Advisory Board

Session programs and presentations for the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit are tailored to provide stakeholders timely and relevant information for their particular fields. Operation UNITE created a National Advisory Board to represent multi-disciplinary interests in the Rx drug abuse and heroin issues and to guide development of conference offerings. Members of the Advisory Board are:
Grant T. Baldwin
Director, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
 
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
Chairman
Center for U.S. Policy (CUSP)
 

Michael C. Barnes, Esq., is chairman of the Center for U.S. Policy (CUSP), a not-for-profit organization working to enhance Americans’ health, safety, and opportunity. He is also a partner at DCBA Law & Policy, a nationally recognized law firm. Barnes is a leading advocate for individual rights and innovative responses to some of the top policy issues in the U.S., including the opioid, heroin, and fentanyl crisis; health care; criminal justice reform; and privacy. He regularly provides legal and political analysis for FOX Business. Barnes has been a member of the advisory board for the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit since 2011, the National Sheriffs’ Association’s Drug Enforcement Committee since 2014, and the editorial board for the Journal of Opioid Management since 2015. Barnes was a political appointee under President George W. Bush, having served as confidential counsel in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Daniel Blaney-Koen
Senior Legislative Attorney
American Medical Association Advocacy Resource Center
 
Daniel Blaney-Koen, JD, is a senior legislative attorney with the American Medical Association Advocacy Resource Center (ARC). The ARC attorneys focus on working with state and specialty medical societies on state legislative, regulatory and policy advocacy. In addition to his work in the ARC, Blaney-Koen has held several roles at the AMA, including serving as a public information officer, policy analyst and speechwriter. Currently, he focuses on state legislation and policy concerning the nation’s opioid epidemic, with particular emphasis on overdose prevention and treatment. He also covers other pharmaceutical issues as well as insurance market reforms. Prior to joining the AMA in 1999, Blaney-Koen 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. Blaney-Koen, his wife, two young sons and daughter live in Chicago.
Betty-Ann Bryce
Senior Policy Advisor 
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
 

Betty-Ann Bryce is a senior policy advisor at the and staff lead on Opioids Initiatives. Ms. Bryce co-chairs the Rural Opioid Interagency Working Group formed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to help address the opioid crisis by improving coordination of and reducing potential overlap among the Federal responses in the Nation’s rural communities.  Before joining the USDA, she served, as the Administrator for the Rural and Regional Unit at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), for several years, in Paris, France.  In addition to a Juris Doctorate, she holds a Masters in Economic and Territorial Development from the L'Institut d'Etudes Politique (IEP) de Paris (Sciences-Po) in France, and a Masters in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in the United States.

Anne L. Burns
Vice President, Professional Affairs
American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
 
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. Kelly J. Clark, MBA, DFAPA, DFASAM                                                                                                                                 President, American Society of Addiction Medicine                                                                                                     Founder, Addiction Crisis Solutions

Dr. Kelly Clark is board certified in both addiction medicine and psychiatry. She has focused her career on issues of addictive disease, evidence-informed behavioral health care and payment reform. She founded Addiction Crisis Solutions to focus on educating all stakeholders on addiction in the service of transforming addiction care to evidence-based, cost-effective practice. She has provided expertise about the opioid crisis to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Comptroller General; the Pew Trusts, National Safety Council, and National Business Group on Health; as well as numerous provider and payer organizations. Clark earned a master's degree in business administration from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and her medical degree from the University of Wisconsin. She continues her work as a founding member of the Advisory Board of the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit.

 

 

Mary Colvin, CPA, MBA,
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer,
Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance
 

As Chief Operating Officer for Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance, Mary Colvin focuses on the day-to-day operations of the organization. She manages several departments including Underwriting, Claims, and Field Services. Mary joined KEMI in 1996 and, over the course of her tenure, has held a variety of management-level positions. She received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky and obtained her MBA from the University of Phoenix.  Mary is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mary currently serves on the board of directors with Operation UNITE and Women Leading Kentucky.

