AP2026 Speakers
Ted Alcorn
Policy Director
Vital City
Ted Alcorn is the policy director of Vital City, a publication and think tank solving tough urban problems. An award-winning journalist, he was previously a policy advisor in the administration of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the founding research director of Everytown for Gun Safety. He earned graduate degrees at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and their School for Advanced International Studies, and lived in Beijing, China as a Henry Luce scholar. He also teaches courses on gun violence, criminal justice, and policy research at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Thomas Babor, PhD, MPH
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Emeritus Professor
Tom Babor, is a Professor Emeritus and former Chairman in the Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, USA. His academic training is in social psychology, addiction science and psychiatric epidemiology. His research interests include screening, diagnosis, early intervention, and treatment evaluation, as well as alcohol and drug policy. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, and the co-author of Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity (2023) and Drug Policy and the Public Good. (2018).
Ravi Kumar Balu, MD, DrPH
Research Scientist
Bureau of Chronic Disease Evaluation and Research, New York State Department of Health
Ravi Kumar Balu is an epidemiologist and research scientist at the Bureau of Chronic Disease Evaluation and Research, New York State Department of Health. He is a recent graduate of Doctor of Public Health (Epidemiology) from SUNY University at Albany and has more than 12 years of experience in public health research with focus on maternal and child health, tobacco control, alcohol epidemiology, HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. His current work focuses on alcohol consumption and pattern in New York State by analyzing data from the BRFSS.
Bryce Barker, PhD
Senior Knowledge Broker
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
Bryce Barker, PhD, is a Senior Knowledge Broker focused on improving the health of Canadians through evidence-informed alcohol and substance use policy. Since joining the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction in 2016, his work has supported the promotion of Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines and Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health. He previously held roles at CAMH and the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. Bryce holds a PhD in Human Kinetics from the University of Ottawa and enjoys staying active with his family while working to keep up his French.
Haven Battles, PhD
Assistant Director
New York State Department of Health
Haven Battles is the Assistant Director of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Evaluation and Research within the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and Director of NY’s Alcohol Surveillance and Epidemiology Program. She has been with the NYSDOH for 25 years, and has led surveillance, evaluation and research projects related to tobacco, alcohol, chronic disease and HIV/AIDS, with a focus on evaluating public health laws and policies. Dr. Battles earned her doctorate in applied social psychology from The George Washington University and completed post-doctoral work at the National Cancer Institute.
Izabelle Bauer, MPH Candidate
Synergy Enterprises, Inc.
Research Associate
Izabelle Bauer is a community engagement specialist and public health researcher with over five years of experience supporting community coalitions and advancing data communication. She currently works as a Research Associate at Synergy Enterprises, where she supports the STOP Act Reports to Congress and the Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS). She conducts evidence reviews and translates research into tools, resources, and visualizations for public health practitioners, community leaders, and policymakers. Mrs. Bauer is an MPH candidate at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she is also a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow.
Sara Benjamin-Neelon, PhD, JD, MPH
Professor
Johns Hopkins University
Sara Benjamin-Neelon is a Professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is a registered dietitian trained in environmental dietary intervention research, which includes alcohol. She is also an attorney. Her focus is on policy and environmental approaches to health promotion among vulnerable populations in childcare, schools, and universities. Her research includes cannabis and alcohol policy evlaution and promoting change at the environmental level.
Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, MSPH
Research Director
Alcohol Justice
Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, MSPH, serves as Research Director at Alcohol Justice, generating original and secondary research, public education, and policy analysis centered around around the California legislature. He trained at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and trained at the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. In a past life, he edited book-of-the-month club titles for Scholastic, and met Clifford.
Brent Blackburn, CPS
Program Specialist
Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth
Brent Blackburn is a Certified Prevention Specialist with over 30 years of experience working with youth and adults in substance use prevention – from small local groups to state and national organizations. He is currently a Program Specialist at Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth and leads the training and support of the Youth Leadership Council. He uses his extensive background as Executive Director of Extreme Youth Leadership when training people to become advocates for change on a local, state and national level, guiding them through the process of developing practical strategies for addressing issues people encounter in their communities every day.
Dane Bolding
Program Manager
Institute for Public Strategies
Dane Bolding currently serves at the Institute for Public Strategies as the Program Manager for Meet M.E. Outdoors, a program that gives underserved youth access to outdoor and cultural resources as a means of upstream prevention. His work has included serving the students from the rural San Diego school district of Mountain Empire, as well as youth impacted by the transboundary pollution crisis in the South Bay of San Diego. He has over twelve years of experience working with youth in the fields of education and recreation, and is passionate about expanding diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility to safe third-spaces.
Linda Bosma, PhD
President
Bosma Consulting, LLC
Linda M. Bosma, PhD retired as president of Bosma Consulting, an evaluation practice specializing in working with alcohol regulatory agencies, government agencies, universities, non-profits, and foundations, including examinations of Place of Last Drink, alcohol enforcement capacity, health equity, leadership development, social network analysis, coalitions, and studies at the University of Minnesota. She currently Chairs the American Public Health Association’s Publications Board, is a past chair of its ATOD (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs) Section, served on the board of Alcohol Justice (formerly the Marin Institute), and was a founding member of the Minnesota Join Together Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking.
Victoria Buelow, MA
Senior Alcohol Epidemiologist
Oregon Health Authority
Victoria Buelow is the Senior Alcohol Epidemiologist at the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). She connects alcohol-related data from a variety of surveillance systems to media communications, state-wide policy work and local programmatic needs. She has an MA in Demography from Bowling Green State University and a BA in Sociology from Western Washington University.
Morgan Bundy
Youth & Community Organizer
Institute for Public Strategies
Morgan (she/her/hers) is the Youth and Community Organizer for San Diego's East Region Substance Use Prevention Programs, where she facilitates the East County Youth Commission. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and is pursuing her Master of Public Health at San Diego State University. Morgan's background in youth development comes from her previous work in after-school education and programming, serving schools across San Diego County. Morgan is passionate about community building, fostering safe spaces for young people to grow and thrive, and ensuring equitable healthcare access to everyone. Currently, she serves as an intern for SDSU's Institute for Public Health, in conjunction with UC San Diego's Moores Cancer Center, facilitating community health needs assessments for San Diego's LGBTQ+ community. In her free time, Morgan enjoys playing rugby, exploring San Diego, and spending time with her four nieces and nephews!
Maureen Busalacchi, BA, BS, ESMT
Director of Alcohol Policy, Prevention and Research
Comprehensive Injury Center, Medical College of Wisconsin
Maureen Busalacchi serves as Director of the Division of Alcohol Policy, Prevention and Research in the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College Wisconsin and leads the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project. She is immediate Past President of the Wisconsin Public Health Association and is Chair-elect of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Section for the American Public Health Association. Maureen served on Middleton’s City Council, worked as the Executive Director and as the lobbyist for SmokeFree Wisconsin which led Wisconsin’s smoke-free air law effort, and she chaired the Alcohol Prevention Workgroup for the State Council on Alcohol and other Drug Abuse. She is an avid biker, hiker, and gardener. She lives with her husband, Steve, and her two daughters, dog, bird, cats and gecko in Madison, WI.
