MITCHELL BARNETT

Mitchell Barnett is the Associate Director of the Iowa Prescription Monitoring Program with the Iowa Board of Pharmacy and Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.  Mitch holds an undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Iowa.  He also completed a post-doc fellowship in clinical outcomes.  Mitch has been actively involved in health services research for over 20 years, including holding positions at the Iowa City VAMC Center of Excellence and Touro University-California, College of Pharmacy.  Mitch has published over 60 research articles and book chapters and has presented at numerous regional, national, and international meetings.

AMY CROLL 

Amy Croll brings over twenty years of experience working directly with youth, youth development programming, and state and local policy development. Amy worked in youth policy at the Iowa Department of Human Rights before serving as a field consultant for the Forum for Youth Investment from 2005-2014 and co-founding and running Community Youth Concepts from 2008-2021. In addition to non-profit consulting, she has been a trainer and coach for the Iowa Department of Public Health since 2011. Amy is a licensed MSW and is a Certified Prevention Specialist.

RACHAEL COOPER, MFS

Rachael Cooper, MFS, has devoted her career to addressing the overdose crisis, including providing direct services to people with substance use disorders, facilitating harm reduction work, providing thought leadership, and working in public policy in the U.S. and abroad. At Shatterproof, she is the Senior Director of the National Stigma Initiative, overseeing the multi-level initiative focused on addiction stigma in multiple systems, focusing on the health care system and measuring attitudinal and behavior change related to substance use and addiction. This includes working with a wide range of partner organizations, prioritizing the intersection of healthy equity, substance use, and stigma, centering people with substance use disorders in stigma reduction interventions, and ensuring stigma reduction interventions have the desired outcomes.

ROD COURTNEY

Rod Courtney has his bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Iowa. Rod worked with Sixth Judicial District as a Probation and Parole Officer for over 20 years and retired on August 31, 2018. Currently, Rod Courtney, along with his wife Debbie, have established a peer-based Recovery Community Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  He continues to advocate for improved recovery resources for those still suffering from a Substance Use Disorder.

BRE DEGELAU

Bre Degelau has worked for Eyerly Ball CMHS for over six years in various roles, including the Crisis Services Supervisor for over two years and the new CCBHC Project Direct as of November 2022.

PAOLO DEL VECCHIO 

Paolo del Vecchio identifies as a person in long-term recovery from addictions, mental health problems, and trauma.  He has served at the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for over 28 years while leading efforts to transform behavioral healthcare to foster recovery, resilience, and wellness.

JOHN L. EADIE

John L. Eadie is the Public Health and Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) Project Coordinator for the National Emerging Threats Initiative, a National High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program.   He worked for the New York State Department of Health for 31 years. He then served as a PDMP consultant and was the founding Director of the PDMP Center of Excellence (COE) at Brandeis University.    In 2015, he transferred to the HIDTA Program to help develop a National Emerging Threats Initiative, an early warning system to identify significant changes in drug abuse.

KIM FREESE 

Kim Freese is the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Regional Director serving Region 7: Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska, since 2015. Kim has worked in the behavioral healthcare field since 1992. Kim is a person thriving in long-term recovery who is a Licensed Addictions Counselor and a Certified Peer Support Specialist.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and her master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas.

JODEE GOCHE 

Jodee Goche is a Certified Prevention Specialist with fifteen years of experience in the prevention field. Her prevention work has included implementing evidence-based community programs and providing SAPST and Ethics training for prevention professionals. She has provided technical assistance to community coalitions and applies this knowledge to her work for the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute at Iowa State University. Ms. Goche holds a Master's in Prevention Science from the University of Oklahoma and Master’s in Management from Briar Cliff University.

HANER HERNANDEZ 

A bilingual Puerto Rican, Dr. Hernandez has worked for over 35 years in health and human services. He has dedicated his career to addressing the structural determinants of health and eliminating disparities by building equity.  Dr. Hernandez has been at the forefront of developing, implementing, and evaluating culturally humble and intelligent policies, programs, and procedures designed to reach and engage racialized and marginalized populations effectively.  As a person in long-term recovery from addiction, Dr. Hernandez has extensive experience working with federal, state, and local health systems and programs and with people involved in the criminal justice system.