Dr. John J. Dreyzehner
Commissioner
Tennessee Department of Health
 
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.
Dr. Robert L. DuPont
 
For 50 years, Robert L. DuPont, MD, has been a leader in drug abuse prevention and treatment. He was the first Director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (1973-1978) and the second White House Drug Chief (1973-1977). From 1968-1970 he was Director of Community Services for the District of Columbia Department of Corrections. From 1970-1973, 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 nonprofit research and policy organization that identifies and promotes powerful new ideas to reduce drug use and addiction. A graduate of Emory University, DuPont received a medical degree in 1963 from the Harvard Medical School. He completed his psychiatric training at Harvard and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. DuPont 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. He is the author of Chemical Slavery: Understanding Addiction and Stopping the Drug Epidemic.
John L. Eadie
Coordinator, Public Health and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Project, National Emerging Threat Initiative, A National HIDTA Initiative
 
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.
Nancy Hale
President and CEO
Operation UNITE
 
Following 34 years as a teacher, career counselor, and administrative coordinator, Nancy Hale retired from public education in 2012 and joined Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education) as Co-Program Director for the UNITE Service Corps (AmeriCorps) Program.  In February 2015, she was named UNITE’s third President & CEO. Very involved in her community, Ms. Hale has served as an Executive Board Member and volunteer with the Rockcastle County (KY) UNITE Coalition for the last 11 years, with the Kentucky YMCA Youth Association for 26 years, as well as a current Board Member and twice-elected President of the Kentucky Association of Professional Educators.
 
As a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, Pi Chapter, Ms. Hale was named "Kentucky Volunteer of the Year" four times (1998, 1999, 2000 and 2004). She received the "Golden Apple Achiever Award" from Ashland Oil, Inc. in 2000 as one of Kentucky's outstanding educators. In 2001, she was chosen as the "Kentucky YMCA Champion," and was the first inductee into the Kentucky YMCA Youth Advisor Hall of Fame in 2010.
David Hamby
National Coordinator,
National Emerging Threats Initiative
 
David Hamby was appointed National Coordinator, National Emerging Threats Initiative (NETI) in January 2017. Before his current appointment, he was the Deputy Coordinator of NETI, previously known as the National Methamphetamine and Pharmaceuticals Initiative (NMPI)/Atlanta-Carolinas HIDTA. A member of the National HIDTA program since March 2008, Mr. Hamby serves as principle emerging threats advisor to the HIDTA program as well as State and local entities. He oversees specialized training, current trends, analytical support, best practices, innovative programs, and strategic planning for the program’s national approach to combat emerging drug threats. Mr. Hamby retired from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Chattanooga Tennessee as Captain after a distinguished 30-year career in law enforcement, serving 18 years in the field of narcotics enforcement. Mr. Hamby served five years as Director of the SE Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force. He has received numerous awards and citations, including the Appreciation Award as Project Coordinator in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for Critical Incidence Stress Debriefing (CISD) for law enforcement officers in the State of Mississippi.
 
Christopher M. Jones
Director of the National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
 
Christopher M. Jones currently serves as the Director of the National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Prior to joining SAMHSA, Dr. Jones served as Acting Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science and Data Policy and 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.  The Office of Science and Data Policy is the HHS focal point for policy research, analysis, evaluation, and coordination of public health, science, and data policy activities, and provides authoritative advice and analytical support to HHS leadership on public health, science, and data policy issues and initiatives.  He has also served as senior advisor in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) drug abuse and overdose activities where he focused on strategic policy development and implementation, engaging national and state partners, and conducting research to improve policy and clinical practice.  During his career, Dr. Jones has served as Senior Public Health Advisor to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, led the FDA’s Drug Safety and Risk Communication team, and served on the Science Team in the CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Reinhart College, his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Mercer University, his Master of Public Health degree from New York Medical College, and is currently completing his Doctorate of Public Health in Heath Policy at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.  Dr. Jones has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications on the topic of drug abuse and overdose.

Patrick J. Morrison                                                                                                                                                                      Assistant to the General President                                                                                                                                                  International Association of Fire Fighters

Patrick Morrison is the Assistant to the General President for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in the Division of Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine. The IAFF is an International Labor Union representing over 310,000 professional fire fighters in the United States and Canada. The Division of Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine provides IAFF affiliates with a comprehensive array of services addressing the occupational health and safety of fire fighters and emergency medical personnel. He is responsible for the daily operations of the Division as well as the development and implementation of fire service occupational health and safety standards, including those promulgated by federal, state and provincial governments, including crucial health and safety issues published by National Fire Protection Association, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and IAFF Wellness Fitness Labor/ Management Task Force.  Mr. Morrison’s expertise is in the design and implementation of health, safety and wellness programs to improve fire fighters’ overall physical and mental health, address their medical needs and increase protections from the hazardous elements of firefighting. Prior to joining the IAFF, Mr. Morrison was a career fire fighter for 21 years with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department in Fairfax, Virginia. 

