CPI TA Consultants
Consultants who work with CPI grantees have had extensive involvement alcohol, drug, and violence prevention, youth development, and data driven and outcome-based planning, implementation, and evaluation efforts. They work for the grantee's best interest and are in communication and coordination with the CARS and ADP TA teams in meeting the needs of the grantee.
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To learn more about which of our consultants will work best for your current needs please scroll down to view a full listing or click on the consultant's name to view more detailed information.
Kris Bailey
Kris Bailey is a contract program auditor for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Alcohol and Drug Program Administration. She has more than 20 years experience as a public relations consultant, specializing in political consulting. Her client list includes: former Assemblyman Mervyn M. Dymally and Compton Councilwoman Yvonne Arceneaux. She is a workshop trainer and conference speaker. She has conducted trainings around the country for such notable organizations as the American Medical Association, the Los Angeles County Tobacco Control Program and the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence-Sacramento. She has been a consultant with the Community Prevention Institute since 1999. Ms. Bailey is also the author of two training manuals, entitled, Public Relations: A Multi-Media Campaign, and Impacting Public Policy: Through Community Organizing and Media Advocacy; and two booklets on African-American women in recovery entitled, Sisters in Recovery: Success Stories of African-American Women, Volumes I and II.
Belinda Basca, Ed.M.
Belinda Bell Basca (Ed.M. Harvard University) is a K-5 curriculum writer of Science CompanionT, a hands-on learning program that takes advantage of children's extensive knowledge of--and curiosity about--how things work in the world. As a consultant for EMT and CARS, Belinda has assisted on a variety of mentoring projects and conducted site visits for Friday Night Live Mentoring and the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Community program.
Frederick Becker
Frederick Becker's experience includes development, coordination, and management of programs dealing with substance abuse and violence issues in schools, community-based organizations, and businesses. He specializes in life skills development programs for adults and youth. His career includes working with law enforcement officers, educators, business professionals, families, and community-based organizations. His current experience includes service on various state and national advisory committees, university instructor, and consultant/trainer.
Beth Berk
Beth Berk is a writer and editor with an extensive background in print communication and TV news. She currently writes for KGO-TV, the ABC affiliate in San Francisco. Beth has written magazine and web articles, brochures, curricula and video scripts for clients including the Center for Applied Research Solutions, the California Parenting Institute, San Francisco magazine and Web MD. She has a Masters in Journalism from Northwestern University and lives in Santa Rosa, CA.
Christina Borbely, Ph.D.
Christina Borbely is a research consultant at CARS providing technical assistance to California's Safe and Drug Free Schools & Communities grantees. Also a member of the EMT team, Dr. Borbely coordinates program evaluations for El Dorado County Office of Education and San Francisco Big Brother Big Sister. Prior to joining EMT/CARS, Dr. Borbely was a member of the research staff at Columbia University's National Center for Children and Families. Her work in the field of youth development and prevention programs has been presented at national conferences and published in academic journals. Specifically, Dr. Borbely has extensive knowledge and experience in program evaluation and improving service delivery by identifying factors that impact today's young people. She is also involved as a volunteer in providing mentoring and developmental support to youth in underserved populations. Christina received her doctoral degree in developmental psychology, with a focus on children and adolescents, from Columbia University (2004).
Nikki Buckstead-Pane
Nikki Buckstead-Pane is currently the Executive Director for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Sacramento Region Affiliate. She has held various positions within the prevention and treatment community including both clinical and management positions. Nikki Buckstead-Pane holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento and is a Registered Addiction Specialist, as well as and Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, and Training of Trainers for Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, through the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Mrs. Buckstead-Pane has been employed with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence for over five years. Her expertise in program implementation and fiscal management, along with her experience in the recovery community makes her a leader in the treatment and prevention field.
Richard C. Burhenne
Mr. Burhenne has experience in health planning and administration, specifically program development and management of HIV and ATOD prevention programs, development of alcohol and drug prevention policy at the program and county system level; and, contract preparation and management. His work involved preparing proposals/grants, provision of technical assistance to community-based programs, leadership of consumer-oriented planning bodies, and participation in evaluation studies. Areas of expertise include use of the logic model in preparing workplans, fostering community collaborations, environmental prevention strategies, community organizing, and policy development.
