families, and people in recovery
  • Rural and urban community leaders
  • Faith-based Leaders
  • Law enforcement personnel
  • Public Health Officials & Administrators (including VHA and IHS)
  • Federal, state, county and tribal officials and lawmakers
  • Education specialists and researchers
  • Prevention programs
  • Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)
  • Addiction Treatment Providers
  • Civil Legal Aid and Public Defenders
  • First responders
  • Hospitals
  • Peer Support Specialists
  • Community-based Organizations

SPEAKERS
BY TOPIC

click on any speaker to read their biography

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Georgetown University Law Center

Regina LaBelle, JD
Former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Admiral James A. Winnefeld
New York University

Debra Furr-Holden, PhD
Cedar Recovery

Stephen Loyd, MD
Stifel Financial Corp.

Sarah Lieber
Wayne State University

Sarah J. Surber, PhD, JD
GATC Health

V. Tyrone Lam
Toiyabe Indian Health Project, Inc.

Heather Momberg, DNP, RN
California Rural Indian Health Board

Mark LeBeau, PhD, MS

Georgetown University Law Center

Regina LaBelle, JD

Director, Addiction & Public Policy Initiative, O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center

Regina LaBelle is a Distinguished Scholar and Director of the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the O’Neill Institute at Georgetown University Law Center.

Working at the intersection of law and policy, Regina’s work focuses on identifying policies to reduce overdoses, and using the law to promote access to quality addiction treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services.

LaBelle also founded, directs, and teaches in the Master of Science in Addiction Policy and Practice program at Georgetown University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

LaBelle brings decades of public service to her work at the O’Neill Institute. Most recently, LaBelle was an appointee in the Biden-Harris administration and served as Acting Director in the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in the Executive Office of the President. The first woman to serve in this position, LaBelle oversaw the establishment of the Biden-Harris Administration’s drug policy priorities, which included a historic focus on harm reduction services. LaBelle previously served in the Obama Administration as Chief of Staff at ONDCP and oversaw the agency’s overdose response and other drug policy issues, including implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy.

Prior to her work in federal government, LaBelle served as Legal Counsel to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, providing legal and policy advice to the Mayor on high-profile city initiatives. From 1998 to 2005, LaBelle was an adjunct professor of policy and ethics at the Seattle University Institute for Policy Studies.

LaBelle received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from Boston College. She is an active member of the Washington State Bar.

Former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Admiral James A. Winnefeld

Former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Admiral James Winnefeld graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and served for 37 years in the United States Navy. He instructed at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, also known as Topgun, and served as senior aide-de-camp to General Colin L. Powell. He commanded a fighter squadron, the amphibious ship USS CLEVELAND, and the aircraft carrier USS ENTERPRISE. As a flag officer, he commanded a carrier strike group, two NATO commands, the United States SIXTH Fleet, United States NORTHERN Command, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD. He retired in 2015 after serving as the ninth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United States’ number two ranking military officer.

Admiral Winnefeld is a frequently published author and a director or advisory board member for companies operating in a broad spectrum of business sectors. Winnefeld was appointed in 2020 to serve as a member of the congressionally mandated National Commission on Synthetic Opioid Trafficking. He currently serves as Distinguished Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech, where he is also a member of the Engineering Hall of Fame. He is a senior non-resident fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and is Chairman of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board.

SAFE Project was founded in November 2017 by Admiral James and Mary Winnefeld, following the loss of their 19-year old son Jonathan to an accidental opioid overdose. Read more about Jonathan Winnefeld.

The Winnefelds immediately channeled their grief into action, hoping to save more families from the pain of loss. Whether it was seeking treatment, getting answers, or understanding the nature of the disease – they knew there needed to be a different solution to help other families facing the same journey with substance use disorder.

They swiftly built the SAFE Project team of experts who strive for meaningful action through their programs, and lead efforts that are unifying, non-partisan and evidence-based. SAFE seeks meaningful metrics that strengthen their interdependent six lines of operation, and ultimately aim to achieve SAFE Communities, SAFE Campuses, SAFE Workplaces and SAFE Veterans across the nation.

New York University

Debra Furr-Holden, PhD

Incoming Dean, NYU Global School of Public Health

Dr. Debra Furr-Holden is the Associate Dean for Public Health Integration, C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, and Director of the Division of Public Health at Michigan State University. As a classically trained epidemiologist, she addresses the nation’s greatest public health challenges, especially among minorities in racially- and economically-segregated communities. Dr. Furr-Holden is nationally known for her research in health disparities, health equity, drug and alcohol dependence, and prevention science. 

Active in the COVID-19 public health response, Dr. Furr-Holden serves on the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, the New York City African American COVID-19 Task Force, and the Greater Flint Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Inequity. Her leadership helped eliminate the racial disparity in COVID-19 cases and deaths among African Americans in Michigan. She diligently works with local and national policymakers to improve data-driven decision-making and to mandate equity in all policies. Dr. Furr-Holden leads health equity change in collaboration with the community, not “for” community. Funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, she directs the Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions. She is also the Principal Investigator for the CDC-funded National Network to Innovate for COVID and Adult Vaccine Equity (NNICE).

Among her many awards, she was the recipient of the 2006 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (Office of the White House), The Society for Prevention Research Service Award (2021), and the Community-Academic Champion Award (2021). Dr. Furr-Holden holds a BA in Natural Sciences and Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and a PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Cedar Recovery

Stephen Loyd, MD

Chief Medical Officer, Cedar Recovery, Mount Juliet, Tennessee

Stephen Loyd currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer of Cedar Recovery, an addiction treatment company headquartered in Mount Juliet, TN servicing patients across Middle Tennessee. On top of his work for Cedar, he is currently a member of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners as well as serving as a federal expert witness. A nationally recognized thought leader and clinician, Dr. Loyd has decades of experience in internal medicine, mental health, and substance abuse services. His background includes serving as the Medical Director and Assistant Commissioner for Substance Abuse Services with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Dr. Loyd has been in recovery since 2004. Experiencing addiction first hand has allowed him to develop a unique approach to patient care that is passionate, effective, and impactful. His daily goal is to help as many people receive the quality treatment they deserve in order for them to feel better, get better, and stay better.

Stifel Financial Corp.

Sarah Lieber

Managing Director and Co-Head Litigation Finance Group, Stifel Financial Corp.

Sarah Lieber is Managing Director and Co-Head of the litigation finance business at Stifel Nicolaus, a global investment bank.  She has a unique market position of originating, investing-in, syndicating, and trading litigation-focused investments. Sarah and her team also act as the secondary market maker for the litigation funding industry. Since joining Stifel, Sarah and her team have syndicated and managed more than $1.5B in litigation investments, with partners ranging from hedge funds, alternative asset managers, private equity, insurance companies, large family offices, and traditional litigation funders.  Their unique and structured approach has helped institutionalize the asset class in a way that provides borrowers with facilities more akin to traditional commercial lending, and provides investors the flexibility to put more money to work and fit varying investment needs.