KEVIN HILL 

Dr. Kevin Hill is the Director of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.  He earned a Master’s in Health Science at the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the Yale School of Medicine.   He most commonly treats patients who have problems with alcohol, cannabis, or opioids and has been named one of Boston Magazine’s Top Doctors for the past five years.  He treats professional athletes from the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association, the Boston Red Sox, and airline pilots.  The author of Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed (Hazelden 2015) and co-author of Medical Cannabis: An Evidence-Based Guide (Wolters-Kluwer 2020), Dr. Hill’s research interests include the development of medications to treat cannabis use disorder as well as cannabis policy, and he has published widely on these topics in such journals as JAMA, The American Journal of Psychiatry, JAMA Internal Medicine, and Lancet Psychiatry.

LAURA HINDS

Laura Hinds is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker whose work in medical pediatrics, trauma-specific treatment, and with special populations informs her presentations.  Committed to care's practical and theoretical aspects, she strives to offer research-supported solutions to challenging clinical problems.  Laura draws on her work with children, youth, family systems, and adult clients to inform her curricula to support those doing various work in multiple settings.

ROBB HOLMAN 

Robb Holman is a sought-after global keynote speaker and author of three transformational leadership books, Lead the Way, All In, and Move the Needle. In 2023 Robb was named one of the World’s Top 30 Leadership Speakers and inducted into the Power List of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership. His Inside Out Leadership philosophy has been featured in Inc, Forbes, and Fast Company publications.

DEBORAH KRAUSS

Deborah Krauss is the Harm Reductionist & Program Director for IHRC. Mom to two children & a dog. A person that has not used substances I have had unhealthy relationships with, including opiates, alcohol, & stimulants.

ROBERT KRUSE 

Dr. Kruse joined Iowa’s Health and Human Services (HHS) as the State Medical Director in October of 2022. Prior to joining HHS, Dr. Kruse served as the Medical Director of Occupational Health at MercyOne in Des Moines. Dr. Kruse is board certified in Family Medicine and completed his residency training program at Rutgers University. He has a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He has held a teaching appointment as an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health in Central New Jersey.

CATHERINE LILLEHOJ

Catherine Lillehoj has a PhD in Social Psychology from Columbia University and a Master of Science from the City University of New York. Her main professional interest is in substance use prevention and data-driven decision-making. Her work, as part of the CDC-funded Overdose Data to Action grant (OD2A) team, at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (IA HHS), Bureau of Substance Abuse (BSA), includes a focus on timely, actionable data. Lillehoj has been actively involved in public health activities for over 20 years, including positions at the Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa State University, and Cornell University. Lillehoj has authored and co-authored numerous research articles and presented them at numerous professional meetings.

JULIE MAAS

Julie Maas has worked in the MHDS Division for seven years and has over 18 years of human services and mental health experience. Julie provides mental health policy analysis and contract management for Iowa’s 988 Crisis Centers and community-based mental health and disability providers. She is the Project Director for Iowa’s 988 Cooperative Agreement with SAMHSA.

DREW MARTEL

Drew Martel (LISW, CADC) is the Chief Clinical Officer at Foundation 2 Crisis Services in Cedar Rapids.  Drew has presented on suicide prevention and intervention throughout Iowa and at several national conferences and workshops.  Drew has been involved in the development and expansion of several mental health and suicide prevention initiatives throughout the state of Iowa.  In addition to his work at Foundation 2, Drew is a site surveyor for The American Association of Suicidology and provides therapy at Meadowlark Psychiatric Services in North Liberty. Drew is a military veteran and lives in Cedar Rapids with his wife, Anna, two daughters, Madeline and River, and son Ellis.

KEYGAN MILLER 

Keygan Miller is the Public Training Manager for The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ young people. Keygan oversees the design and facilitation of public training to advance Trevor’s life-saving suicide prevention work and teach audiences to be strong allies for LGBTQ youth. Before this work, Keygan was an Advocacy Manager at The Trevor Project, and they served as an Intervention Specialist for Cincinnati Public Schools. Keygan received a Master of Arts in Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Education and Human Development in Education Policy from George Washington University.

ERIC PREUSS

Eric Preuss is the Your Life Iowa Project Director (Iowa Department of Public Health), overseeing the YLI helpline, website, health promotion, and quality assurance/data integrity activities.  Before joining IDPH, Eric spent over 20 years as a counselor, educator, and leader in substance use disorder treatment and homelessness.  He holds a Master’s degree from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

JOSHUA RADKE

Dr. Radke is a physician at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He works in the Emergency Department but is also a Medical Toxicologist and Addiction Medicine provider.