Ralph Cantor
Ralph Cantor is a teacher, counselor, and administrator for the Alameda County Office of Education. He has been in education for 30 years with expertise in prevention of substance abuse and violence and tobacco with school age students. He has Masters Degrees in Teaching, Counseling and School Administration. He specializes and trains on the following areas: Marijuana awareness and drug prevention education for practitioners (teachers, counselors, community based organization personnel) working with youth in schools; marijuana and drug prevention education for middle, high school and high risk youth; parent presentations on drug and alcohol abuse prevention for their children and communities; and all aspects of Student Assistance Programs (organization, group and individual counseling, educational outreach)
Rocco Cheng, Ph.D.
Chien-hung (Rocco) Cheng, Ph.D. is currently the Program Director at the Pacific Clinics-Asian Pacific Family Center and additionally is a consultant with the Center for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency Grant Review Committee. He has over 13 years of experience in providing prevention services for Asian and Pacific Islander communities and oversees local, state, and federally funded programs. Relevant presentations include "Strengthening Chinese American Families" addressed at the Multicultural Conference in March, 2004 and "From Challenges to Triumph in Engaging Parents, the CAFEN-East Experience". Dr. Cheng is a licensed clinical psychologist and is fluent in Mandarin and Taiwanese.
Angela Da Re
Angela Da Re, Community Development Director, People Reaching Out (PRO) has 11 years of experience in the field of substance use and youth violence prevention programs as well as community mobilization. She has worked with People Reaching Out for the past eight years and contracts with various other agencies and organizations to provide prevention planning and training services to other communities. Angela has been trained in multiple evidence-based programs and has worked extensively with schools and local agencies. In addition to working on community based prevention, Angela oversees PRO's various evaluation projects, both internal and external.
Ray Diciccio
Mr. DiCiccio received his Masters degree in Social Work from San Diego State University in 1997. Mr. DiCiccio was named the Program Director of the California Screening and Brief Intervention Project (CASBIRT) in 2006 and designed and implimented SBIRT services for San Diego County, which is currently being used in 12 local hospital sites. He has been awarded over $12 million of service and evaluation contracts from San Diego County, California Office of Traffic Safety, and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. He is currently the Executive Director of the San Diego County Alcohol Policy Panel, a coalition of community leaders and youth advocates committed to reducing binge and underage drinking and related problems since 1994. As Executive Director of the Policy Panel, he has been responsible for developing and coordinating the San Diego County Underage Drinking Initiative (UDI). Mr. DiCiccio's expertise in organizational development and community organizing was instrumental in making the UDI a sophisticated, award winning prevention system with regional structures that support an environmental approach to addressing underage drinking. Those regional structures include a College Presidents Forum, a Law Enforcement Task Force, a Youth Council and several issue-focused workgroups.
Rebecca Duran
Rebecca Duran is currently a program manager at Friends for Youth. During her four years with the organization, Rebecca has been recruiting, screening, training, matching, and providing ongoing support for mentors and mentees in the program, as well as training and supervising the department staff. Prior to working in the mentoring field, Rebecca taught sixth grade for three years in East Palo Alto, where she served as a member of her school's leadership team. Rebecca entered the teaching profession as a corps member of Teach For America, an organization that works toward educational equality for all children. Rebecca also has experience as a newspaper reporter and editor, including as a City Hall correspondent for The Boston Globe. Rebecca graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science, and she earned a multiple subject teaching credential from San Francisco State University.
(Maggie) Rebecca Escobedo-Steele
Rebecca Escobedo-Steele specializes in youth and parent leadership training and victims' resource training, as well as, community mobilization projects to deal with alcohol, substance abuse, and domestic violence and healing. She also currently coordinates a statewide youth advisory board dealing with gun violence and firearm policy. She is a certified mediator with experience in a multiplicity of fields and population groups including rural residents, Native American youth and families. She has particular expertise in working with youth around conflict resolution through a variety of venues.
Angela Gallegos-Castillo, Ph.D
Dr. Gallegos-Castillo received her PhD from UC Berkeley in Ethnic Studies in 2002. She has worked as researcher, trainer and evaluator in the following fields: alcohol studies, youth & family violence prevention, leadership development, juvenile justice, Latino youth sexuality, youth development and cultural competency. She approaches her work through a resiliency and strength based approach. She possesses strong theoretical and practical knowledge given her previous experiences working with and in local government & policy arenas as well as in community contexts.
Dr. Gallegos-Castillo's most recent position of Assistant to the City Manager in the City of Berkeley offered her the opportunity to address quality of life issues for Berkeley residents. She also worked with Berkeley's major city institutions to design and implement the 2020 Vision Initiative, a community-wide initiative to close the academic achievement gap. She has directed various research projects and has extensive experience working with Latino community based youth serving agencies in the Bay Area and across California. She especially enjoys work with Latina/o immigrants and agencies supporting families. She is herself daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, proudly bicultural and bilingual (Spanish).