Prior to joining Stifel, Sarah was the Co-Head of the Litigation Finance Group at Jefferies. Before Jefferies, Sarah ran investment origination at Burford Capital, the largest publicly traded litigation funder. 

In addition to her litigation finance and investment expertise, Sarah is trained as a commercial litigator. She spent the first decade of her legal practice in the Financial Litigation and Trial Practice Groups at Jones Day in New York, where she specialized in litigation surrounding M&A, securities and structured financial products. Thereafter she served as Deputy General Counsel and head of litigation for monoline bond insurer, CIFG Assurance, where she was responsible for building a broad litigation program resulting in recoveries to insurer of nearly a billion dollars in losses incurred during the financial crisis.  

Wayne State University

Sarah J. Surber, PhD, JD

Assistant Professor, Wayne State University, Environmental Attorney, Thompson Barney

Dr. Sarah Surber is an assistant professor with a background in environmental justice and environmental public health. Her academic research focus includes environmental policy and law, particularly for the impacts on community public health in vulnerable health populations. 

She is currently researching the health and financial impacts from environmental pollution in air, water, and waste; occupational violence affecting the workforce; the opioid epidemic; and outcomes for children in foster care, as well as their foster and kinship caregivers. Her research experience includes working with and forming connections between community groups and organizations at state and local levels.

She has also practiced environmental law for over a decade, including environmental litigation and regulatory law in air, water, waste, and toxic torts in law firms, as well as in state regulatory agencies.

Her educational background includes a master of science in environmental science from Marshall University, law degree from West Virginia University College of Law, and doctorate in occupational and environmental public health from West Virginia University.

GATC Health

V. Tyrone Lam

Chief Operating Officer, GATC Health

V. Tyrone Lam is COO of GATC Health, a biotech company using whole genome analysis and multiomics-based artificial intelligence to accelerate more precise disease detection and drug discovery. Tyrone is co-founder of First Americans Health, a specialized clinic bringing treatment services directly to Native American reservations. He co-founded OneRecovery, the 1st HIPAA-secured, outcome based, peer-support network utilizing “Game Mechanics” for patient behavioral change & treatment protocol adherence. He has held executive positions in private and public technology companies. Tyrone also a board-certified life coach focused on personal development.

Toiyabe Indian Health Project, Inc.

Heather Momberg, DNP, RN

Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) Coordinator at Toiyabe Indian Health Project (TIHP), Inc.

Heather Momberg, DNP RN is a tribal member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. Heather is Currently serving the Paiute and Shoshone tribal communities of Eastern California as a Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Coordinator at Toiyabe Indian Health Project (TIHP). 

In over 10 years of service in American Indian communities, her experience as labor and delivery nurse at the Blackfeet Indian Health Service Unit inspired Heather to advocate for access to MAT services for pregnant women and families.  

The most exciting aspects of Heather’s work has been engaging in tribal best practices to combat the opioid crisis in American Indian communities by supporting indigenous language revitalization and promoting the ability to strengthen a cultural identity while seeking recovery or maintaining sobriety.

Heather received a Doctorate of Nursing Practice – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner degree from Arizona State University’s Edson College of Nursing in 2020.

California Rural Indian Health Board

Mark LeBeau, PhD, MS

Chief Executive Officer, California Rural Indian Health Board

Dr. Mark LeBeau, Chief Executive Officer, at the California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. is a
citizen of the Pit River Nation. He has worked at CRIHB since 1999 in numerous capacities,
including as a public Health Programs Manager, Proposal Writer, Director of the annual
Traditional Indian Health Gathering, Health Education Specialist, and the Health Policy Analyst
for nearly a decade. He earned a doctorate degree from UC Davis (UCD), with a dissertation
focus on planning and administering Tribal health care services in California. He also holds a
UCD Master of Science degree, with a thesis focus of culturally appropriate public health
programming in Tribal communities in the state, and a bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State
University.
He has served on the Pit River Election Committee, Pit River Health Services Board of
Directors, and in Congressman Frank Pallone’s office in Washington, DC, working on American
Indian/Alaska Native legislative initiatives to benefit Indian country. He has been a Member of
the State of California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission
Community Services and Supports Committee and Tribal Cultural Site Bill Drafting Workgroup,
as well as the Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. He is currently a Member of
the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service Tribal Technical Advisory Group, Chair
of the Group’s Data Committee, and an organizer of CRIHB’s advocacy and legislative
initiatives in Washington, DC and Sacramento, CA.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

MODERATOR

Judge Duane Slone
University of North Carolina

Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, PhD
Broward County Sheriff's Office

David Scharf
Volunteers of America Mid-States

Sue Fox

MODERATOR

Judge Duane Slone

Circuit Court of the Fourth Judicial District, TN

Judge Slone, a former drug trafficking prosecutor, was first elected to the 4th Judicial District Circuit Court in 1998 and in 2009 he co-founded his judicial district’s Drug Recovery Court. He is recognized nationally as an effective collaborator and innovator for his efforts to address the Opioid Driven Addiction Crisis. From 2017-2021 Judge Slone served as Chairman of the 8 State Appalachian-Midwest Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative. Currently, Judge Slone serves as Chairman of the Substance Misuse & Addiction Resources for Tennessee “SMART” Justice Network and the Tennessee Judicial Conference Problem Solving Court Committee. He is a steering committee member of the Rural Justice Collaborative and “SMART” Policy Network. Additionally, Judge Slone is a member of the National Institute of Drug Addiction JCOIN Practitioner Advisory Board, the SAMHSA Advisory Committee for Women’s Services, the Advisory Board of the Rx and Heroin Summit and the National SUD Strategic Advisory Panel Criminal Justice Workgroup. Judge Slone has been honored as the recipient of many state and national awards for his innovative work addressing the Opioid Crisis including the 2019 National Center for State Courts William H. Rehnquist Judicial Excellence Award, the nation’s highest state court judicial honor in recognition this work.

University of North Carolina

Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, PhD

Associate Professor, Social Medicine, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine

Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Social Medicine at UNC—Chapel Hill, as well as a core faculty member in the UNC Center for Health Equity Research. She received her PhD in Community, Research, and Action at Vanderbilt University and completed a NIDA T32 postdoctoral fellowship at the Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School. Dr. Brinkley-Rubinstein’s research focuses on how incarceration can impact health outcomes. She is the PI of a recently funded NIMHD R01 cohort study relevant to pre-exposure prophylaxis among people on probation and parole and the MPI of a NIDA Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network Clinical Research Center grant that will include the implementation and evaluation of opioid overdose prevention programs in community supervision settings in Rhode Island, Philadelphia, and Brunswick County North Carolina.