Jessica Cance, PhD, MPH
Senior research Analyst
RTI International
Jessica Cance is a Senior Research Public Health Analyst at RTI International with nearly 25 years of research and practice experience across academia, nonprofit research, and state government. Her work focuses on substance use and related harms from a public health perspective, spanning epidemiological research, program evaluation, and coalition building. She previously served in Texas state government, leading opioid prevention strategy and overseeing public health data analysis at the Texas Department of State Health Services. She holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MPH from Emory University.
Susan Shepard Carlson
Policy Chair
FASD United
Susan Shepard Carlson is a nationally respected leader in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) advocacy and a longtime contributor to FASD United. She brings a distinguished background as a former juvenile court judge and former First Lady of Minnesota, where she championed initiatives supporting children and families. Her leadership has advanced public awareness, policy, and cross-sector collaboration to improve outcomes for individuals with FASD. Drawing on both professional expertise and personal connection to FASD, Susan offers a powerful and informed perspective. She is a trusted voice in shaping more responsive systems of care and continues to be a sought-after speaker and advocate nationwide."
Martine Chaussard, MPH, BA
Deputy Director
Vital Strategies
A public health communication strategist, I bridge the fields of policy advocacy and storytelling. For over a decade, I've led complex, multi-country chronic disease prevention programs spanning tobacco control, HPV vaccination, and alcohol policy. Today, I also bring my experience as a reporter, producer, sound designer, and editor in audio documentary to my work as Deputy Director of Policy Advocacy and Communication at RESET Alcohol (Vital Strategies). There, I work with civil society and research partners around the world to develop effective communication strategies and messages to meet their public health policy objectives.
Carrie A. Christofes
Executive Director
National Liquor Law Enforcement Association
Carrie A. Christofes is Executive Director of the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association, where she leads strategy, programs, and operations. Previously, she served as Deputy Director at a Single County Authority, overseeing drug and alcohol prevention across three Pennsylvania counties. With over 20 years in nonprofit management and six years as a commissioned law enforcement officer, she brings extensive experience to her role. She has directed multiple federal and state grants, including Drug-Free Communities, STOP Act, tobacco, gambling, and PLCB initiatives. She began her career coordinating the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws program, shaping her commitment to public safety and community health.
Rick Collins, MS, BA
Coalition Director
Hawai’i Public Health Institute
Rick has over 10 years in substance use policy, provides training and coaching to communities working to solve alcohol and drug problems. He currently serves as the Director for for the Maui Coalition for Drug-Free Youth, the East Hawai‘i Drug-Free Coalition, and the Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance. His experience includes building new community coalitions and implementing community-level policy strategies to reduce the harms of substance use. Rick holds an MS in Counseling Psychology and is a Certified Prevention Specialist.
Veronica Colmenarez
Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth
Veronica has a background in public health, communication, and developing youth leaders. She has a passion for creating safeguards so that youth can thrive. She is dedicated to promoting evidence-based strategies and media advocacy, particularly among youth and prevention coalitions in Texas. Veronica values data and process as much as creativity and believes the best strategies come from blending the two. Outside of work, she stays connected to her roots in community service and cultural engagement, with experiences like serving as a Board Member for Asociacion Cultural Latino-Acadiana and supporting public health efforts.
Isabella Cueto
Chronic Disease Reporter
Stat News
Bio coming soon.
Erin Jamieson Day, MPH, CPS
CEO
Community Impact NC
Erin Jamieson Day is the Chief Executive Officer of Community Impact NC. She holds a Master of Public Health from UNC Chapel Hill and degrees in Business Administration and Religion & Philosophy from Barton College. With almost 20 years in the prevention field, Erin has more than a decade of experience leading community prevention efforts. She is a Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) and serves on the NC Prevention Providers Association board, as Immediate-Past Chair of the NC Substance Use Disorder Federation, and as Immediate-Past Chair of The Coalition for SUD, IDD, and MH professionals. Her expertise includes direct service provision, policy analysis, and implementing evidence-based strategies to support vulnerable populations. As a recovery ally, Erin has personal experience navigating the behavioral health system and is a founder of her community's Recovery Community Center (RC3).
Ivy DiBiase, MPH
Assistant Program Manager
Institute for Public Strategies
Upon completing her Master of Public Health degree at Boston University, Ivy moved to San Diego to bring her public health expertise to community-based prevention work.
David Doggett
Deputy Chief of Operations, Enforcement Division
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
David Doggett serves as Deputy Chief of Operations for the Enforcement Division of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, bringing 29 years of law enforcement experience to alcohol enforcement and compliance work across the state. He began his career as a deputy with the Tarrant County Constable's Office before joining TABC in 2001, where he rose through the ranks from enforcement agent to sergeant, lieutenant, major, and his current role. He has led regional enforcement operations and overseen compliance efforts across multiple Texas districts.
Katrina Domnick, MPH
Researcher - Advocate
Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation
Katrina Domnick is a Yup’ik public health professional, researcher, and advocate dedicated to advancing Indigenous-led approaches to health and wellness in rural Alaska. Grounded in Yup’ik values and teachings, including those reflected in the Calricaraq program, Katrina’s work centers on the belief that sustainable health outcomes must be rooted in culture. She is deeply committed to Indigenous-led research and to Indigenizing research methodologies so they align with Yup’ik ways of knowing and being. Katrina advocates for a blended approach—one that honors tradition while engaging modern public health practices—as the pathway to achieving true health equity and long-term wellness for her community.
Marissa Esser, PhD, MPH
Principal Consultant
Esser Public Health Consulting, LLC
Marissa Esser, PhD, MPH, is the founder and principal consultant at Esser Public Health Consulting, LLC. She is also a Research Affiliate with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria. Dr. Esser is the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Alcohol Program. Her research focuses on quantifying and preventing alcohol-related harms. She has provided technical assistance to support several federal initiatives, including two Surgeon General’s reports. She also supported the growth of a dozen state-wide alcohol programs. Dr. Esser holds a PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Elizabeth Farkouh, MD, MS
Resident Physician
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Elizabeth Farkouh is an Internal Medicine resident physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and a research affiliate with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. Dr. Farkouh has conducted international research on the intersection of alcohol consumption, policies, messaging, and health outcomes, including suicide, cancer, and liver disease.
Kathryn Feeley, JD
Senior Legal Epidemiology Fellow
Alcohol Action Network, ATOD Section, APHA
Kathryn (Katie) Feeley, J.D., is a Senior Legal Epidemiology Fellow with the Alcohol Action Network and a Tobacco Law and Policy Fellow at the Legal Resource Center for Public Health Policy. She has extensive experience conducting legal epidemiology research across a range of public health topics, including alcohol regulation, tobacco control, novice driver licensing frameworks, and HIV laws.
Cristely Feliz
Prevention Specialist
SAFE in Harlem
Bio coming soon.
James C. Fell, BS, MS
Senior Research Scientist
James C Fell Consulting LLC
James C. Fell is a Senior Research Scientist with James C Fell Consulting LLC in Annandale, VA. His areas of research include traffic safety behavioral programs, evaluations of alcohol and drug impaired driving countermeasures, underage drinking and cannabis use with the effects on traffic safety, and the effectiveness of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits for driving. He has over 50 years of traffic safety and alcohol policy research experience including over 170 publications. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Human Factors Engineering from the University at Buffalo.
