Dr. Grant Baldwin, PhD, MPH, is the Director of the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention (DUIP) at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He has served in this capacity since September 2008. Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for persons ages 1 to 44 years. DUIP is dedicated to reducing the number and severity of unintentional injuries through science-based programs and applied research. CDC is focused on preventing injuries and fatalities from motor vehicle-related crashes, older adult falls, prescription drug overdoses, and traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Baldwin joined the CDC Injury Center in November 2006 as acting Deputy Director. In this role, Dr. Baldwin assisted the NCIPC Director in providing overall leadership and direction for the Center. He began his career at CDC in September 1996. Dr. Baldwin received his PhD in health behavior and health education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2003. He also received a MPH in behavioral sciences and health education from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in 1996. He currently adjunct Associate Professor at Emory in the School of Public Health and teaches two courses – Social Behavior and Public Health and Community Needs Assessment.

Michael C. Barnes, Esq. is a founder and the chairman of the board of directors of the Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence. Mr. Barnes is also a practicing attorney and the managing partner at DCBA Law & Policy in Washington, DC. Mr. Barnes has been a member of the advisory board for the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit since 2012, has authored more than 10 scholarly articles, and presents frequently at conferences nationwide. He is a contributor to U.S. News & World Report and provides analysis for TV networks including CNBC, CNN, FOX Business, FOX News, and MSNBC. Mr. Barnes previously served as confidential counsel in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Daniel Blaney-Koen, JD, MFA, is a Senior Legislative Attorney with the American Medical Association (AMA) Advocacy Resource Center (ARC). The ARC attorneys focus on working with state and specialty medical societies on state legislative, regulatory and policy advocacy. Working in concert with colleagues in the AMA’s public health, science and federal advocacy units, the ARC provides direct advocacy support regarding the nation’s prescription drug abuse, diversion, overdose and death epidemic. Last year, ARC initiatives began focusing on increasing access to naloxone as well as other legislative efforts to expand treatment and prevention of substance use disorders. In addition to his work in the ARC, Mr. Blaney-Koen has held several roles at the AMA, including serving as a public information officer, policy analyst and speechwriter. Prior to joining the AMA in 1999, he earned his Master of Fine Arts in poetry from Colorado State University, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona. He earned his law degree from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Mr. Blaney-Koen, his wife and two young sons live in Chicago, Illinois.

Anne L. Burns, RPh, is Vice President, Professional Affairs, at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). She is responsible for the Association’s strategic initiatives focused on advancing pharmacists’ patient care services in team-based care delivery models, as well as health care quality, pharmacy practice accreditation, and credentialing. She also works on APhA’s medication therapy management, medication safety, Rx drug abuse, and health information technology initiatives in addition to other key pharmacy practice issues. She has served on many medication therapy management and quality-related advisory councils. Ms. Burns joined APhA’s Education Department in 1997, and transitioned to the Professional Affairs Department in 1999 to focus on pharmacists’ patient care services and community pharmacy residency program accreditation. Prior to joining APhA, she served on the faculty at The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Pharmacy. She is a graduate of OSU and completed the Wharton Executive Management Program for Pharmacy Leaders.

Dr. John J. Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, FACOEM, joined Governor Bill Haslam’s cabinet September 19, 2011, as the 12th Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, having more than 20 years of service in clinical and public health leadership at the federal, state and local levels. He began his medical service in 1989 as a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon. Following honorable discharge as a major, he spent several years practicing occupational medicine, joining the Virginia Department of Health in 2002. He also concurrently practiced addiction medicine for several years while working on substance abuse prevention in his public health role. Dr. Dreyzehner graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in psychology. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and earned his Master of Public Health degree at the University of Utah, where he also completed his residency in Occupational Medicine. He and his wife Jana, a child psychiatrist, have two sons.