Broward County Sheriff's Office

David Scharf

Executive Director, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Community Programs

David Scharf is a thirty year criminal justice veteran and is currently the Director of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office Department of Community Programs. Most of David’s career has been focused on criminal justice reform with an emphasis on community corrections.   He has served the community in numerous capacities in State Probation, Pretrial Services, Day Reporting and Reentry, Juvenile Justice, Restorative Justice and other nontraditional crime reduction strategies.  His primary focus is on the implementation of Evidence Based Practices to reduce the high rate of offender recidivism aimed at decreasing crime and victimization.  For two years, David was the Director of Business Development for the GEO Group in Boca Raton, Florida bringing criminal justice reform to a number of jurisdictions throughout the United States.  Inn 2013, he returned to BSO as Executive Director responsible for a budget of almost $30 million and over 300 professional criminal justice employees.  Most recently he has focused his attention on the horrific Opioid Epidemic as Chair of the Community’s Emergency Response Team through the United Way’s Commission on Substance Abuse.  He has championed a number of initiatives to bring awareness to the problem via a community wide collaboration of education, enforcement, legislative and policy improvements, intervention and treatment.  He is also participates in Palm Beach County’s Sober Home Task Force to help reduce the alarmingly high number of overdose deaths.  David has worked with politicians and agencies at the local, state and federal levels to solicit change in criminal justice policy, to bring much needed funding to Broward County for behavioral health issues. 

David is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Political Science and has completed extensive graduate coursework in criminal justice administration at both Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University.  He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University’s Executive Criminal Justice Leadership Program and the Florida Corrections Academy.  During his career, David has been a certified criminal justice instructor in numerous disciplines including defensive tactics, impact weapons and firearms.  David was the recent recipient of the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission Outstanding Service Award for his work in developing and implementing accreditation standards for Pretrial Services Agencies in Florida.   He has been the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award by the US Attorney’s Office in Miami, Florida for his body of work in offender reentry programming and crime prevention strategies.  He has been a member of many criminal justice organizations including the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, the Nationals Association of Pretrial Services Agencies, and The Association of Pretrial Professionals of Florida where he served as Vice President for two terms, the Broward County United Way Commission on Substance Abuse, Narcotics Overdose and Prevention Education and others. He represents the Broward Sheriff’s Office on numerous professional board and committees, has authored a numerous articles on non-traditional crime prevention strategies and has presented his findings and strategies at a myriad of national forums.

Volunteers of America Mid-States

Sue Fox

Director, Outreach Peer Support, Rural Initiatives, Volunteers of America Mid-States

Sue Fox is an outreach peer support specialist at Volunteers of America Mid-States (VOA). Sue is a person in long-term recovery from Substance Use Disorder. Sue came to VOA in 2019 as a participant at their Recovery Community Center while she was in a federal halfway house following her release from Federal Prison for drug charges. She began to pursue her peer-support certification and in 2020 began working as a recovery support tech at VOA’s Freedom House, a residential treatment facility for women including those who are pregnant and who have young children. Eventually she transferred to VOA Recovery Community Center, where she was once a client. In her current role Sue is involved in each step of the process of guiding persons into treatment and assisting them in building a foundation for ongoing recovery. Sue is a tireless advocate for persons seeking recovery. Sue has had the privilege to speak at several recovery-oriented events and is a wonderful example of recovery in action. Sue has one daughter and is has become outstanding member in her community.

HARM REDUCTION

MODERATOR

Ryan Kaczka
CEO, LSF Health Systems

Christine Cauffield, PsyD
Founder & CEO, UNCOMN

Jason Carter
Director and Helen E. Chaney Endowed Chair in Alcohol Studies, Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University

Denise Hien, PhD, ABPP
CEO and Co-Founder Spectra

Malcolm Eade

MODERATOR

Ryan Kaczka

Partner, Stone Street Group

Ryan Kaczka is a private equity investor specializing in mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and de-novo companies. Mr. Kaczka has facilitated multiple exits including IPOs and 100M+ all cash deals. While focused primarily on behavioral health, Ryan also handles investments in digital health, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and banking. Mr. Kaczka is also well versed in operations and leadership, having operated as CEO, COO, and board member of numerous companies, as well as being selected as 2018’s Spotlight CEO.

Mr. Kaczka possess vast behavioral healthcare experience, as an award-winning executive scaling numerous companies throughout the United States, impacting the lives of over a hundred thousand patients. Having seen the lack of progress in the sector, Ryan set out to change the standard model of treatment and utilize data and technology to progress the outcome results in behavioral healthcare.

Mr. Kaczka serves on the boards of the Rutgers University Center for Addiction Studies, a technology company, international bank, and international healthcare non-profit. He is an avid Muay Thai fighter, astrophysics enthusiast, and proponent for national healthcare and banking reform.

CEO, LSF Health Systems

Christine Cauffield, PsyD

CEO, LSF Health Systems

Dr. Christine Cauffield has served as President and CEO of organizations providing integrated health services for children through seniors, including a corporation that provides in-patient, acute psychiatric care to seniors in crisis.  She received her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the Florida Institute of Technology and completed her Internship and Post-Doctoral Residency at Harvard Medical School, where she specialized in geriatric neuropsychology.  She currently serves as the President of the Florida Council on Aging, President of the Florida Association of Managing Entities, and is a member of the Executive Board of the Smart Justice Alliance of Florida. Dr. Cauffield also serves on the Florida Department of Elder Affairs State Plan Advisory Group. She is a Leadership Florida alumna and represents the United States for EuComs, an organization compromised of 36 European countries that are dedicated to advancing community based behavioral healthcare in Europe.

Dr. Cauffield’s proven track record of management success has resulted in several company turn-arounds.  Additionally, her vision and strategic planning allow organizational growth and expansion, with innovative clinical programs.  She has developed national Best-Practice models that include in-home care, out-patient, inpatient and acute care hospital-based units.  Dr. Cauffield has successfully integrated healthcare services that encompass both urban and rural community settings.  She is a passionate healthcare advocate and is adept at working with local, state and national governmental officials to champion policy and funding initiatives.  Dr. Cauffield incorporates philanthropic fund-raising and effectively engages the communities she serves.  She has successfully worked with local, state and national policy makers on critical healthcare initiatives.

Founder & CEO, UNCOMN

Jason Carter

President & Founder, UNCOMN

With headquarters in the greater St. Louis region, UNCOMN provides industry-leading business-to-business management and technology consulting services. We are a diverse group of engineers, architects, analysts, hackers, and geeks who thrive on finding elegant solutions to wickedly complex organizational, logistic, process, data, and technical problems.

In August 2010, retired United States Navy officer Jason Carter founded the company as “Aegis Strategies,” a consulting firm providing IT portfolio management services for United States Transportation Command. In November 2018, Aegis was re-branded as UNCOMN, reflecting that we hire uncommon people, with an uncommon purpose, making an uncommon impact in the communities in which we live, work and play.

Jason is a retired United States Navy officer and Missouri native. During his 20-year Navy career, he earned two Master’s degrees in Military Operational Art and Science and Information Technology Management, and sailed on five deployments. He is an active member in his community and promoter and supporter of local industry. A husband of one and father of five, Jason enjoys hunting, reading, and a good scotch or bourbon. He is competent at pool and bad at golf, though he aspires to greatness in each.