Angela Gallegos-Castillo is a mother of two, Emma Alejandra (12) and Federico Daniel (5) and married to Federico Castillo, a Costa Rican immigrant and researcher and lecturer at University of California at Berkeley. She is a San Francisco Bay Area native.
Diego Garcia
In 1995 Mr. Garcia started his own grass root organization in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Richmond The organization Telpochcalli provided violence prevention awareness, life skills, Mexican History and educational outings. Mr. Garcia has worked as a gang counselor for the past thirteen years. In 1994 Mr. Garcia was hire with the Communities In Peace program funded by California Wellness Foundation. Mr Garcia worked with at risk youth in middle and high schools. In 1998 Mr. Garcia was contracted by Richmond Police Department as the Crime Prevention Specialist to coordinate and implement the Safe Passage Home project in Richmond. Mr. Garcia coordinated with nonprofit organizations and the schools district to developed and implement plans that provide safe routes for kids, to and from school. In 2001the WCC Unified School District employed Mr. Garcia to direct the Healthy start and the 21st century program.
In 2003 Mr. Garcia founded Richmond SOL a violence prevention program that provides sports, educational outings and leadership skills to 300 kids and adult. Richmond SOL is one of the fastest growing programs. RSOL increase their membership by an average of 100 kids every year. The volunteers in his program provide an average of 4,000 volunteer hours each year to their community. In 2006 Richmond Sol was recognize with a proclamation award by the City Mayor for their outstanding program and community service.
Mr. Garcia is a well recognize community Leader and violence prevention specialist. Mr. Garcia works closely with CBOs, churches, private organizations, Indian reservations and school districts to train staff and presents to kids in violence prevention, drug and alcohol awareness. The trainings and presentations that Mr. Garcia provides has helped increase the peace in many communities across California.
Kevin Gogin
Has worked within the School Health Programs Department of San Francisco Unified School District. A licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, he has worked in a number of programs addressing the safety and wellness of students. He is District Liaison with City agencies on he High School Wellness Program, the point person for District Crisis Response, and Coordinator of Support Services for LGBT Youth. In addition, he provides training on a variety of counseling and intervention strategies for district level staff and school based teams.
Leah Gold
Leah Gold is a senior instructional designer and curriculum developer with over 20 years experience working with corporate and non-profit clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. Corporate projects have included developing and delivering sales, software, technical, and management training. Working in the non-profit sector, she has created courses for social workers, educators, and police officers, covering topics such as child abuse, domestic violence, and drug and alcohol prevention. In addition to instructor-led courses, Leah specializes in e-Learning solutions to deliver convenient and cost-effective training via the Web. Examples of her work can be found at www.learnercentric.net.
Stephanie Inyama
Ms. Inyama has a 20+year reputation for successfully working with individuals in corporate and nonprofit environments to implement client-based programming and infrastructure enrichment. Using her background of coaching and training staff, she develops and implements mentoring programs for at-risk youth including youth in foster care. As a consultant, she works diligently to create and enhance collaboration and provide technical support to community-based organizations, schools, city and county offices and others to increase mentoring, prevention services, and education awareness. She is President and CEO of Infinity Mentoring & Education Consultants (IMEC), a MBA graduate from American Intercontinental University.
Joan Kiley
Joan Kiley is the former Director of the Alcohol Policy Network (APN) in Oakland, CA, an organization she founded in 1988 and directed until 2008, promoting community driven environmental and policy solutions to alcohol-related problems. Joan has been a statewide leader in the alcohol problem prevention field, particularly in the area of environmental prevention and alcohol policy. She served on the Board of Directors of the California Council on Alcohol Policy from 1988-2007 and chaired their Legislative Committee for over 10 years. Joan is a founding Director of the California Prevention Collaborative, working in partnership to establish the organization since 1997, acting as its President from 2001-2002 and its Treasurer from the incorporation of the CPC in 2004 until 2008. She's also developed successful youth and student-led programs based on youth development and environmental prevention principles in order to bring authentic voices to the table. Joan produced the publication Alcohol Policy Network NEWS for over 15 years.
Vivian M. Linderman
Vivian M. Linderman is Principal of Blue Lotus Consulting & Training, a consulting agency specializing in building organizational capacity for nonprofit corporations. Vivian brings strategic thinking to any agency seeking innovation, growth or transformation. Through her expertise agencies are able to develop and grow diverse revenue streams, strengthen organizational infrastructure and investigate opportunities for organizational mergers and partnerships. In addition to strong creative tendencies, a master's in public administration and more than 30 years in the nonprofit field, Vivian has honed her consulting skills through training in Appreciative Inquiry and the Peter F. Drucker Self-Assessment Tool for Nonprofits as strategic planning tools, Strategic Solutions/LaPiana approach to facilitating and implementing organizational alliances and the Raising More Money model of building a sustainable funding base.