For more than 40 years, Dr. Robert DuPont has been a leader in drug abuse prevention and treatment. He was the first Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (1973-78) and the second White House Drug Chief (1973-77). From 1968-70 he was Director of Community Services for the District of Columbia Department of Corrections. From 1970-73, he served as Administrator of the District of Columbia Narcotics Treatment Administration. In 1978 he became the founding President of the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc., a non-profit organization that identifies and promotes new ideas to reduce illegal drug use. A graduate of Emory University, Dr. DuPont received his MD degree from the Harvard Medical School and completed his psychiatric training at Harvard and the National Institutes of Health. He maintains an active practice of psychiatry specializing in addiction and the anxiety disorders and has been Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine since 1980.

John Eadie is the Public Health & Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Project Coordinator for the National Emerging Threat Initiative of the National HIDTA Assistance Center. He previously served as Director of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Center of Excellence at Brandeis University (2010-15). For 44 years, Mr. Eadie has served in management, executive and consulting capacities in the field of public health. As Director of the Division of Public Health Protection in the New York State Department of Health (1985-95), he directed the state’s pharmaceutical diversion program, including the PDMP. He co-founded both the Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs (ASPMP) and the National Association of State Controlled Substances Authorities (NASCSA), served as President for both organizations and held other posts. Since leaving New York state service in 2001, Mr. Eadie has served as a consultant on PDMPs, including serving as the Administrative Reviewer for the Massachusetts PDMP. Mr. Eadie has published multiple articles, made numerous presentations, and served in many different arenas as an expert.

Dr. Christopher Jones serves as Director of the Division of Science Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Division serves as the ASPE lead on public health and biomedical science issues and initiatives. Dr. Jones previously served as senior advisor in the Office of Public Health Strategy and Analysis in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), led the CDC’s drug abuse and overdose work, and completed a one-year detail to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) as Senior Public Health Advisor. During this detail, he co-led the development of the administration’s 2011 Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan. Dr. Jones previously lead the Drug Safety and Risk Communication team in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and was part of the Science Team in the CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile. Dr. Jones earned his bachelor’s degree from Reinhardt College, his pharmacy doctorate from Mercer University, and his master’s of public health from New York Medical College School of Public Health.

Karen Kelly has served as District Director for U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers since May 2014. She previously served as the first President/CEO for Operation UNITE (2003-2013), overseeing a network of community coalitions in southern and eastern Kentucky to expand drug awareness and education programs; coordinate drug treatment and outreach programs; and operate an accredited Drug Task Force. In 2007, President George Bush recognized UNITE as a national model. Currently, Ms. Kelly serves as a member of the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy’s Pharmacist Recovery Network Committee, the Union College Board of Trustees, and the board of directors for Operation UNITE and the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit. She is a past member of the Kentucky Council on Post-Secondary Education Nominating Committee, and boards of directors for Leadership Kentucky, the Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky, and Union College Alumni Association. In October 2012, Ms. Kelly was recognized as an “Advocate for Action” by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for her “outstanding leadership with Operation UNITE and continued efforts addressing the prescription drug epidemic.” She has served as a presenter at several state and national conferences and has testified on policy issues before the Kentucky General Assembly. She has served as a Board Member for Operation UNITE since June 2013 and is currently Secretary.

Prior to arriving at ONDCP, Ms. LaBelle served for eight years as legal counsel to the mayor of Seattle. In this role, she advised the mayor on major issues in his administration, including public safety, criminal justice and legal policy issues. She has worked on the local, state and federal level in numerous political and policy positions and practiced law in a private Seattle law firm. Ms. LaBelle was an adjunct professor at Seattle University Institute for Policy Studies where she taught ethics and legislative policymaking. A magna cum laude graduate of Boston College, Ms. LaBelle received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Michelle C. Landers, JD, is Vice President and General Counsel at Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI), Kentucky’s largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance. She provides advice and counsel to senior management and the Board of Directors on all legal matters affecting the company. She is also responsible for the Legal Services Unit, which includes claims litigation, collections, subrogation matters and civil litigation, and for the Special Investigations Unit, which investigates potential fraud and abuse. Before coming to KEMI in 2000, Landers was Associate General Counsel for Hoechst Celanese Corporation in Charlotte, N.C., where she engaged in general corporate work, management of litigation, including workers’ compensation claims, employment law and contract negotiation and review. Prior to that, she was a Litigation Associate for Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman in Charlotte, N.C., where she performed general insurance defense work. Landers received a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1984 and her Juris Doctorate in 1987, both from the University of Kentucky.