Mike Fliss, PhD, MPS, MSW
Epidemiologist / Research Scientist
UNC Injury Prevention Research Center / NC DHHS
Mike is a public health data scientist at UNC Chapel Hill Injury Prevention Research Center and NC Department of Health and Human Services. His unique strengths are his diverse practice and education background in epidemiology, data science, social work and bioinformatics. He’s worked directly with hundreds of public health and social justice datasets, designed dashboards around alcohol and overdose with hundreds of thousands of views, and authored a national toolkit on alcohol outlet density. He is also a certified trainer in the statistical programming language.
Katrina Forrest, JD
Executive Director
CityHealth
Katrina is the Executive Director of CityHealth. Before joining CityHealth, Katrina served as both Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff for At-Large D.C. Councilmember David Grosso. In that role, she drafted more than 50 pieces of original legislation and was responsible for leveraging community and business relationships to drive the Councilmember’s legislative agenda and policy priorities. In 2020, she received the Community Champion Award from the District of Columbia’s Behavioral Health Association for her advocacy on behalf of D.C. residents facing mental illness and/or addiction. Prior to her work in local and state government, Katrina served as a Compliance Manager with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), where she worked to eradicate discriminatory practices in housing and banking. Katrina holds a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice from George Mason University and a law degree from UIC’s John Marshall Law School.
Lacey Ann Garcia
Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth
Lacey Ann Garcia is a long-standing member of Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth’s Youth Leadership Council and serves as a member of the TxSDY Board of Directors. She was also active in her local high school prevention advocates group. Lacey is passionate about prevention and is working toward her BSW at University of Texas at Arlington.
Albert Gay
Albert Gay, Inc.
Bio coming soon.
Eva Greenthal, MS, MPH
Senior Policy Scientist
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Eva Greenthal is a Senior Policy Scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a non-profit organization advocating for evidence-based and community-informed policies on nutrition, food safety, and health. Eva leads CSPI’s advocacy related to food labeling, alcohol, and FDA nutrition policies. As an advocate, Eva centers her passions for scientific rigor, cross-sector collaboration, and systems-level change. Eva’s research publications span a broad range of topics including food insecurity, health literacy, food allergies, food marketing, and food labeling. She holds a dual MS/MPH degree in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University.
Anna Grummon, PhD, MSPH
Assistant Professor
Stanford University School of Medicine
Dr. Grummon is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and (by courtesy) Health Policy at Stanford University and the Director of the Stanford Food Policy Lab. As a behavioral scientist, she uses randomized trials, natural experiments, and simulation modeling to examine how food and alcohol policies, including warning labels, beverage taxes, and food assistance programs, affect diet and health. Her research, funded by NIH and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation among others, has appeared in JAMA, NEJM, and Science, and been covered by the New York Times, NPR, and Forbes. She holds a PhD and MSPH from UNC and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard.
Jacqueline Hackett
Strategy Consultant
National Alcohol Prevention
Jacqueline Hackett is a senior public health and prevention policy strategist with extensive experience developing and implementing national substance use policy initiatives. Throughout her career, she has worked at the intersection of policy, prevention, and implementation, serving in leadership roles at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Office of the Vice President, where she coordinated complex, cross-sector initiatives involving federal, state, Tribal, and community partners. Her work has focused on translating evidence into actionable policy and building collaborative approaches to improve public health outcomes. Jacqueline began her career in alcohol prevention and youth engagement, and has remained committed to advancing evidence-based prevention strategies throughout her professional life. She is currently a Fulbright-Fogarty Fellow in Public Health based in Thailand, Associate Faculty at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a Doctor of Public Health candidate at Johns Hopkins.
Marissa Hall, PhD
Associate Professor
University of North Carolina
Dr. Marissa Hall's overarching career goal is to design and evaluate evidence-based food, tobacco, and alcohol policies. Much of her research focuses on policies in retail environments, including warning labels, product availability regulation, and marketing restrictions. Dr. Hall applies a range of methodological approaches to explore policy-related research questions, including online experiments, randomized trials, and qualitative research. She is leading two NIH-funded trials about alcohol warnings and front-of-package food labels. Dr. Hall co-leads a national working group focused on promoting evidence-based front-of-package food labeling policies.
Tiffany Hall, MPH
CEO
Recover Alaska
Tiffany Hall is the President/CEO of Recover Alaska, an organization working to reduce the harms of alcohol across the state. She is Board Chair for the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance and serves on the National Steering Committee of the Center for Addiction Recovery Services. She’s passionate about policy change to create safer and healthier places and shifting social norms to reduce stigma and honor sobriety. Tiffany has been in recovery from co-occurring alcohol use and anxiety disorders since 2009.
Jill Harnum, BA Nursing
Policy Analyst
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
Jill Harnum is a Policy Analyst at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, where she supports work on alcohol policy, the Small Cities Initiative, and provides strategic advice to the executive office. With a background as a mental health and addictions nurse, Jill brings extensive frontline experience that informs her policy approach. She has contributed to CCSA’s work since 2019 through advisory and research roles, including with the lived and living experience community. Jill is passionate about advancing evidence-informed policies that support safer, healthier communities across Canada.
Jennifer L. Hay, PhD
Attending Psychologist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Jennifer Hay is an Attending Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), and Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. She serves as Co-Director of the Genomics, Risk, and Health Decision-Making Laboratory, and Director of the NIH T32-funded MSK Psycho-Oncology Research Training Program. Her funded research focuses on optimizing the public health benefit of novel basic science, genomics, and epidemiological findings in cancer by mobilizing cancer risk perceptions and protective behavior. Her recent work centers around overcoming population uncertainty about cancer risk.
Jody Heavilin, BA
Alcohol Policy Resource Center Senior Administrator
Prevention First
Jody Heavilin, Alcohol Policy Resource Center Senior Administrator at Prevention First, has over 35 years of experience in substance use prevention, intervention, and treatment. She led a county-wide coalition through the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), resulting in a 64% reduction in 12th graders who self-reported drinking and driving. She has provided training to more than 650 law enforcement officers on Alcohol Compliance Check Investigations. Jody’s expertise includes the SPF, coalition capacity building, alcohol policy, data analysis, and environmental prevention strategies. She received two Illinois MADD Hero of the Year Awards (2011, 2014) and the 2022 Illinois Prevention Leadership Award.
Kieran Heffernan, MS
Student
Boston University School of Public Health
Kieran Heffernan is a Research Assistant at Boston University of Public Health. He has been involved in federally funded studies involving youth risky behaviors and substance use. He has been involved in conducting implementation evaluation and examining health policy implementation related to youth health and substance use.
Nicole Holt
CEO
Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth
Nicole Holt serves as CEO of Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to creating healthier and safer communities where alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs have no place in the lives of youth. During her more than 20 years in this role, the organization has expanded its ability to train and support coalitions and advocate for state and local policy change. She is a founding member of the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance and a member of Leadership Women Texas and America. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Luther College.