FREDERIC REAMER 

Frederic Reamer, PhD, is a school of Social Work, Rhode Island College professor. His social work career has focused on mental health, criminal justice, and professional ethics. Reamer chaired the national task force that wrote the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. He is the author of Risk Management in the Behavioral Health Professions: A Practical Guide to Preventing Malpractice and Licensing-Board Complaints (Columbia University Press), among other books on professional ethics. Reamer frequently serves as an expert witness and consultant in litigation and licensing board cases throughout the U.S.

JOSH RUBIN

Josh Rubin provides consultation, strategic planning, analysis, and technical assistance to healthcare purchasers, providers, platforms, and regulators, focusing on behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and child welfare service providers. Josh’s specializations include facilitating strategic planning and merger negotiations, supporting the conversion to value-based purchasing arrangements, the development of independent practice associations and other platforms, and healthcare transformation efforts, including 1115 waivers.

JONATHAN SINGER

Jonathan B. Singer, PhD, LCSW, is a Professor at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Social Work, Past-President of the American Association of Suicidology, coauthor of the best-selling text, Suicide in Schools: A Practitioner’s Guide to Multi-level Prevention, Assessment, Intervention, and Postvention, and founder and host of the award-winning Social Work Podcast. Dr. Singer is a well-regarded international speaker whose research has been featured in national and international media outlets like NPR, BBC, Fox, Time Magazine, and The Guardian. He lives in Evanston, IL, with his wife, three children, and dog.

LINDSAY STACK

Lindsay Stack, LMHC, CADC, EMDR-C, currently serves as the Special Projects Director of Pathways Behavioral Services, where she has been employed for more than 11 years. Ms. Stack oversees the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic expansion grant for Pathways and carries a caseload of co-occurring clients specializing in complex trauma and addictions. Ms. Stack graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a master’s degree in mental health counseling.

ASHLEY STEWART 

Ashley Stewart is the Director of Health Equity and Equity Subject Matter Expert at C4 Innovations. Ashley’s work centers on addressing institutionalized forms of identity-based oppression. She works in solidarity with mental and behavioral health providers. She supports institutions, corporations, organizations, and leadership teams to identify ways to reduce harm and determine appropriate steps toward sustainable culture change.

KIARA STUTTS

Kiara Stutts has served in public health since 2018. She has served in Enterics, HIV/STI, COVID-19, Surveillance/Health Informatics, Mental Health, and Substance Use. Kiara earned her undergraduate degree in Human Services Administration in 2015 and her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology and Health Management & Policy in 2020. Kiara currently serves as the Overdose Data to Action Epidemiologist with the CDC Foundation and was assigned to serve with Iowa HHS in overdose prevention through the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) Grant by assisting with surveillance and prevention strategies.

DAN TROLARO

Dan Trolaro is presently the Vice President of Prevention in the US for EPIC Risk Management after serving as the Assistant Executive Director for the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey, better known as 800-GAMBLER.  He has worked with stakeholders in over 30 states. He has delivered hundreds of workshops, training, and keynote presentations around the country centered on prevention, education, and emerging trends in the world of gaming and gambling.

PHIL VALENTINE

Phil Valentine, RCP, RCPF, is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR), serving this lead recovery community organization since 1999. Phil is recognized as an accomplished author, trainer, and presenter for spearheading the recovery coach movement and developing the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy. In 2015, Phil completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, a journey of 2,189 miles, carrying the message of recovery the entire way.

ANDREA WEBER

Andrea Weber is a native Iowan who works as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of Iowa.  She is an addiction medicine specialist and focuses on integrating harm reduction principles into healthcare.  Andrea also serves as the Board Chair for the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition.

CINDY WEST

Cindy West is the program director for Full Circle Recovery Community Centers, located in Council Bluffs, Des Moines, and Sioux City. As a woman in recovery from substance use disorder, Ms. West utilizes her lived experience to help empower others to engage in self-directed recovery. She has worked in the nonprofit sector in Iowa for more than 20 years, leading local and statewide efforts in program management, fundraising and grant writing, board development, and strategic planning. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in community health education with an emphasis in substance abuse prevention in 1999 and her Master of Business Administration degree in 2013, both from Iowa State University.

CHARLIE WOODCOCK

Charlie Woodcock is the Executive Director at Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health with 20 + years of experience in managing Human Services agencies.