Geoffrey Laredo, MPA, is a senior advisor to the Director of the Office of Science Policy and Communications at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this role, he is involved in a variety of intergovernmental initiatives, constituent relations, and is the Institute’s point of contact for the U.S. Congress. Before joining NIDA in late 2004, Mr. Laredo spent a year working as a policy fellow for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services. Prior to his Senate position, Mr. Laredo was the Director of the Office of Policy and Public Liaison at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of NIH. He also worked as a senior analyst in the Office of the Administrator at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

 

Mr. Laredo began his federal career as a program specialist with the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. During his tenure with the Institute, he worked in a number of program areas, including drugs and crime issues. Mr. Laredo received his Master’s degree in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining SAMHSA, CDR Lee was a Senior Regulatory Review Officer at the FDA and also previously worked as a clinical pharmacist at the Washington Hospital Center. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois, ASHP Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Washington Hospital Center, and an Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety through the Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mr. Loya has 27 years of previous domestic and international experience with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in investigative, regulatory, supervisory and managerial positions. He has significant background in counter-drug operations, interdiction tactics, including precursor chemical control and clandestine drug laboratories in the United States and Latin America.

Chauncey Parker, JD, serves as the Director of the New York/New Jersey HIDTA (High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area), a federally-funded program that invests in public safety and public health partnerships designed to reduce drug abuse and its consequences. Mr. Parker also serves as Executive Assistant District Attorney for Crime Strategies in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. A veteran of more than 27 years in criminal justice, Mr. Parker began his career in the District Attorney’s Office in 1986, where he served for five years. Mr. Parker next served for 10 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In 2002, Governor George Pataki appointed Mr. Parker to serve as the Director of Criminal Justice for New York State, where for five years he oversaw all state criminal justice agencies.

Following the loss of her oldest son, Richard, to a drug overdose, Karen H. Perry co-founded Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education (NOPE) Task Force. She has served in a voluntary capacity as Executive Director since its inception in 2004. Mrs. Perry’s major initiatives include the co-development and implementation of the NOPE Substance Abuse Prevention Programs, as well as the Program Training Curriculum. Other initiatives created and led by Mrs. Perry include the NOPE’s Annual National Candle Light Vigil, NOPE Treatment Fund and the NOPE Support Group. In addition to her commitments to NOPE, Mrs. Perry serves on numerous organizational boards and councils. She has been recognized for her achievements in the substance abuse field on the local and national levels. Additionally, she has been a leading advocate for numerous legislative initiatives on the State and Federal levels in the area of substance abuse. Mrs. Perry holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rosemont College.

Carla Saunders has served as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner since 1990. In 2010 she gathered a multidisciplinary team in response to the alarming rise of babies being admitted to the NICU with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). They developed a standardized and holistic approach to the treatment of infants suffering from withdrawal created by maternal opiate exposure. The work done by her team is receiving local, state, national, and international attention. Ms. Saunders has received multiple awards for her leadership and advocacy, including: Advanced Practitioner of the Year for the Atlantic Region of Pediatrix Medical Group (2010), one of Great American Country’s Great American Heroes (2012), and the Margaret Steinbach Leadership Award for Pediatrix Medical Group (2013). She has testified before the Tennessee State Senate on behalf of Children’s Hospital Alliance of Tennessee in support of the Safe Harbor Act promoting prenatal care and substance abuse treatment in pregnant women. Ms. Saunders is an advisory board member for Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care, Tennessee Alliance for Drug Endangered Children, TDOH Chronic Pain Guidelines task force and NAS Research Committee.