Josh Horwitz, JD
Dana Feitler Professor
Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions
Joshua Horwitz, J.D. Dana Feitler Professor of the Practice in Gun Violence Prevention and Advocacy Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Gun Violence Solutions Joshua Horwitz, J.D. is the Dana Feitler Professor of the Practice in Gun Violence Prevention and Advocacy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. He works to reduce gun violence by utilizing public health research and health equity analysis to build advocacy campaigns that meet critical opportunities in the policy development process. With over 30 years of experience, Professor Horwitz is a key leader in firearm policy development and education. Along with a small group of colleagues, Professor Horwitz developed the Extreme Risk Protection Order Policy, which is now law in 21 states and the District of Columbia. As a result, Josh is now the principal investigator of the National ERPO Resource Center at Johns Hopkins, a Department of Justice-funded training and technical assistance hub providing support to states implementing extreme risk protection orders. Professor Horwitz has developed many policy translation reports including Alcohol Misuse and Gun Violence: An Evidence Based Approach for State Policy, and the original report from the Consortium for Risk-Based Firearm Policy identifying ERPO as a needed policy tool titled, Guns, Public Health, and Mental Illness: An Evidence-Based Approach. He has also testified before numerous state legislatures and the U.S. Congress. Professor Horwitz is the co-author of Guns, Democracy and the Insurrectionist Idea published by University of Michigan Press in 2009. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1985 and his J.D. from The George Washington University in 1988.
Lisa Hutcheson MEd, CPS
VP Prevention and Policy
Mental Health America of Indiana
Lisa has led the Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking since 1997 and also directs the Indiana Collegiate Action Network. She holds a master’s in counseling from the University of Tennessee and is a certified prevention specialist. As Vice President of Prevention and Policy at Mental Health America of Indiana, she oversees prevention programs and helps lead lobbying and advocacy efforts focused on alcohol, tobacco/vaping, cannabis, and gaming. Through her work with grassroots coalitions, ICRUD and ICAN have helped advance important alcohol policies across Indiana. Outside of work, Lisa is in her final year of 8 on the Lebanon Community School Board and is active in Tri Kappa. She and her husband Scott, a Purdue professor, have been married 38 years and have two sons, Oliver and Henry, both at Purdue. Their family also includes two dogs, Pippa and Cosette. Lisa enjoys traveling, baking (and eating), playing piano, and dreaming of an English garden.
David Jernigan, PhD, MA
Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
David Jernigan, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. He has written and worked on alcohol policy for more than 40 years, at local, state, national and global levels. His publications include more than 180 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters in seven books on alcohol issues, as well as two chapters and a book on cannabis policy.
Emma Jesch, PhD, MPH
Cancer Prevention Fellow
National Cancer Institute
Emma Jesch is a Cancer Prevention Fellow in the Behavioral Research Program at the National Cancer Institute. Her research examines how people make sense of scientific and health information, particularly when the evidence is uncertain, evolving, or contested—and how communicators can design messages can both inform and foster trust under these conditions. At NCI, her work primarily focuses on alcohol and cancer risk. Emma holds a PhD in communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MPH in quantitative methods from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
William Kerr, PhD
Senior Scientist
Public Health Institute
William C. Kerr, PhD, serves as Scientific Director of the Alcohol Research Group (ARG) where he is a Senior Scientist and Director of the National Alcohol Research Center on the Epidemiology of Alcohol Problems. Dr. Kerr is also the Director of the NIAAA T32 training program in alcohol epidemiology at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on the alcohol use measurement, trends in U.S. alcohol consumption, alcohol policy evaluation and and relationships between alcohol use and health outcomes. His work also examines health disparities, secondhand harms from alcohol and other substances, economic conditions and alcohol problems and cannabis policy and epidemiology.
Andrew Kessler, JD
Principal
Slingshot Solutions
Andrew D. Kessler, JD, is founder and principal of Slingshot Solutions LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in behavioral health policy. With 20 years of policy experience- and over a decade in behavioral health- Kessler is a fixture in circles that advocate for substance abuse treatment, prevention, recovery, and research. He collaborates frequently with congressional offices, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and other federal actors. He is a frequent contributor to Politico, The Hill, and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Weekly.
Maria Koval, MPA
Executive Director
Counter Tools
Maria is the executive director of Counter Tools, a 501(c)(3) public health consulting organization that aims to promote health equity and enact policy change in communities nationwide by providing reliable technology, accessible data analytics, and full-spectrum, tailored support. Maria began her public health career at the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County, Ohio in 2006. From startups to local governments in the U.S. and abroad, Maria has led teams through the implementation of behavior change strategies to improve health outcomes. Maria earned her Master of Public Administration from Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey after serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova.
Sharon Kruk, MA, BS,
Executive Director
The Coalition
Sharon Kruk serves as Executive Director of The Coalition, a nonprofit focused on substance misuse prevention and advocacy in Deep East Texas. She holds a B.S. in Political Science from Texas A&M University and a master's in educational administration from the University of Houston-Victoria. Sharon began her career in public education, serving 10 years as a teacher and administrator before transitioning to nonprofit work through AmeriCorps VISTA. She joined The Coalition in 2013, combining her expertise in public health, policy, and social justice. She is an Advanced Certified Prevention Specialist.
Regina LaBelle, JD
Professor, Director
Georgetown University
Regina LaBelle is a Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health, where she founded and directs the Master of Science in Addiction Policy and Practice program. She is also a distinguished scholar and the Director of the Center on Addiction Policy at the O’Neill Institute at Georgetown Law. Regina served as Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) during the first year of the Biden Administration and as Chief of Staff at ONDCP under President Obama. In these roles, she was instrumental in managing the federal response to the overdose epidemic and implementing the National Drug Control Strategy. Her government career began in municipal law, serving for eight years as Legal Counsel to the Mayor of Seattle. She holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and currently serves on the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse at the NIH.
Juliet Lee, PhD
Senior Research Scientist, Study Director
Prevention Research Center of PIRE
Juliet Lee is the Principal Investigator of Healthy Tribal Nations: Identifying Effective Alcohol Policies for American Indian Tribes (R01AA028236). She is a Senior Research Scientist and Study Director at the Prevention Research Center of PIRE. Dr. Lee received her MA from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, and PhD in Anthropology from the University of Virginia. She has co-directed and served as co-investigator on state and federally-funded community-partnered and community-based projects assessing, reducing, and preventing problems associated with availability and misuse of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other intoxicating substances.
Robert MacKenzie, MA
Biostatistician
Medical College of Wisconsin
Robert Mackenzie: Robert MacKenzie is a research analyst at the Comprehensive Injury Center (CIC) within the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). Mr. MacKenzie’s work focuses primarily on alcohol policy, community violence, and geospatial analysis. Before coming to MCW, Mr. MacKenzie was a research analyst for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. When not working, Mr. Mackenzie spends time with his wife and two young sons.
Aadielah Maker-Diedericks, MS
Regional Coordinator
Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance
Aadielah Maker Diedericks is a respected public health advocate and regional coordinator for Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA), where she leads efforts to strengthen evidence-based alcohol policy across the region. With more than 25 years of experience in civil society, she has worked extensively in community health, social mobilisation, campaign management, and behaviour-change communications.