Director and Helen E. Chaney Endowed Chair in Alcohol Studies, Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University

Denise Hien, PhD, ABPP

Director and Helen E. Chaney Endowed Chair in Alcohol Studies, Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University; Vice-Provost for Research, Chancellor-Provost’s Office, Rutgers-New Brunswick

Recognized as a leader in the field of post-traumatic stress and addictions, her body of work has contributed to the evidence base on effective interventions for individuals with PTSD and substance use disorders. She and her group have conducted programmatic research through single- and multi-site clinical trials across the United States in community-based substance abuse treatment settings, with continuous funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) (21 grants total: 7 R01, 2-R25, 1 multi-site) for over 25 years.  She currently leads an NIDA R25 training grant for translational addiction research for racial/ethnic minority BS/MD, MA and PhD candidates in the biomedical and social sciences, and a new NIAAA R01, a meta-analysis with individual patient data examining effectiveness of treatment for PTSD and AODs. She is board-certified in clinical psychology and has served as a standing and ad hoc member on NIDA, NIAAA and NIMH Institutional Review Groups, and a health disparities advisory group to the Director of NIDA on Asian/Pacific Islander issues. Dr. Hien hopes to increase the center’s visibility in shaping the national conversation about traumatic stress and its’ role in the development and maintenance of alcohol and other substance use disorders.

Dr. Hien received her B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University, and her M.S., M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She received her postdoctoral training in substance use research at the Division on Substance Use Disorders at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she has retained a longstanding appointment, now as Adjunct Senior Research Scientist. Over her career, she has served on the doctoral faculties of the Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and The City College of New York. Within each of these institutions, she has held numerous leadership roles in academic and research administration.

CEO and Co-Founder Spectra

Malcolm Eade

CEO and Co-Founder, Spectra Plasmonics (Spectra)

Malcolm Eade is the CEO and Co-Founder of Spectra Plasmonics (‘Spectra’), a Canadian health tech company focused on providing real-time drug checking results and analytics to help combat the overdose crisis. Malcolm co-founded the company during his time at Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario with the mission of making high quality chemical analysis for public health crises more accessible. A scientist by training, Malcolm played both technical and business roles in the creation of Spectra’s flagship product, Amplifi ID, a portable system which allows harm reduction centers to get actionable results on a drug sample’s contents in as little as 5 minutes. Malcolm has always had a passion for communicating and implementing healthcare innovation; in the past he has held leadership roles in non-profit organizations like his local node of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement where he helped co-create novel quality improvement and patient safety education programs. His focus at Spectra is now primarily on partnership development for the company’s drug checking solutions.

CIVIL LEGAL AID

MODERATOR

Stefanie K. Davis
Indiana Addiction Issues Coalition

Brandon George
Center for Arkansas Legal Services

Helen Gratil
University of California-San Francisco

Mishka Terplan, MD, MPH, FACOG, DFASAM

MODERATOR

Stefanie K. Davis

Senior Assistant General Counsel, Office of Legal Affairs, Legal Services Corporation

Stefanie K. Davis is the Senior Associate General Counsel for Regulations and Ethics Officer at the Legal Services Corporation. Her portfolio includes regulatory drafting and oversight, managing LSC’s Opioid and Veterans Task Forces, and coordinating the Graduate Law Fellow program in LSC’s Office of Legal Affairs. She joined LSC in 2013 after nearly ten years in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and two years teaching English as a Foreign Language in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. She began her legal career as a staff attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless in Washington, DC.

Ms. Davis currently serves as the secretary-treasurer of the New Mexico State Bar Foundation Board of Directors. She is licensed to practice law in New Mexico, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. She is a 2002 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and a 1997 graduate of the University of New Mexico.

Indiana Addiction Issues Coalition

Brandon George

Vice President, Mental Health America of Indiana
Director, Indiana Addiction Issues Coalition

Brandon George is the Vice President for recovery, advocacy and programs for Mental Health America Indiana and the Director of Indiana Addiction Issues Coalition, which advocates for recovery through public policy and education. As a person in long-term recovery, Brandon dedicates his time personally and professionally to fighting addiction and promoting recovery.

While advocacy and policy are the areas that Brandon spends most of his efforts, he also has implemented a new statewide service delivery method. Brandon helped create a recovery ecosystem in Indiana that consists of over 20 recovery organizations that serve 92 counties. With a focus on reaching all communities, the network includes BIPOC, rural, and harm reduction agencies.

Brandon has consulted throughout the country on both policy and recovery infrastructure. His effort around increasing access to medications for opioid use disorder have been acknowledged widely having contributed to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health’s publication on this topic and Georgetown Law O’Neill Institute’s toolkit on MOUD in corrections.

Brandon has been used as a consultant for SAMHSA’s Opioid Response Network, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and is a contributor to Harvard’s Law Blog. He served as a trusted advisor to the National Judicial Opioid Task Force, on the leader’s council for Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and worked with the White House for the Office of National Drug Control Policy to create model law.

   

Center for Arkansas Legal Services

Helen Gratil

Director, Beyond Opioids Project, Center for Arkansas Legal Services

As the Director of Mission Engagement for Legal Aid of Arkansas, Helen Gratil conceptualized Beyond Opioids, a justice project that integrates legal aid attorneys in the state’s opioid crisis response through community partnership. To implement that vision, she raised $2.2 million through the Health Resources & Services Administration’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP).  As the Director of Beyond Opioids, Helen leads the two legal aid programs in the Arkansas in changing the way we discuss and treat people with substance use disorder in justice systems. Beyond Opioids aims to raise awareness on the critical role of civil legal attorneys in the spectrum of care for people going through or recovering from OUD and their support system.

Before joining the legal aid community of Arkansas, Helen worked for more than nine years with the United Nations Development (UNDP) program in administrative and technical roles to support global poverty reduction programs. She has joined multiple international missions through UNDP including Baghdad, Amman, Bangkok, France, and the Bahamas. She then shifted gears to earn her Juris Doctorate from Vermont Law School to gain expertise in environmental protection. After law school, she briefly worked as a Public Defender in upstate NY before taking the role of President for Environmental Projection of the Caribbean, a nonprofit environmental protection group in the Caribbean that focuses on endangered species and environmental conservation projects. These experiences prepared Helen well in her current leadership role, assisting poverty populations in Arkansas through civil legal aid services and nonprofit management.   

University of California-San Francisco

Mishka Terplan, MD, MPH, FACOG, DFASAM

Medical Director, Friends Research Institute; MSP Staff Physician, University of California-San Francisco

Dr. Mishka Terplan is board certified in both obstetrics and gynecology and in addiction medicine. His primary clinical, research and advocacy interests lie along the intersections of reproductive and behavioral health. Dr. Terplan is nationally recognized as an expert in the care of pregnant and parenting people with substance use disorder. He has been central to guidance document development at the American Congress of Obstetrician Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and has participated in expert panels at Center for Disease Control, Office of the National Drug Control Policy, Office of Women’s Health, US Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health primarily on issues related to gender and addiction. Dr. Terplan has active grant funding and has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles with emphasis on addiction medicine, drug use in pregnancy, health disparities, stigma, and access to treatment.