Max Madrid
Max Madrid retired in 2007 from Community Service Programs (CSP), Inc., where he served as the Director of Gang Prevention and Intervention Services, for 17 years. He coordinated and supervised programs in nine Orange County cities, working closely with law enforcement, probation, schools, local businesses, and community organizations.
He currently is a Consultant to California State Senator Lou Correa, representing the Senator on the Select Committee on Youth Empowerment, Youth Services and Gang Prevention and Veteran Affairs. Mr. Madrid retired from the United States Navy in 1992, after 26 years of military service; earning numerous awards including Combat Action Ribbons, Navy Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, a Bronze Star, and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm.
Mr. Madrid has been recognized as the 2010 Ambassador of Peace, by the Violence Prevention Coalition of Orange County and the Daily Point of Light Award in 2002 from Past President George Bush. Currently, he is an appointed Orange County Juvenile Justice Commissioner and a City of Santa Ana, Parks, Recreation & Community Services Commissioner.
Martin Martinez III
Martin Martinez presently serves as the coordination of the Redwood Valley Rancheria's Red Road Program- an alcohol and substance abuse prevention program using Native American traditions as a methodology for substance abuse prevention. He has served in several leadership positions with the Redwood Valley Rancheria and on the SACPA (Proposition 36) Committee and the Native American Constituency Advisory Committee to the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. He is experienced in working with Native American communities and the utilization of Native traditions in dealing with substance abuse issues. He conducts ceremonies and workshops on substance abuse prevention, cultural competency, use of Talking Circles with adults and youth, racism, and the practice of Native traditions.
Melinda Moore
Ms. Moore is the Sole Proprietor of M. K. Associates, and formerly a Senior Associate at Polaris Research and Development, Inc. She has over twenty-five years of consulting experience in San Francisco, CA and Washington, D.C. She is skilled in survey research, program development and design, quantitative and qualitative data analyses, evaluation, organizational analysis, and training and technical assistance to public and private agencies. Ms. Moore is experienced in the design and conduct of program evaluation and public policy research. She has served as Principal Investigator and Project Director for a variety of state, local and national contracts in such diverse fields as tobacco prevention, alcohol and drug treatment and prevention, HIV/AIDS, juvenile justice, education, museum management, aging, and child welfare.
Paul Nolfo
Paul Nolfo has over 20 years experience as an executive administrator. He has held the Executive Director position with Catholic Social Services and People Reaching Out. Mr. Nolfo provides financial analysis, strategic planning and coalition building for nonprofits and government agencies. This includes workshops and technical assistance in these service areas in addition to development of capacity building and sustainability plans. A partial list of clients include: Solano County Health and Social Services; Napa County Prevention and Youth Treatment Services Unit; Child Abuse Prevention Council of Placer County; Shakti Rising (a recovery program for adolescent girls and young women); Yolo County Court Appointed Special Advocates. He was the Chief Financial Officer for the California Academy of Sciences, Asian Art Museum, American Diabetes Association in California and Girls and Boys Town of New York. Mr. Nolfo also held the position of Director of Management Information Systems for the National Office of the American Diabetes Association. He has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Pace University in New York City.
Tamu Nolfo, Ph.D.
Tamu Nolfo is a certified substance abuse prevention specialist with over 10 years of experience working in grassroots coalitions and non-profit organizations. Her degree is in sociology, with an emphasis on social inequality, from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Ms. Nolfo is a nationally recognized fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations Developing Leadership in Reducing Substance Abuse Program; Graduate Research Mentor Fellowship, University of California, Davis; recipient of the Harold Cole Memorial Award for exemplary leadership in the field of substance abuse in Sacramento County; member of the Prevention Advisory Task Force for the California ADP and Chair/Technical Assistance Workgroup as well as mobilizing eleven agencies providing prevention services through a four year Technical Assistance Coalition that has ensured comprehensive, research-based programming with measurable outcomes throughout Sacramento and has served as a model for strengthening prevention nationwide.
Dustianne North
Dustianne North has provided training and technical assistance since 1997 through CARS/EMT Associates. She specializes in assisting prevention programs and large-scale collaborative efforts which serve youth in distressed situations, as well as community-driven and grassroots efforts. Ms. North has completed her M.S.W., and is now a doctoral candidate in Social Welfare (UCLA). She draws upon her diverse experience and training to work with direct practice issues such as communicating with youth, as well as macro-level issues, program design, and interagency partnerships.