Chauncey Parker
Director
New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
 
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.
Dr. Mary Dale Peterson, MSHCA, FASA, FACHE
President and CEO of Driscoll Children’s Health Plan,
First Vice President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)
 

Dr. Mary Dale Peterson is a pediatric anesthesiologist who is board certified in anesthesia and critical care.  She also has a Master’s of Science in Health Care Administration. Dr. Peterson is President of Driscoll Health Plan and a VP in the Driscoll Children’s Health System. Dr. Peterson was selected by the Texas Commissioner of Health and Human Services to chair the Quality-Based Payment Advisory Committee to help develop Medicaid quality benchmarks and innovative payment systems. Dr. Peterson is involved in state and community matters as a content expert and patient advocate, especially concerning issues that affect Medicaid children and pregnant women. Dr. Peterson has focused on care for low-income pregnant women, focusing on improving premature birth rates and perinatal outcomes. She instituted a value added program for pregnant women with Substance Use Disorder prior to the State of Texas providing this as a Medicaid benefit in an effort to lower the number of infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome.  She has also worked with the neonatologists to develop policies, procedures and care plans for these infants affected by NAS in all the NICUs in the region. Dr. Peterson has been involved in organized medicine for over 30 years and has served as President of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists, is a Delegate to the Texas Medical Association and the American Medical Association, and currently serves as the First Vice President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Karen H. Perry
Co-Founder & Executive Director
NOPE Task Force
 
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 S. Saunders
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
 
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.
Cecelia M. “Cece” Spitznas
Senior Science Policy Advisor, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
 
Cece Spitznas, PhD, is Senior Science Policy Advisor in the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a component of the Executive Office of the President. She provides policy analysis and scientific advice to the ONDCP Director and Chief of Staff on special matters of concern to ONDCP, such as emerging drug trends and demand reduction, and helps to develop legislative responses to problems of national scope, particularly on Rx drugs, heroin and fentanyl. In 2012, she organized a National Leadership Meeting for ONDCP on Maternal Substance Use and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. From 2000-2012, Spitznas was a program official at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), where her research portfolio concerned developing and testing new screening, brief interventions and treatments for people with substance use disorders, including pregnant women, and developing provider training. She received her clinical and research training in psychology at the University of New Mexico and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine. She worked as a research professor at UAB, conducting research on relapse and treatment for crack cocaine use in homeless cocaine users prior to joining the NIH.
David A. Tapp​
Judge of the 28th Judicial Circuit of Kentucky
 
Judge David A. Tapp serves as a Circuit Judge in the 28th Judicial Circuit of the Kentucky Court of Justice, a position which he has held for twelve years. He previously served as a limited jurisdiction judge. 
Judge Tapp has devoted a substantial portion of judicial career to the development of effective substance abuse and community treatment programs.  
 
In 2015, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) awarded Judge Tapp’s drug court with the Community Transformation Award, one of only fifteen drug courts to receive the honor out of over 2,500 treatment courts worldwide.  In 2011, he received the All Rise award from the NADCP for his efforts involving funding issues for substance abuse courts. In addition, Judge Tapp is responsible for Kentucky’s successful implementation of a high-risk probation supervision program modeled on Hawaii’s HOPE probation and was responsible for implementing Kentucky’s first use of medically assisted treatment within the Commonwealth’s drug courts.
   
Currently, Judge Tapp serves as the Chairperson of Kentucky’s Circuit Judges Education Committee and in that capacity is responsible for the education of all general jurisdiction and family court judges. Until 2017, Judge Tapp served as Co-Chairperson of the Judicial Child Fatality Task Force which focused on the safety of children within the judicial and child protective system. He also currently serves as a member of the Governor’s Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council and the U.S. Coordinating Council for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Judge Tapp is a frequent speaker and author on a wide variety of justice related issues and formerly an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law.

Judge Tapp received his J.D. in 1993 from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, a M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration from Chaminade University of Honolulu in 1991, and a B.A. from Morehead State University in 1983.