In addition to his work for FRI, he is the Addiction Medicine Consultant for Virginia Medicaid and adjunct faculty at the University of California, San Francisco where he is a Substance Use Warmline clinician for its Clinical Consultation Center.

TREATMENT

MODERATOR

Beau Nelson, DBH, LCSW
Phoenix Houses NY|LI

Ann-Marie Foster
NAATP

Annie Peters, PhD, LP
Volunteers of America Mid-States

Stephanie Hoskins, LCADC, LPCA, CSS
West Care Foundation

Beverly Watts Davis
Boulder Care

Stephanie Papes Strong

MODERATOR

Beau Nelson, DBH, LCSW

Chief Clinical Officer – FHE Health

Dr. Nelson serves as Chief Clinical Officer for the national behavioral health provider FHE Health, based in Deerfield Beach, Florida.  He oversees all aspects of clinical care for a 280-employee, full-continuum provider of mental health and substance abuse services.  In addition, he is the administrator for all Neurosciences services and helps to integrate all patient care services including care coordination, medical and other services.  As an advocate for professional education and development, he oversees training programs across disciplines and is actively involved as a mentor and supervisor for professionals-in-training. 

Over his 20-year career, he has worked as a clinician, supervisor, professor, lecturer, writer, program developer, and administrator for community-based, behavioral health services, in primary care settings and in clinics and hospitals.  As a Doctor of Behavioral Health, a specialty to integrate psychology, psychiatry, and medical care in hospitals and primary care medicine, he has created integrated care models that focus on mental health, chronic disease management, and substance abuse for improved health outcomes. 

Dr. Nelson graduated from Texas A&M University with his undergraduate degree, obtained a master’s degree in Theology from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and has a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. His Doctorate is in Behavioral Health from Arizona State University. He completed post-graduate training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy through the Albert Ellis Institute in New York.

Phoenix Houses NY|LI

Ann-Marie Foster

President & CEO, Phoenix Houses NY|LI

Ann-Marie joined Phoenix House in October 2017 as Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Phoenix House New York. She was named President and CEO on April 1, 2019.

Ann-Marie has been a leader in healthcare for more than 25 years. Prior to joining Phoenix House, she led the Bellevue Hospital Department of Psychiatry—the largest psychiatric program in the country—for eight years. She was responsible for the overall administration and management for 359 beds within the Department of Psychiatry and Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. She also served the NYC Health + Hospital system as the Associate Executive Director of Clinical Services, where she oversaw surgery, anesthesia, women’s health, medicine, and pediatrics.

She has a B.S. in Biology from Syracuse University and a M.P.A. from Baruch College. In November 2016,  Ms. Foster became a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

NAATP

Annie Peters, PhD, LP

Director of Research & Education, NAATP

Annie Peters, PhD, LP, is Director of Research and Education at the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP), leading the national effort to further understand substance use disorders through collaborative quality improvement and research.  Dr. Peters is a clinical psychologist who completed her doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder.  She has been working in the addiction treatment field since 2006, with experience in assessment, psychotherapy, process improvement, compliance, counselor education, and clinical leadership.

Volunteers of America Mid-States

Stephanie Hoskins, LCADC, LPCA, CSS

Director, Rural Addiction Recovery Services, Volunteers of America Mid-States

Stephanie has worked in non-profit for 15 years and has extensive experience working with individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). Her career started at Cumberland River Behavioral Health as substance abuse counselor, and assistant director in a residential substance abuse program for pregnant females. She has worked in outpatient setting as outpatient therapist, and team leader. She was also the alcohol and drug peer support coordinator and billing supervisor. She began employment with VOA-Mid-States December 2019 as Director of Rural Addiction Recovery Services. Stephanie obtained her Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health at University of the Cumberlands and is credentialed as Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC), Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPCA), and Clinical Services Supervisor (CSS). Stephanie has also been certified to provide peer support training by the Kentucky CADC board.

West Care Foundation

Beverly Watts Davis

Senior Vice-President for Texas Operations, and Chief Officer of Resource Development and Program Support, West Care Foundation

Beverly Watts Davis is the Chief Officer for Grant Development and Program Support and the Senior Vice President for Texas Operations. As a member of the Executive Leadership team, Beverly Watts Davis is responsible for supervising and motivating an eleven-member grant development staff that serves all of WestCare’s States and U.S. Territories. She has over 40 years of experience in leading and managing public agencies, non-profit organizations, and private companies and is responsible for acquiring over $600 million in grant revenue over her career. In addition, she serves as the Senior Vice President for Texas where she is responsible for the implementation of WestCare programs and contracts to improve behavioral health, empower community residents, and reduce trauma in San Antonio and Laredo, Texas.

Prior to joining WestCare, she served at the Senior Executive Service level of the federal government as the Director of a Federal Agency, Director at the San Antonio Housing Authority, Executive Director of San Antonio Fighting Back, Inc. non-profit corporation, Senior Vice President of the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, Business owner, and an elected official for 11 years. As a Federal Government Executive, she developed the Strategic Prevention Framework which now serves as the framework for prevention programs at SAMHSA and implemented both the Drug-free Communities Program and STOP Act Underage drinking programs. She led efforts to establish the first Tribal Consultation Policy at SAMHSA, helped developed the Demand Reduction program for the National Guard, established the Prevention Fellows program, lead the national effort to provide Rapid HIV-testing to substance abuse and mental health treatment programs, and served as the Co-Chair of the White House Disparities Subcommittee to develop the current National HIV/AIDS Strategy. She served on the Texas Task Force for State and Local Drug Control that spearheaded efforts to fund the first 12,000 behavioral health treatment beds in Texas prisons. She also helped to pass the Drug-free Communities Act and STOP Underage Drinking Act legislation which have funded over 7000 communities to prevent substance abuse among youth and the related community harm.

Ms. Watts Davis has received numerous local, state, and national recognitions. She has been presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Living The Dream Award by the Baptist Ministers Union and was selected as a Distinguished Alumni by her alma mater, Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She also received three Secretariat Awards for Distinguished Service from the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to federal service, she was selected by the Attorney General of the United States as the first Texan to receive the Volunteer of the Year Award and awarded the Gould-Wysinger Award (highest award given for juvenile justice prevention). She was awarded with the National Faith-Based and Community Leadership Award by SAMHSA, the PRIDE National Youth Leadership Award, and the National Prevention Network Achievement Award. She has been inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame and was honored by the San Antonio Bar Foundation with the prestigious PEACEMAKER Award. She has received the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director’s Award for Community Leadership, the Department of Defense (DOD) Commander’s Award for Outstanding Leadership, the National Crime Prevention Council’s “Outstanding Citizen Advocate Award”, and the Austin, Texas Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Minority Business Entrepreneur of the Year.