Annette Padilla
Annette Padilla is an evaluator and trainer who has worked in environmental prevention with nonprofits, government and colleges for 20 years. She has supported over 40 rural, urban and suburban California Counties in strategic planning and the Strategic Prevention Framework steps of assessment, capacity, planning, implementation and evaluation. With a master's degree in public health from SDSU, she is currently in pursuit of a PhD in public policy with an emphasis in leadership and nonprofit management at Walden University. Annette has specialized in training and technical assistance, organizational development, cultural competency, working with youth, and fundraising. She is a federal proposal reviewer for SAMHSA/CSAP, Department of Justice and a grant writer. Working with Dr. John Carnavale, she recently assisted with testimony for the White House/ONDCP budget and policy priorities hearing before the Congressional subcommittee on Oversight and Government Reform. Formerly with the Institute for Public Strategies, Padilla led the system building project and works in system design with researcher Dr. Harold Holder, formerly of PIRE. She is experienced in the Strategic Environmental Prevention model of applied data and research, intentional community organizing, media advocacy, policy, and enforcement. To support recovery and treatment, she is a CSAT trainer for services for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender population.
Chuck Ries
Chuck Ries has been exploring the nature of the relationship between drugs, the individual, and society for the last 40 years. In that time he has created effective cutting edge programs in residential drug treatment, with street youth in housing and drop in centers, with adults and families in shelters and transitional housing, and for the last 11 years worked in schools around the San Francisco Bay Area. In that time, he has taken what the youth have taught him and created trainings and programs based on this respectful student centered, low threshold service delivery model. He is currently involved with various schools and in a number of projects that further move the discussion about how to engage young people in fruitful discussions about rugs/alcohol to a national scale.
Jim Rothblatt
Jim Rothblatt, MFT, retired from public education after more than 30 years experience. 29 of those years were as a School Counselor and as a Student Assistance Program (SAP) Specialist. He was recognized as the Student Assistance Professional of the Year in 2006. Jim also has 25 years experience of clinical counseling experience, much of it working with Vietnam veterans, working a family systems approach with special emphasis on the issues of education, employment, depression and Post Traumatic Stress. As a consultant, his experience includes, but is not limited to: field colleague for the California Department of Education (Title IV); trainer of Prevention Specialists for County Substance Abuse Prevention; consultant for a County Office of Education, Safe Schools Unit; technical assistance to county prevention providers and school districts on the Brief Risk Reduction, Interview and Intervention Model (BRRIIM). Jim has also developed innovative school and community-based education and prevention programs, some using already existing resources with no additional funding needed. He is currently Executive Director of the non-profit, Incight (www.incight.org) Palm Desert, California and is owner of Redleaf Resources (www.redleafresources) a certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise.
Janis Ryan
Jan Ryan is a consultant coming from the field of education but with experience in multiple systems, she has become a "translator" between systems. Although employed by one school district for 29 years, only the first four were in a traditional teaching job. Every year after 1981 has resulted in jobs never done before either in structure or in content. Jan has been consulting locally, regionally, statewide, nationally, and internationally due to the flexibility and generosity of the Desert Sands Unified School District which contracted out her services. Her first language was public education at the site, district, county, and state levels. In Micronesia as a consultant for the Attorney General, she learned more about cultural competency, community engagement, and developing services for the whole community, those at risk, and for individuals in need. Working side by side with a countywide School Resource Officer, she learned some of the basic language law enforcement. Currently Jan is consulting with the Riverside County Department of Mental Health department and Substance Abuse Programs, to assist with the Strategic Prevention Framework and the re engineering of the continuum of care. In every setting, the teamwork and programs Jan facilitated are sustaining. Thanks to mentors and experience, Jan sees opportunity where others see scarcity.
Ira Sachnoff
Ira Sachnoff is an experienced trainer and administrator. He has worked as an executive director, and program manager. His work as an administrator and consultant has revolved around the issue of developing peer resources programs. He has provided training and consultation on HIV/AIDS, safe schools, tobacco, alcohol and other drugs prevention as it relates to the development of peer resources. He has extensive experience in program development, supervision, management, inter-agency collaboration, etc.
Robert Saltz, Ph.D.