Mike Marshall
CEO
U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance
Bio coming soon.
Priscilla Martinez-Matyszczyk, MPhil, PhD
Scientist, Deputy Scientific Director
Alcohol Research Group/Public Health Institute
Priscilla Martinez-Matyszczyk, MPhil, PhD is Deputy Scientific Director at the Alcohol Research Group (ARG) and Lecturer at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She received her BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Mills College, and her MPhil in International Community Health and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Oslo, followed by postdoctoral training at ARG/UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She is lead Co-Director of the National Alcohol Survey, the longest-running alcohol survey in the US. Her research examines population-level drinking patterns, alcohol's health effects, public awareness of those effects, and communication strategies that promote informed decision-making.
Hannah Martuscello, MPH
Volunteer Secretary
Massachusetts Alcohol Policy Coalition
Hannah Martuscello, MPH, specializes in youth substance use prevention. With over a decade of experience in substance use prevention, youth advocacy, and policy change, Hannah has worked on a variety of initiatives to reduce alcohol and drug use, with a focus on integrating health equity principles. She has presented at various conferences on the intersection between youth empowerment and substance use prevention. After receiving her MPH in Health Policy and Law from Boston University, Hannah is currently volunteering with the Massachusetts Alcohol Policy Coalition to help implement evidence-based policies state-wide and provide alcohol policy advocacy training for youth advocates.
Mark McKechnie, MSW, BA
Policy and Communications Director
Washington Traffic Safety Commission
Mark McKechnie is the Policy and Communications Director for the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. With an undergraduate degree from The Evergreen State College and Master of Social Work from the Portland State University, Mark has worked in behavioral health, child welfare, juvenile justice, and education systems before coming to traffic safety. His policy work began more than 25 years ago, and he has worked to pass bills on a range of issues, from foster care, juvenile sex offender registration, and school discipline, to driver education, automated traffic enforcement and impaired driving intervention.
Christopher Morrison, PhD
Associate Professor
Yale University
Christopher Morrison is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. His research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and seeks to understand how social and physical environmental conditions affect population health, particularly injuries, alcohol use, and alcohol-related harms. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Penn Injury Science Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and was a doctoral visiting scholar at the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Berkeley, California. He holds a Ph.D. in epidemiology from Monash University, Australia.
Kelly Moselle, MA, MS, CAC II, CMAC, CCS, CMATS, CAMS II
Executive Clinical Director
Reframe Rethink Restore
Kelly Moselle, MA, MS, CAC II, CMAC, CCS, CMATS, CAMS II serves as Executive Clinical Director for Reframe Rethink Restore, where he advances a spectrum-based approach to understanding alcohol use across dependency and overall wellness. He also serves as Director of Training and Education for the Georgia Addiction Counselors Association, leading professional development across the addiction counseling field. With more than 18 years of experience in higher education and behavioral health, he has designed and facilitated programs that support personal development, recovery, and community impact, with a focus on residential treatment and individuals in early recovery.
Timothy Naimi, MD, MPH
Director
Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research /University of Victoria
Timothy Naimi MD, MPH is currently the Director at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, his M.D. degree from the University of Massachusetts, and his M.P.H degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed a combined internal medicine-pediatrics residency program at Massachusetts General Hospital, the CDC, and a Preventive Medicine Residency with CDC. His research interests include alcohol epidemiology, the health effects of substance use, and the impact of alcohol and cannabis policies.
Makhosazana Ndlovu, BA
Project Associate
Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance
Makhosazana Ndlovu is a project associate at SAAPA, where she supports programme coordination, stakeholder engagement, and administrative operations that help advance the organisation’s advocacy work across Southern Africa. Makhosazana contributes to SAAPA’s broader mission of promoting evidence-based alcohol policy reform, safer communities, and stronger public awareness around the social and health impacts of alcohol use.
Toben Nelson, ScD
Professor
University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Toben F. Nelson, ScD, is a Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, where he serves as Director of the Community Health Promotion MPH program. Dr. Nelson is a social epidemiologist whose research focuses on alcohol control policies, and population-level strategies to prevent binge drinking, substance use, and related harms. His work examines how local and state policies shape community health and inform evidence-based public health practice and policy.
Elizabeth Nettles, BS, CPP
COO
Community Coalition Alliance, Inc.
Elizabeth Nettles is the Chief Operating Officer at the Community Coalition Alliance, where she leads contract management, program evaluation, and technical assistance to support effective substance use prevention initiatives. She oversees performance monitoring, data systems, and compliance while helping translate evidence-based practices into community impact. Elizabeth brings over five years of experience from LSF Health Systems, where she advanced from Network Manager to Prevention Network Manager, supporting providers and coalitions across 23 counties. Her work includes delivering Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training (SAPST), supporting school- and community-based programs, and strengthening prevention systems. She is a Certified Prevention Professional and a trainer in NARCAN and SBIRT.
Kristina Padilla, MA, BS, LAADC, ICAADC, CGS, C-SAT Candidate
Vice President of Education and Strategic Development
National Behavioral Health Association of Providers (NBHAP)
Kristina Padilla is world-renowned as a national speaker and educator, advocating the principle of “living out loud.†They foster safer environments nationwide by conducting 2S/LGBTQIA+ educational talks and training sessions globally. They are a motivational speaker and author of “Kristina with a K: A Rainbow Person’s Journey from Addiction to Recoveryâ€, an explosive expose into the lives of LGBTQ people experiencing addiction. Kristina is a leader with NBHAP, where they serve as the organization's Vice President of Education and Strategic Development. Mx. Padilla sat on SAMHSA’s Technical Expert Panel on Peer Support certification and helped SAMHSA develop National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification. They also facilitated the First SAMHSA LGBTQIA2+ Office of Recovery meeting at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco in May 2024.
Emily Payne, MSPH
Epidemiologist
New York State Department of Health
Emily Payne is an epidemiologist and the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program evaluator at the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Chronic Disease Evaluation and Research. She has nine years of experience helping state and local programs translate data to action with expertise in chronic disease, harm reduction, and substance use. Emily obtained her Master of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her work has been published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, and Harm Reduction Journal.
Heather Platter, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor
University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Public Health Sciences
Dr. Heather Platter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the intersection of health and risk communication, health literacy, and affective factors that support informed, patient-centered decision-making and engagement in cancer prevention behaviors. Her research as a health behavior scientist uses experimental and mixed methods to study how communication strategies shape understanding, risk perceptions, and behaviors. Her current work examines how provider communication about alcohol risks influences future drinking behaviors and informs strategies to strengthen these discussions in clinical care.
Craig PoVey, MSW
Principal/ Project Director of Talk They Hear You
Synergy Enterprises, Inc.
Craig PoVey, M.S.W., is a nationally recognized leader in substance use disorder prevention with more than 30 years of experience advancing evidence‑based policy and practice. He currently serves as Principal, Communications and Project Director for the Talk. They Hear You.® campaign, working with federal partners to align prevention research, policy, and public health messaging. Previously, Craig spent 20 years directing Utah’s statewide prevention system, expanding community‑based prevention coalitions and overseeing multiple federal grants. He is widely respected for translating prevention science into effective, measurable community impact.