Ms. Watts Davis has served in many leadership capacities to include current service as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ella Austin Community Center. She served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, National Prevention Partnership, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), the National Crime Prevention Council, the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, the National Family Partnership, the National Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Higher Education, the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Texas, Business-Investment-Growth (BIG) Austin, and the Texas Mental Health Association.

Ms. Watts Davis has a Bachelor Degree from Trinity University with a triple major in Political Science, Social Sciences, and Economics and a Master Degree from Webster University in Human Resources Management.

Boulder Care

Stephanie Papes Strong

Founder & CEO, Boulder Care

Stephanie Papes Strong (Founder & CEO) has dedicated her career to innovation in healthcare, working to move the industry forward through venture capital investing, entrepreneurship, published research in India, and systems innovation at Duke University Medical Center.

Stephanie has been awarded Forbes 30 under 30 in healthcare (2019), Portland Business Journal’s 40 under 40 (2020), Geekwire’s Entrepreneur of the Year (2021), and recognition by Fast Company as Boulder Care was named to the list of World’s 10 Most Innovative Companies in healthcare (2021).

A graduate of Highest Distinction from Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy, Stephanie previously consulted in Washington, D.C. on emerging programs for Medicaid beneficiaries in value-based care during the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Prior to several years investing in healthcare services and technology out of a $1.5 billion venture capital fund in New York City, Stephanie worked in investment banking in San Francisco and New York. She has held strategy, operating, and/or Board roles with leading startups in outpatient opioid addiction treatment, mobile oncology, dermatology, and palliative care management. Stephanie resides in Portland, OR and New York, NY.

PREVENTION

MODERATOR

Emily Piper, JD
RTI International

Phillip Graham, DrPH, MPH
Metro Drug Coalition

Karen Pershing, MPH, CPS II
Morongo Band of Mission Indians

Teresa Sanchez
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)

Ken Shatzkes, PhD
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)

Sue Thau, MCRP

MODERATOR

Emily Piper, JD

Vice President, Government and External Affairs, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Emily Piper serves as vice president, government and external affairs, for Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation where she leads communications, government relations, and advocacy for the nation’s largest non-profit provider of substance use disorder treatment and co-occurring mental health care. In addition to her work at Hazelden Betty Ford, Emily serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, the state’s largest non-profit health plan corporation, as well as the Board of Directors for its parent company, Stella.

Prior to joining the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, Emily Piper served as commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) under former Governor Mark Dayton from 2015-2019. Before being appointed commissioner, Piper served as general counsel and deputy chief of staff in the Office of Governor Mark Dayton and Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith. She worked at the Minnesota Department of Commerce, first as general counsel focusing on insurance regulation and health reform implementation, then was promoted to chief of staff and deputy commissioner. Piper began her career as an attorney at McGrann Shea Carnival Straughn & Lamb, Chtd. in Minneapolis. 

Piper holds a Bachelor of Arts in biology from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. and a J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis. She is an alumna of the Minnesota Young American Leaders Program, which began in 2019 through a partnership between the Itasca Project, the University of Minnesota’s Center for Integrative Leadership and the Harvard Business School. Piper has participated in numerous efforts to influence federal policy to support state innovation, including through the National Governor’s Association’s Bipartisan Health Reform Learning Network. She has been recognized multiple times by Minnesota Physician magazine as being among the 100 most influential health care leaders in the state.

RTI International

Phillip Graham, DrPH, MPH

Director, Center for Behavioral Health Epidemiology, Implementation and Evaluation Research, RTI International

Phillip W. Graham, DrPH directs RTI’s Center on Behavioral Health Epidemiology, Implementation and Evaluation Research which is comprised of four research programs and approximately 60 research scientists and analysts.  For more than 25 years, Dr. Graham has conducted community-based research and evaluation to address the impact of substance use, violence, and inequities on youth and their communities. He has led evaluations of varying size and complexity at the federal, state, and local levels.  He has investigated the effects of witnessing community violence, the development of ethnic identity among African American male adolescents, the effectiveness of science-based interventions to reduce youth substance use, and the impact of comprehensive school-based interventions and services to promote healthy child development. Dr. Graham has served as the PI for five national cross-site evaluations of SAMHSA/CSAP-funded prevention strategies developed to prevent and reduce substance misuse and related consequences. Evaluation activities included a review of the risk and protective factors related to prescription drug and opioid misuse; collaborating with federal staff, external experts, and grantees to develop cross-site measures to collect data on intervention activities, costs, and outcomes; providing evaluation-related training and technical assistance to 70 grantees and over 600 communities.  Currently, he serves as the PI for the NIDA-funded HEAL Prevention Coordinating Center (HPCC).  The HPCC supports 10 research projects designed to prevent opioid misuse among older adolescents and young adults and works to generate shared insights by collecting, analyzing, and reporting data across research projects. 

His methodological focus includes the use of mixed methods approaches including implementation science and data integration. These approaches and their application are especially meaningful when they emphasize the importance of community context, culture, and diversity. Dr. Graham is also a founding board member of the National Prevention Science Coalition (NPSC).  NPSC advocates for prevention science and the development of preventative interventions to address negative outcomes.

Metro Drug Coalition

Karen Pershing, MPH, CPS II

Executive Director, Metro Drug Coalition, Knoxville, TN

Karen Pershing serves as the Executive Director of the Metro Drug Coalition in Knoxville, Tennessee.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Tennessee.  After working for many years in public health, Karen received her Master’s Degree from UTK in Public Health.  Ms. Pershing has provided numerous trainings throughout her career on health-related topics.  Other credentials include:  Women’s Addiction Services Leadership Institute Class of 2014 (A National program through SAMHSA), Leadership Knoxville Class of 2013, Tennessee Department of Health recognition for work in prescription drug abuse prevention, member of the Tennessee Public Health Association, Executive Women’s Association, and former member of the UT Chancellor’s Associates program.  She is a Certified Prevention Specialist II and a 2014 graduate of the UT Consortium for Social Enterprise Effectiveness.  Karen was the 2016 recipient of the Partners and Leadership Award from the Tennessee Public Health Association as well the recipient of the 2017 FBI Community Director’s Leadership Award, representing the Knoxville Field Office and a 2018 recipient of the Knox Biz (formerly Knoxville Business Journal) Healthcare Heroes Award for her work in addiction and recovery.  Other Boards she serves on are:  Harmony Family Centers, the Prevention Alliance of Tennessee, and The Sycamore Institute.

Morongo Band of Mission Indians

Teresa Sanchez

Tribal Council Member at Morongo Band of Mission Indians

An ardent champion for improving Native American health care and creating opportunities for Indian youth, Teresa Sanchez was elected to the Morongo Tribal Council in 2019.