Robert Saltz is a Senior Scientist and Associate Director of the Prevention Research Center and one of its founders. The Center is one of fourteen national research centers funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and is the only one with the mandate to investigate ways to prevent alcohol-related problems. Dr. Saltz's work has centered on ways in which drinking contexts may influence the risk of subsequent injury or death, with special emphasis on drinking in licensed commercial outlets and on college campuses. This work has involved collecting surveys and structured observations in natural settings, observational and intervention research, and the use of econometric and hierarchical models as well as collaborative work with qualitative researchers. Dr. Saltz was also a senior co-investigator on the Harold Holder's Community Trials Project, contributing to the basic design and evaluation strategy for that study.
Stacey Savelle
Stacey Savelle is currently a Commissioner with the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families. Ms. Savelle retired from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services in March 2004, after almost 35 years of providing social work and holding management positions for a variety of programs administered by that Department. She earned a BA/BS degree from UCLA and did graduate work at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Social Work. She has made presentations nationwide on issues affecting child safety, humor in the workplace, health care, mentoring system-involved youth and transitional issues. Her passion and expertise is transition aged youth, mentoring and youth empowerment.
Kerrilyn Scott-Nakai
Kerrilyn Scott-Nakai is currently the Director of Operations for the Center for Applied Research Solutions and Project Director for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Technical Assistance Project. She has over 12 years of progressive experience conducting research and evaluation projects focusing on ATOD and violence prevention services for youth and their families-with an emphasis on school-based programs. Ms. Scott-Nakai has worked at the local, state, and federal levels. She has overseen several local and statewide evaluation projects (including the California Friday Night Live Mentoring Project, the California Youth Council, and the Orange County On Track Tobacco Free Communities Project) and has substantially contributed to the management and design of large-scale multi-site federally funded prevention studies (including Project Youth Connect and the Mentoring and Family Strengthening initiative). Before joining CARS, Ms. Scott-Nakai conducted school safety research as a consultant for the Florida Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program and the Florida Safe Learning Environment Data Project (a three-year longitudinal study). During this time, she provided technical assistance and support to SDFSC Coordinators regarding evaluation and measurement issues. Additionally, Ms. Scott-Nakai taught a Theory of Measurement course at the University of Florida for two years.
Jerry Sherk
Jerry Sherk M.A., is President and founder of Mentor Management Systems, of Encinitas, California. Jerry has a masters in counseling psychology, and he brings much experience gained from providing technical assistance and training to both adult and youth-based prevention and mentoring programs. Over the past 15 years, Jerry has assisted approximately 350 youth-serving programs. He has also authored or co-authored a number of workbooks on subjects such as youth and adult mentoring, and youth employment training. In 2007, Jerry worked under the direction of Public/Private Ventures as the Technical Assistance Project Director for the Prisoner Reentry Initiative. Jerry's duties included facilitating web-based trainings, writing training manuals for staff and for mentors and visiting 20 programs around the U.S. In addition, Jerry is the Past Executive Director of the Mentoring Coalition of San Diego County, as well as Past President of the NFL Retired Players Association, San Diego. From 1970-1981, Jerry was an All Pro defensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns. Jerry is currently working with several NFL greats to create the NFL Hall of Fame Mentoring Program, an effort will pair Hall of Fame inductees with high school football players.
Johnny Spain
Mr. Spain has taught criminal justice, law, and violence reduction courses at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and New College Law School. He has developed and delivered pre-release training curriculum at the California Medical Facility at Vacaville and at the San Francisco Jail San Bruno Facility. As a consultant with Evaluation, Management Training and the Center for Applied Research Solutions, since 1996, Mr. Spain's audiences have ranged from probation and parole officers to gang-involved youth to concerned parents at a coalition of community churches. Mr. Spain holds both a Cultural Diversity and Prejudice Reduction Training Certification and a Certification in Training for Trainers: Cultural Diversity & Prejudice Reduction. Recent trainings include: "Gender-specific Programming and Cultural Competence" for Westside Mental Health Center, Episcopal Sanctuary and South of Market Mental Health in San Francisco; Training for Probation Officers in Riverside; and "Conflict Resolution and Cultural Sensitivity" in Berkeley. Mr. Spain is the founder and director of the Justice Research Team (JRT), dedicated to the training and development of youth and leadership. Mr. Spain has spoken on race relations on national network television-Oprah, Geraldo, Charlie Rose, and National Public Radio (Fresh Air)-and is the subject of a biography entitled "Black Power, White Blood: The Life and Times of Johnny Spain," written by Lori Andrews and published by Temple University Press.