Felecia Pullen, PhD, LMSW
CEO
Let's Talk SAFETY, Inc.
Dr. Felecia Pullen is the Founder and CEO of Let’s Talk SAFETY, Inc., and a nationally recognized leader in recovery, prevention, and harm reduction. With over 30 years of corporate and nonprofit leadership experience, she built Manhattan’s first OASAS-funded Recovery Community & Outreach Center, The PILLARS. A Ph.D.-trained qualitative researcher, Dr. Pullen specializes in recovery capital, and structural determinants of health impacting People of Color Who Use Drugs. She has secured and managed millions in federal, state, and city funding, advancing culturally responsive systems change. Dr. Pullen is also an adjunct professor and sought-after national presenter on equity-centered behavioral health policy.
Logan B Reid, LPS, MS, MHW
Chief Executive Officer and President
Reid Prevention and Education Services
Logan B. Reid, L.P.S., M.S., M.H.W., is a licensed prevention specialist and prevention leader with over two decades of experience in behavioral health, spanning treatment, prevention, higher education, and executive leadership. He currently serves as Regional Director of Prevention for Southwest Behavioral Health Center, overseeing prevention strategy implementation across five counties in Southern Utah, and as CEO and President of Reid Prevention & Education Services, where he provides consulting, training, and technical assistance nationwide. In addition to his prevention leadership, Logan is a long‑time Professor of Sociology at Utah Tech University and Utah State University, teaching courses in sociology, social psychology, and social problems. He holds graduate degrees in Mental Health & Wellness and Sociological Theory & Research, and is actively engaged in statewide and regional service, including leadership roles with the Utah Prevention Network, the Utah Prevention Coalition Association, and the Utah Alcohol Advisory Board.
Kathleen Roberts
CEO
Community Coalition Alliance, Inc.
Kathleen Roberts, MS, is the Chief Executive Officer of Community Coalition Alliance, Inc., with over 15 years of experience in behavioral health across local, regional, and state systems. She leads efforts to assess substance use trends through data analysis, community assessments, and cross-sector partnerships, with a focus on workforce development and coalition capacity building. Kathleen is a Master Trainer for Florida in the Strategic Prevention Framework Application for Prevention Success (SAPST). Previously, she served as Clinical Team Lead at the Florida Department of Children and Families, where she led statewide epidemiology efforts and represented Florida in the National Prevention Network.
Sarah Roberts, DrPH
Professor
University of California, San Francisco
Sarah Roberts, DrPH, is a Professor and Legal Epidemiologist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Roberts' current research evaluates maternal and child health impacts of state-level pregnancy-specific alcohol and drug policies and of state-level abortion policies. She also researches health care providers’ decision-making regarding reporting pregnant and birthing people who use alcohol and drugs or who are self-managing an abortion to government authorities. Dr. Roberts has published more than 130-peer reviewed manuscripts and has received grant funding from private foundations, the NIH, and other government agencies.
Matthew Rossheim, PhD, MPH, CPH, FAAHB
Associate Professor
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Matthew Rossheim is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center and a leading researcher on the marketing, availability, and regulation of intoxicating consumer products. His work focuses on alcohol, cannabis, and emerging intoxicants sold in retail and online environments, with an emphasis on informing public health policy. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed studies on substance use prevention. His research has informed local, state, and federal policy and has been featured by major media outlets.
Phil Rutherford
Vice President
The National Council; Black Faces Black Voices
Philip Rutherford is the Vice President, Growth and Substance Use Strategy at The National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Rutherford has managed strategy and operations for several recovery-focused organizations. He is a member of committees at the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies. He serves as board chair for Serve Minnesota and the Police Treatment and Community Collaborative. He also holds board seats at the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers and the Recovery Policy Collaborative. In 2020 Rutherford launched Black Faces Black Voices, a community-focused collaborative centering the needs of Black communities. This group now represents roughly 100 organizations around the country. Prior to the nonprofit world, he spent most of his career at Microsoft, Micron Electronics, and the Taylor Corporation. Rutherford is an active member of the recovery community and has considerable experience in the areas of reentry and access.
Bob Saltz, PhD
Senior Scientist
Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation
The first study Dr. Saltz led when PRC was founded focused on evaluating a “Responsible Beverage Service” program in military club settings. His other research has included college student drinking, alcohol-impaired driving, alcohol-related violence, and the design and implementation of comprehensive community prevention interventions to reduce intoxication and alcohol-involved trauma. He has conducted a college prevention randomized trial across 14 university campuses. The study included the design and implementation of a comprehensive risk management strategy for reducing alcohol-related problems. He also led an RCT of community-level interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm involving 24 randomly-selected cities in California.
Mark Lawrence Schrad, PhD
Associate Professor
Villanova University
Mark Lawrence Schrad, Associate Professor of Political Science at Villanova University, opens the conference with insights from his book, Smashing the Liquor Machine: A Global History of Prohibition (Oxford University Press). The book reframes prohibition as a worldwide progressive movement, not an American anomaly, tracing how temperance advocates from Tolstoy to Gandhi to anti-colonial reformers fought the same predatory "liquor machine" across continents. Schrad is also the author of Vodka Politics and The Political Power of Bad Ideas.
Kevin Shield, PhD
Senior Scientist
Institute for Mental Health Policy Research/Center for Addiction and Mental Health
Kevin D. Shield is a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research and Head of the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre in Addiction and Mental Health. His research focuses on alcohol epidemiology, policy evaluation, and the global burden of disease attributable to alcohol and drugs. He has led international collaborations supporting evidence-based alcohol policies across North America, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Shield has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and works closely with governments and global health organizations to translate research into policy. His work aims to reduce substance-related harms and advance equitable, population-level public health strategies worldwide.
Shannon Smith, MS
Student
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Shannon Smith, MS, is a third-year Health Behavior Research PhD student at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Her research focuses on substance use prevention and harm reduction. She is involved in research on alcohol use in real-world settings, including among adults experiencing homelessness, and how environmental and policy contexts shape risk, access, and engagement with interventions. She uses applied, interdisciplinary approaches and has contributed to projects using mobile and real-time data methods. Her work also includes examining digital and social media marketing environments of alcohol and intoxicating cannabis products to inform prevention and policy efforts.
Amy Sorrells, MA
Founder & Executive Director
Reframe Rethink Restore
Amy Sorrells is the Founder and Executive Director of Reframe Rethink Restore, a nonprofit dedicated to reframing alcohol use beyond the “problem or not” myth to a modern, spectrum-based model spanning dependency and overall wellness. With more than 25 years of experience across health, life sciences, and technology, she specializes in translating complex topics into clear, actionable insights. She holds a master’s degree in psychology, where her capstone research led to the development of the Alcohol Use Spectrum©, the foundation of RRR’s approach grounded in modern psychology, science, and public health.
Alicia Sparks, PhD, MPH
Senior Principal
Synergy Enterprises, Inc.