Sanchez has been a member of the Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. (RSBCIHI) Board of Directors since 2010 and served as the board president from 2016 to 2018. She is currently the board’s vice president. The organization delivers multi-disciplinary health care, dental, behavioral health, diabetes prevention and other services aligned with tribal cultural values to more than 18,000 clients at seven clinics stretching from Barstow to the Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation. Sanchez previously worked for RSBCIHI’s Purchased and Referred Care Department for eight years. Over the past five years, Sanchez has testified before Congress and met with numerous federal lawmakers in her work to help shape national health care policy for Indian Country, including efforts to secure more equitable health care funding for the nearly 725,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives who live in California.

Sanchez is a member of the Community Health Aide Program Tribal Advisory Group with the federal Indian Health Service; the California Area Tribal Advisory Committee for the California Area Indian Health Service; and the Sacramento-based California Rural Indian Health Board, where she is also an appointee to a subcommittee exploring the impact of the opioid crisis on native populations.

Sanchez previously served on the Morongo Education Committee which supports the Morongo School, the nation’s first college preparatory academy on an Indian reservation. She also served on the tribal Election Committee.

Born in Indio, Sanchez’s family moved to the Morongo Indian Reservation when she was a teen. She worked in Morongo’s tribal administration prior to launching her career in health care. Sanchez has three children and seven grandchildren.

Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)

Ken Shatzkes, PhD

Senior Program Officer, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)

Dr. Ken Shatzkes is Senior Program Officer for the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE). Ken leads FORE’s grantmaking and programmatic activities and helps to identify new funding opportunities with a focus on patient-centered, evidence-based solutions addressing the nation’s opioid crisis.

Ken has over 15 years of experience performing biomedical research in academic, government, and non-profit settings. In 2017, Ken served as the Science Policy Advisor in the Office of the New Jersey Governor, providing evidence-based recommendations on state opioid initiatives and leading the Governor’s efforts as Chair of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Working closely with stakeholders and political leadership, he helped author the Commission’s report containing 65 federal policy recommendations aimed at curtailing the opioid crisis. Previously, he was a Rutgers-Eagleton Institute of Politics Fellow, placed in the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he researched, tracked, and informed senior leadership of innovative state-led opioid-related initiatives. Prior to joining FORE, Ken was an Associate Program Officer at the Helmsley Charitable Trust, a global health philanthropy focused on improving patients’ lives, where he supported the development of innovative diagnostics for individuals living with Crohn’s disease. His other previous roles include laboratory research positions at New York University Langone Medical Center, the J. Craig Venter Institute, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Ken earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences (Immunology and Infectious Disease) from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and his B.Sc. in Biology (Molecular Genetics and Development) from McGill University.

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)

Sue Thau, MCRP

Public Policy Consultant, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)

Sue Thau is a Public Policy Consultant representing Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). She is nationally recognized for her advocacy and legislative accomplishments on behalf of the substance abuse prevention field. She has an extensive background in public policy and has held high positions at the federal, state, and local levels. She was a Budget Examiner and Legislative Analyst at the Office of Management and Budget, in the Executive Office of the President for over ten years. Sue was a driving force behind the passage, reauthorization and full funding of the Drug-Free Communities Act. In addition, Sue has worked to save and enhance funding for all federal substance abuse prevention and treatment programs over the last two decades. She is highly respected as an expert on demand reduction issues by members of Congress and staff on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill. Sue has an undergraduate degree from Cornell University in Human Development and Family Studies and a Master’s Degree from Rutgers University in City and Regional Planning.

WORKPLACE/EMPLOYMENT

MODERATOR

Rachael Cooper
Fishing Partnership Support Services

J.J. Bartlett
Leidos

Dan Kosiak, MD, MBA, FACEP, CPE
WestCare Foundation

Robert L. Neri, LMHC, MCAP

MODERATOR

Rachael Cooper

Senior Director, Stigma, National Stigma Initiative, Shatterproof

Rachael is a Senior Director for the National Stigma Initiative. In this role, Rachael is responsible for a variety of initiatives aimed at reducing the stigmas associated with addiction, working with a variety of audiences that include employers, healthcare professionals, and more.

Before joining Shatterproof, Rachael was the Senior Program Manager and Opioid Subject Matter Expert at the National Safety Council, where she worked to address the impacts of substance use in the workplace and help employers better support their employees who are living with a substance use disorder or mental health condition. She also led the mental health pillar of the SAFER Initiative, a national response aimed at keeping employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she convened a group of national leaders and experts on mental health to help employers support their employees through both the short- and long-term mental health impacts of the pandemic. Prior to her work at the National Safety Council, she worked in the harm reduction field both in France and in Milwaukee, WI, running a syringe exchange and overdose education and naloxone distribution program.

Based in Madison, WI, Rachael has a Masters in French Studies, International Development, and Global Health from the University of Wisconsin, where she also did her undergraduate work. She lives with her partner and two cats, and is a passionate Cubs and Packers fan. She is active in several organizations in her community, focusing primarily on addressing housing insecurity and domestic violence.

Fishing Partnership Support Services

J.J. Bartlett

President, CEO & Founder, Fishing Partnership Support Services

I founded Fishing Partnership in 1996 because I love serving the men and women who risk their lives every day to feed our nation. I am passionate about promoting health equity among all workers and at Fishing Partnership, lead the senior staff in our mission to advance the health, safety and economic security of fishermen and their families. Under the supervision of our board of directors, I am responsible for the development and implementation of our annual work plan. I am also chief liaison with other organizations, such as fishing associations, health insurance companies, provider organizations, and government agencies.

Favorite Seafood Dish
“I love any fresh seafood!”

Leidos

Dan Kosiak, MD, MBA, FACEP, CPE

Chief Medical Officer, Leidos

Dr. Donald Kosiak serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Leidos. He is responsible for providing clinical subject matter expertise and perspective, knowledge, experience, leadership and direction to ensure collaboration and alignment to business strategy across the entire Leidos organization. Previously he has served as the Vice President for Medical Development and Executive Medical Director for Avera Health, a 32-hospital integrated medical system based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. In that role, he served as the chief medical officer of one of the top telemedicine programs in the United States. In addition, he has served as the elected Chief of Staff of the Avera McKennan Hospital, a 545-bed tertiary medical center located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dr. Kosiak continues to serve in the United States Army Reserve as an emergency physician. He is a decorated officer having served three tours of duty in support of Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Dr. Kosiak attended medical school at the University of North Dakota. He completed his emergency medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In 2010, he completed his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. He is board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the Certifying Commission in Medical Management.

WestCare Foundation

Robert L. Neri, LMHC, MCAP

Senior Vice President and Chief Program/Service Officer, West Care Foundation

Robert “Bob” Neri has been working hands-on in the arenas of behavioral health and human services for more than 40 years.  Bob serves as a Senior Vice President and the Chief Program/Service Officer for the WestCare Foundation, Inc., where he has been a member of the organization’s senior leadership since 2001.