Michael Sparks
Michael Sparks is an Alcohol Policy Specialist working with communities across the country to reduce alcohol-related problems, prior to moving to a consultant role he served as an Associate Director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded Free to Grow initiative at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. During the period 1992 - 2003, he was the Interim Executive Director and Project Director for Community Programs at Vallejo Fighting Back Partnership. He was the first Executive Director of the Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems and one of four founders of that organization in 1987. Michael is currently working with the American Legacy Foundation to implement a model tobacco control program into Head Start agencies across the country. He also currently serves as a consultant to and trainer for the Community Anti-Drug Coalition's of America (CADCA) Training Institute. He has expertise in the alcohol policy field as well as in the areas of community building, using local control strategies to manage problematic alcohol and drug environments, the legislative process, and neighborhood revitalization. He has provided training in the areas of community organizing, alcohol policy, using the legislative process to reduce alcohol and other drug problems, neighborhood revitalization and leadership development. Michael received a Masters Degree in Sociology from San Francisco State University in 1982.
Judy Taylor
Judy Taylor, presently Project Director for the US Dept. of Ed. OSDFS, Mentoring Resource Center, is a specialist in the fields of youth development, Alcohol, Drug Abuse and delinquency prevention, juvenile justice, mentoring, and alternative health care. With more than 40 years experience, her career has ranged from providing direct service at the community level to policy development as a clinical analyst with the White House, Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention. She has directed technical assistance initiatives for federal agencies including the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Bureau of Prisons and the Agency for International Development. Her special area of expertise is training and curriculum development. Ms Taylor also served as Executive Vice President of the National Office for Social Responsibility, a youth advocacy organization, and senior trainer for the Southwest Regional Office of Communities In Schools, the nations largest stay in school network. Judy authored the manual "Training New Mentees", Co-authored the California Community Colleges curriculum "Mentoring Foster Care Youth", and is the creator of the Two By Two Mentoring Model. Judy helped mentoring programs throughout the country as a consultant with Northwest Regional Education Lab's, National Mentoring Center, which supported the U.S. Department of Justice mentoring initiative, and in California, through the Center for Applied Research solutions.
Anthony Tusler
Anthony Tusler is a consultant, writer, trainer, and advocate on disability issues that include technology, culture, ATOD treatment and prevention, and corporate and non-profit management. He helped to found a number of programs including the Institute on Alcohol, Drugs, and Disability, Community Resources for Independence, and the National Center on Disability & Journalism. He was the founding Director of the Disability Resource Center at Sonoma State University for 22 years. He has served on numerous national advisory boards for federal agencies such as the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention where his role as advocate for the disability community led to the development of several national education campaigns. He has also provided guidance to state agencies seeking improved outreach to consumers with disabilities. He has developed curricula on disability identity and culture, technology access, and community action. He is the author of "How to Create Disability Access to Technology" and his web site AboutDisability.com. It is the home for The New Paradigm of Disability Bibliography which he edits. He is a wheelchair user.
Lauren C. Tyson
Lauren C. Tyson is president and founder of Liquor License Advisor. As a liquor license consultant, she provides practical advice and solutions on liquor licensing, compliance and prevention, specializing in responsible beverage service (RBS). Lauren served with the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for 29 years, including 24 years as an Investigator, Supervising Investigator, and District Administrator/ABC Headquarters Office. In a legal analyst assignment, Lauren represented the ABC at over 300 administrative hearings on licensing and disciplinary matters. In 1991, under Director Jay Stroh, Lauren developed the award-winning Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs (LEAD) Program, which she managed for 15 years. She was also the ABC's grant writer and was instrumental in developing the Grant Assistance to Law Enforcement Agencies Program in 1995. She served as the ABC's first workgroup member on the Governor's Prevention Advisory Council (GPAC), and participated, since its inception, on the California Coordinating Council on Responsible Beverage Service to develop statewide standards for RBS programs. Lauren holds an AAS degree, Administration of Justice, from Riverside City College and a certificate in Total Quality Management from American River College, Sacramento. Her website is www.theliquorlicenseadvisor.com
George Vasquez
George Vasquez has extensive experience in environmental prevention programming and responsible beverage service. He has the unique experience of working in the hospitality industry as a restaurant and bar manager prior to his career in alcohol and substance abuse environmental prevention and responsible beverage service. In his prevention work, he has experience in coalition building between the community, business owners, law enforcement, and local and state government. He has provided training to hospitality industry workers, alcohol sales representatives, community associations, and law enforcement around RBS. He is fluent in the Spanish language and provides verbal and written translation of RBS and other prevention and training materials from English into Spanish.