Alicia Sparks, PhD, MPH is a prevention science specialist with more than 15 years of experience advancing systems-level approaches to reduce substance misuse. As a Senior Associate at Synergy Enterprises, Inc., she serves as Project Director for the STOP Act contract and the Alcohol Policy Information System, providing training and technical assistance to federal and state partners and overseeing national reporting efforts. A leader in translating research into action, she has led major alcohol policy initiatives, supported community coalitions nationwide, and authored influential evidence-based prevention guides. Dr. Sparks holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins and an MPH from UNC–Chapel Hill.
Michael Sparks, MA
President
SparksInitiatives
Michael Sparks M.A. is an Alcohol Policy Specialist, community organizer and President of SparksInitiatives. His primary interest is assisting communities to implement evidence-based, upstream, equity focused strategies to address the factors that impact community health. Among others, Michael is currently working with the Pacific Southwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center, the Southeast, Prevention Technology Transfer Center, and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on a range of public health issues. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the US Alcohol Policy Alliance.
Patrick St. Martin
Unknown
Bay State Community Services
Bio coming soon.
Meenakshi Subbaraman, PhD, MS
Program Director & Biostatistician
Public Health Institute
Meenakshi Subbaraman is a Program Director and Biostatistician with the Behavioral Health & Recovery Studies Group at the Public Health Institute. Before joining Behavioral Health and Recovery Studies, she worked with the Alcohol Research Group for 15 years where she served as Director of Statistical and Data Services for the last two. Much of her research focuses on alcohol and cannabis policy, including issues like spillover effects, or unintended harms or benefits related to policies. Her most recently funded project examines how blood alcohol content limits for driving are associated with alcohol-related outcomes besides motor vehicle crashes in the US.
Kelly Teague, BS, BA
VP of Innovation & NC Prevention Education
Community Impact NC (CINC)
Kelly has been a pivotal member of Community Impact NC since 2018, currently serving as Vice President of Prevention Innovation. She earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Western Carolina University and is pursuing her MBA at Carson-Newman University. With a certification in Public Health Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University, she specializes in assessing risk and protective factors at the community level across North Carolina.
Kayla Tillett, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
James Madison University
Kayla Tillett, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor at James Madison University whose research focuses on the retail environment, marketing, and regulation of alcohol and cannabis products to inform public health prevention strategies. Her work examines product availability, pricing and taxation, social and digital media marketing, and the effects of laws and regulations on consumer product availability and marketing. Dr. Tillett’s research emphasizes how commercial practices and policy environments shape access to intoxicating products, particularly among young people. Through this work, she contributes to evidence that can guide community action, policy development, and prevention efforts aimed at reducing related harms.
Mike Tobias
Unknown
Michigan Prevention Network
Bio coming soon.
Traci Toomey, PhD
Professor & Director
Cannabis Research Center, University of Minnesota
Dr. Toomey is a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. She is a behavioral epidemiologist with expertise in substance use control policies. She has served as the principal investigator or co-investigator of nearly 40 externally funded research studies focusing on substance use. She has been a leader on a series of studies assessing and/or changing the alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco retail environments, and on studies measuring the prevalence, strength, and effects of local and state substance-use-related policies. Dr. Toomey is the director of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Cannabis Research Center.
Cassandra Tourre, MPA
Co-Founder/Volunteer
Alcohol Action Network, ATOD Section, APHA
Cassandra Tourre has more than 20 years of experience in alcohol policy and public health. Since 2000, she has served as a founding and co-leading volunteer of the Alcohol Action Network, a national initiative of the American Public Health Association ATOD Section focused on advancing alcohol policy research, surveillance, and advocacy. She previously served as a Faculty Associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and as Director of Public Policy at the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. She currently serves as a Business Development Manager at Computronix, supporting government agencies in strengthening alcohol regulatory systems through technology.
Pamela Trangenstein, PhD, MPH
Scientist
Alcohol Research Group/Public Health Institute
Pamela Trangenstein earned her BA in Psychology with minors in Printmaking/Drawing and Photography from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed both an MPH in Mental Health and a PhD in Health, Behavior, and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she also completed a CDC-funded predoctoral fellowship in alcohol epidemiology at the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. After graduation, she completed an NIAAA-funded postdoctoral fellowship in alcohol epidemiology and problems at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on neighborhood and policy factors that shape substance use and related health outcomes, namely violence. She possesses particular expertise in the ways alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco availability, marketing, and regulation influence consumption patterns and injury across communities and sub-populations.
Ryan Treffers, JD
Policy Surveillance Expert
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
Ryan Treffers, JD, is an expert in policy surveillance across all levels of government, with specialized experience in legal data collection and analysis. His work in policy surveillance began in 2006 on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS), where he continues to contribute. Since 2009, he has also supported the STOP Act Report to Congress by conducting legal research and analysis on underage drinking policies. Mr. Treffers has led and collaborated on analyses of state and municipal alcohol and cannabis policies, zoning laws, and policy implementation timelines.
Dana Vasers, JD, MPH
Unknown
Synergy Enterprises
Bio coming soon.
Silvia Villarreal, MPP
Director of Research Translation
Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions
Silvia Villarreal is the Director of Research Translation at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions, where she works to bridge the gap between research and policy by producing evidence-based reports that inform and advance effective gun violence prevention strategies. She also serves as the Managing Director of the Consortium for Risk-Based Firearm Policy, leading a multidisciplinary group of experts in developing public health–oriented policy solutions to reduce gun violence.
Karen Voetsch, MPH
Branch Chief, Drug-Free Communities Program
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Karen Voetsch is the Branch Chief for the Drug-Free Communities Program at CDC. In this role, she provides strategic direction and programmatic oversight for over 500 coalitions focused on youth substance use prevention. She joined CDC in 2003 where she led several efforts developing new community-based initiatives to address chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Karen also has an international health background serving in the Peace Corps in West Africa and as a CDC-assignee on chronic disease and road safety in Botswana. Ms. Voetsch received her MPH from UNC Chapel Hill and her B.S. from Cornell University.
Chris Wagner
Executive Director
Project Extra Mile
Chris leads a nationally recognized coalition focused on preventing excessive alcohol consumption and its related harms through evidence-based policies and practices. Prior to joining the public health field, Chris spent a decade working in and with the federal government in Washington.
Leah Walton, BA
Transportation Safety Specialist
National Transportation Safety Board
Leah Walton is a Transportation Safety Specialist for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Leah began her career as the Youth Program Manager for the Minnesota State Office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) working on underage drinking prevention programs. She advanced to the MADD National office in Texas. In 2006, Leah became a Highway Safety Specialist for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Leah joined NTSB in the Office of Safety Recommendations and Communications in 2016. She works in the Government & Industry Affairs Division. Her areas of expertise are impairment, speeding, and vulnerable road user safety.
Savannah Waugh, MPH
Junior Communications Associate
Synergy Enterprises, Inc.
Savannah Waugh, M.P.H. is a public health professional specializing in alcohol and substance use policy, evidence translation, and health communications. She currently serves as a Junior Communications Associate at Synergy Enterprises, supporting federal initiatives such as the STOP Act Reports to Congress, the “Talk. They Hear You.” Campaign, and the Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS). Her work focuses on translating complex research and surveillance data into clear, actionable products for policymakers, public health practitioners, and community leaders. Ms. Waugh holds an MPH in Health Policy from Tulane University and has experience supporting state-level efforts to reduce harms among underserved populations.