Bob leads WestCare Foundation’s Professional Services Department, which provides technical assistance and support to WestCare-affiliated organizations in the areas of innovation, accreditation, program improvement, quality, standardization, risk management, sustainability, and staff/program development.  

Prior to joining WestCare, Bob worked at Operation PAR, Inc. from 1975 to 1997, where he ultimately served as the Executive Vice-President. Also, he was the Clinical & Administrative Director for Phoenix Houses of Florida, Inc. from 1999 to 2001.

Bob possesses extensive experience and know-how in all facets of the behavioral health and human services fields. He is particularly passionate about developing substance use disorder and mental health treatment programs targeting the unique needs of high-risk populations (i.e., criminal justice involved, veterans, youthful offenders, individuals with co-occurring disorders, etc.). Further, Bob is recognized as an expert in the conceptualization and implementation of Therapeutic Community (TC) and Modified Therapeutic Community (MTC) programs. 

Bob is an author of numerous trade articles, trainings and resources for behavioral health professionals. He also enjoys sharing his knowledge with students as an adjunct faculty member within St. Petersburg College’s Human Services program.

Bob holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Vermont College, and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Certified Master’s Level Addiction Professional (MCAP) in the State of Florida.

RECOVERY

MODERATOR

Tiffany Cole Hall, LCSW, LCADC
Kolmac

Jen Dorsey, NCC, LCPC, LPC, CAC-I
Laotong Yoga

Jennie Hill
Addiction Policy Forum

Jessica Hulsey

MODERATOR

Tiffany Cole Hall, LCSW, LCADC

Chief Operating Officer, Volunteers of America Mid-States

After graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Murray State University in 1998, Tiffany practiced in Western KY for a short time before moving to Louisville in 2001.  She began working for Volunteers of America Mid-States in 2002 and earned her Masters of Social Work degree from Spalding University in 2005.  Tiffany celebrates her 20th year with Volunteers of America Mid States in September, where she serves as Chief Operating Officer (COO).  Tiffany is also an adjunct professor at Spalding University, teaching in both the Bachelors and Masters programs, with a focus on addictions courses.  Tiffany is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker as well as a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor.  Tiffany is also a proud mother of two boys, ages 12 and 8, and is a wife, activist and community leader.  

Kolmac

Jen Dorsey, NCC, LCPC, LPC, CAC-I

Chief Clinical Officer, Kolmac

Jen’s love of history and travel led her to earn her Bachelor’s in History and Social Studies from Cleveland State University. Her personal experience with recovery inspired her to take her career in a different direction.

After undergrad, Jen Dorsey got her Master’s in Counseling-Psychology from Bowie State University and completed her Post-Master’s work at Johns Hopkins. Shortly after, she became a licensed professional counselor and a certified addiction counselor in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Jen started her career at New Directions in Cleveland, the same center where she received addiction treatment as a teen. “I’m eternally grateful to New Directions for being the first step on my recovery journey.”

Since moving to Maryland, Jen has expanded her experiences in the addiction field. She spent several years working at a hospital-based addiction program and a halfway house in the area before joining Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Centers as a clinician in 2007.

Since 2007, Jen Dorsey has held many roles at Kolmac. She started as a clinician, became Assistant Director and received a promotion to Director. She was instrumental in starting the first daytime intensive outpatient (IOP) program in the D.C. office.

She held her first executive role at Kolmac as the Regional Clinical Director of the Gaithersburg, Silver Spring and D.C. offices. Recently, she moved into a new role overseeing all clinical locations as the Chief Clinical Officer and Vice President of Operations.

Laotong Yoga

Jennie Hill

Director, Laotong Yoga, Inc.

Jennie Hill is the Director of Laotong Yoga, Inc. bringing trauma-informed yoga, meditation and mindfulness practices to people impacted by the criminal justice system across West Virginia who are in prison, reentry, and recovery housing programs. She recently worked as Assistant Director for the West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences, developing the state certification agency recognizing quality and implementing best practices in the recovery housing field. As leadership staff at Recovery Point Charleston, WV’s largest certified peer-led women’s recovery housing program, Ms. Hill facilitated a yoga program and created strong ties to the community. She annually organizes West Virginia’s largest recovery advocacy event, The Glow Run for Recovery 5k, for National Recovery Month. She is reliable as well as passionate; with 8 years’ experience working in recovery, and 10 years in her personal abstinence-based recovery, she is committed to creating systemic change through criminal justice reform to improve the quality of life for those with substance use disorders in WV. She achieved her 200-hour yoga teacher training certification in 2018 and researches the evidence-base for yoga healing trauma in her spare time.

Addiction Policy Forum

Jessica Hulsey

Founder & CEO, Addiction Policy Forum

Jessica Hulsey is founder and Executive Director of the Addiction Policy Forum, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating awareness around substance use disorders and helping patients and families in crisis. APF works to end the stigma surrounding addiction while translating science and providing services in all 50 states.

Ms. Hulsey has more than 25 years’ experience in the field of prevention, treatment, and policy solutions to address substance use disorders. She serves on the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse and is a Board Member for the federal DEA Educational Foundation (Drug Enforcement Administration, US Department of Justice).

She lives in Maryland and is mom to three beautiful boys — Conner, Jack and Tyler.

SPONSOR PARTNERS

(CO-HOST)

UNCOMN

Use of data & analytics to solve addiction issues via research.

Stifel

Abatement Financing Strategies

FHE Health

Delivering quality, medically integrated personalized treatment for those suffering from Behavioral Health Disorders

GATC Health

Advancing individualized medicine through advanced predictive diagnostics and drug discovery – to greatly reduce or mitigate health risks before they manifest.

Spectra Plasmonics

Providing better data to combat the opioid crisis

WestCare Foundation

Strengthening and expanding the treatment continuum.
Kolmac provides a measurement-based outpatient program for adults who want to receive real-world addiction treatment. You can remain at home and on the job while you recover.
LSF Health Systems is one of seven behavioral health Managing Entities (ME) contracted by the Florida Department of Children and Families to manage the state-funded system of behavioral health care for people who face poverty and are without insurance.
CLICK FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

ACADEMIC PARTNERS

Georgetown University

Medical Center

UNC Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, Social Medicine

NYU Global School of Public Health

ETSU, Addiction Science Center

NATIONAL AND STATE PARTNERS

National Governors Association (NGA)

National Association of Counties (NACo)

Legal Services Corporation (LSC)

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Local Hotel Suggestions

Georgetown Inn

(discounted rate for our group 5/16-5/18 – use code ABE when booking; or call 202-333-8900 and mention Abatement 101 group)

Sonder Georgetown

Hilton Garden Inn/Georgetown Hotel

(20% off best available rate)

Hyatt Place – Georgetown

The Graham Georgetown

(20% off best available rate through December 31, 2022)

Embassy Suites Georgetown

The Westin Georgetown

Lunch to be provided for in-person attendees.

Business Information

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