Nola Veazie
Nola Veazie is a retired Air Force veteran and author, who owns and operates V-Solutions Consulting Company; she provides training and consulting services for non-profit and for profit organizations, specializing in the treatment of mental illness and substance abuse/dependence. V-Solutions also assist agencies with their staff development needs, including: 1. Cultural diversity training; 2. Anger and stress management trainings; 3. Conflict resolution and 4. Other trainings tailored to the organization's needs. In addition to providing staff development training to local and Federal Agencies, I teach several communication courses at the University of Phoenix. Her education accomplishments include an Associates degree in Applied Science from the Community College of the Air Force; Bachelors degree from Bellevue University; Masters of Human Relations with an emphasis in Counseling from Oklahoma University; Ph.D. in Psychology from Berne International University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Nebraska; a Nationally Certified Mental Health Practitioner, and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor in the State of California.
Karen Wandrei, Ph.D.
Karin. E. Wandrei, PhD, LCSW, has over thirty years of experience as a clinician, administrator, and consultant in programs serving children, youth, and their families. Since 1996, she has been the Executive Director of the Mendocino County Youth Project, which provides a variety of alcohol and drug prevention and treatment services. She has a MSW and a PhD in social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley, and a certificate in nonprofit administration from San Francisco State University. Her areas of expertise include positive youth development, nonprofit management and governance, marijuana, rural issues, runaway and homeless youth, and co-occurring disorders. In 2003 she was awarded The California Wellness Foundation sabbatical award, one of only six given out in the state. Her website is www.pacificsites.com/~kwandrei.
Fried Whittman
Friedner D. Wittman, Ph.D., M. Arch., has nearly forty years' experience in community planning for health and social services, environmental design, and architectural programming. Currently he is a Research Specialist at the Institute for Study of Social Change, University of California (Berkeley). At ISSC he directs the Community Prevention Planning Program, which he founded in 1988. This nationally-recognized program uses participatory community planning to prevent problems related to retail, public, and social availability of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and other drugs at community (city, county) levels. He is also President of CLEW Associates, a consulting firm, which he also founded in 1988. CLEW Associates created a police information system (ASIPS/GIS) to support community-level AOD prevention planning, and specializes in architectural programming and environmental design to support delivery of community health, safety, and social services. From 1983-88 Dr. Wittman was a Project Director at the Prevention Research Center in Berkeley, California, and from 1978-88 he was a Research Specialist with the Alcohol Research Group, also in Berkeley. From 1985-1994 was a program consultant to NIAAA's research demonstration grant program on homelessness. He has served on NIAAA review committees for prevention grants (1972-75, 1993-94). His education includes a Ph.D. from the University of California (Berkeley) College of Environmental Design (1983); an M. Arch. from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts in Philadelphia (1967); and a B.A. in Philosophy from Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania (1964).
Willy Wilkinson
Willy Wilkinson, MPH has worked extensively with substance abuse, mental health, medical, and other public health providers throughout California to develop culturally appropriate service approaches for LGBT populations. Nationally known for expertise in transgender public health issues, Willy also has extensive experience with communities of color, substance users, sex workers, youth, and people with disabilities. Willy earned a Masters in Public Health in Community Health Education from UC Berkeley, and a BA in Women's Studies from UC Santa Cruz.
Loretta Worthington
Loretta Worthington has extensive experience in the field of substance abuse prevention, with special expertise in tobacco cessation. This experience includes program development and implementation, policy and procedure development, proposal and report writing, training, and program evaluation. Her career experience involves serving as a substance counselor, contract auditor, community development specialist, and program administrator. She has post-graduate training in leadership development, conflict resolution, conference planner, consultant, and instructor.
Emily Zuckerberg
Emily Zukerberg has more than 10 years experience performing prospect research, grant writing, and program development for local and regional public agencies and nonprofit organizations. While working as a grant writer and research analyst for Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo & Marin Counties, Emily was one of the original grant writers for an innovative collaboration with the SF District Attorney's office called Street to Work. The nation's first deferred entry workforce development alternative for first-time, low-level narcotic sales offenders, Street to Work has since become Back on Track, and is being touted as an exciting and effective restorative justice model. Emily holds a J.D. from UC Hastings and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University. While at Hastings, she was a research assistant at the Public Law Research Institute, and a member of the Civil Justice Clinic (providing mediation services for Special Education clients). She also served as the Associate Director of the Survival Exchange Network, a grassroots nonprofit organization serving homeless African American men in the Tenderloin community, and co-founder of T.R.A.S.H., a recycling as economic development project aiming to assist the central city's homeless shopping cart recyclers to become micro-entrepreneurs.
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