Shelly Weizman, JD
Associate Director
Georgetown University
Shelly Weizman is the associate director of the Center on Addiction and Public Policy at the O’Neill Institute and an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown Law, where she introduced and teaches a course on addiction and mental health law and policy. She is a human rights lawyer whose areas of interest include advancing public policy related to addiction, mental health, and disabilities. At O’Neill, she works on a project portfolio focused on the overdose epidemic and how the law can promote access to treatment and support recovery. Before coming to Georgetown, Weizman served as the assistant secretary for mental hygiene in the Office of the Governor of New York, where she oversaw policy and operations related to addiction, mental health, and disabilities. She began her legal career as a civil rights attorney at MFY Legal Services, a not-for-profit legal services organization in New York City. She holds a J.D. with a concentration in health law and policy from Seton Hall University School of Law.
Callie Whitesell, MPH
Research Program Manager
Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina
Callie Whitesell is a Research Program Manager at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She manages the Policy Insights Lab, where her work includes developing and evaluating alcohol warning labels, conducting randomized controlled trials, and using a convenience store laboratory to study purchasing behavior in retail environments. The lab is committed to reducing health disparities and translating findings into actionable guidance for policymakers and practitioners. Callie holds a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior from UNC Gillings.
Jennifer Wisdahl
Chief Operating Officer
FASD United
Jennifer (“Jenn”) Wisdahl is Chief Operating Officer of FASD United, the national organization advancing support, prevention, and systems change for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Since 2021, she has led strategic operations, national programs, and partnerships expanding access to evidence-based resources across the United States. A mother of three young adults with FASD, Jenn brings lived experience to her leadership, shaping family-centered initiatives such as the Family Navigator Program and affiliate network engagement. She is actively involved in federal and state policy efforts, including advocacy related to the FASD Respect Act, and is a recognized national speaker on FASD and systems change.
Kara Wiseman, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Public Health Sciences
Dr. Kara Wiseman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Dr. Wiseman has been working in the field of cancer prevention for several years. Her research as a behavioral epidemiologist uses advanced quantitative methods, novel study designs, and interdisciplinary theory to develop and evaluate interventions to impact cancer prevention behaviors. To date, much of Dr. Wiseman’s research has focused on tobacco cessation and alcohol use. She is particularly interested in exploring population-level awareness of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer and identifying ways to increase awareness.
Mark Wolfson
Unknown
University of California Riverside and South East Prevention Technology Transfer Center
Bio coming soon.
Ziming Xuan, SD, SM, MA
Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
Ziming Xuan is a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences and the Department of Epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health. He is a social epidemiologist who is interested in understanding the influence of social-contextual determinants, especially policy determinants on health, particularly among vulnerable populations (i.e., youth, patients with substance abuse, and women). He is also interested in the methodologies involved in social-behavioral interventions to promote healthy behavioral changes and enhance community well-being. His research interests include health policies related to alcohol, marijuana, other substance use and guns, youth health, alcohol advertising, impaired driving, substance use disorders, mental health and addiction.
Jih-Cheng (Jack) Yeh, PhD, MPH
Postdoctoral Fellow
Alcohol Research Group
Jack’s research focuses on alcohol epidemiology and alcohol policy, with particular emphasis on structural and environmental determinants of alcohol-related health outcomes. His work examines alcohol availability, pricing and taxation, and neighborhood contexts, and how these factors shape alcohol use, health inequities, and chronic disease outcomes. He has additional research interests in alcohol-related harms to others, alcohol-attributable cancer risk, and the intersection of substance use with HIV care and treatment engagement. Across projects, Jack applies causal inference methods and policy-relevant analytic approaches to inform prevention strategies and population-level interventions.
Celinda Lake
President
Lake Research Partners
Celinda Lake is one of the Democratic Party’s leading political strategists. She was one of two lead pollsters for the Biden campaign in 2020 and continues to serve as a pollster to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), other national party committees, and dozens of Democratic incumbents and challengers at all levels of the electoral process. Celinda and her firm, Lake Research Partners, are known for cutting-edge research on issues including the economy, health care, the environment, and education, and have worked for a number of institutions including the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), AFL-CIO, SEIU, CWA, IAFF, NRDC, ecoAmerica, NARAL, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, The Next Generation, EMILY's List, VoteVets Action Fund, and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Her international work has included work in Liberia, Belarus, Ukraine, South Africa, and Central America.
Heidi Baxley
Program Supervisor and
Policy Lead
Southwest Behavioral Health Prevention Services
Heidi is the Executive Advisor to the Utah Prevention Coalition Association (UPCA), and current Chair of the Utah Prevention Advisory Council and the Utah Behavioral Health Commission's Prevention And Early Intervention Committee. She is a policy leader in the state of Utah, and has helped public health workers and prevention coalitions across the state engage in advocacy work.
Melissa Veater
Program Supervisor
Southwest Behavioral Health Prevention Services
Melissa Veater was recently awarded the Utah, Merlin Goode Prevention Worker of the year award. She is a licensed prevention specialist with nearly 23 years of experience at Southwest Behavioral Health Center. She currently supervises and coaches coalitions across a four-county region and founded the Panguitch Prevention Coalition more than 12 years ago. Through evidence-based programs and environmental strategies, Panguitch has earned national recognition for low rates of prescription drug misuse and received the Coalition of the Year award. Melissa also received the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice Youth Advocate of the Year award for her work preventing youth substance use and supporting youth and families. She is a graduate of the CADCA National Coalition Academy, a certified Communities That Care trainer, and a QPR instructor. A strong advocate for rural community prevention, Melissa has helped secure eight Drug-Free Communities grants and previously served as Vice Chair of the Utah Prevention Coalition Association. She is pursuing a degree in public health and has earned a certificate in Community Health Planning and Implementation.
Sari Hargand, MPH
Surveillance, Evaluation & Epidemiology Manager
Oregon Health Authority
Sari Hargand is the Surveillance, Evaluation and Epidemiology Team Manager of the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention section at the Oregon Health Authority. She has worked in public health for over 14 years providing support in planning, designing and coordinating public health data systems. She holds a MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Oregon Health and Sciences University.
Amanda Iovino
TBA
Pantheon Insights
Amanda Iovino is the co-founder of Pantheon Insight and an award-winning pollster and data strategist with nearly 20 years of experience helping campaigns, advocacy groups, and corporate clients navigate complex political and public opinion landscapes. She has been honored as Pollster of the Year by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) and named to AAPC’s 40 Under 40 list. Amanda has built a reputation for bringing rigorous research and clear messaging to some of the most closely watched races in the country.
Kevin Mills
Vice President of Policy
Rails-To-Trails Conservancy & USAPA Board Member
Coming Soon
Cory McCray
Senator
Maryland Senate
Coming Soon
Andrew Gray
Representative
Alaska State House of Representatives
Coming Soon.
Kate Nugent
Representative
Vermont General Assembly
Coming Soon.