Council Members Biographical Information

John Clapp, Ph.D., Director, Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
Dr. Clapp is director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies, San Diego State University and director of the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Other Drug, and Violence Prevention. Dr. Clapp has published over seventy journal articles and his work has appeared in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Addiction, Drug and Alcohol Dependence among numerous other top research journals. He has been awarded over $20 million in grants and contracts from a variety of funders including the National Institute for Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Clapp is a fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior. His work has received international media attention with coverage in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The London Daily Telegraph, ABC National News, among numerous others.

Michael Compton, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Director, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
Dr. Compton is a professor and director of research in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences as well as a professor of prevention and community health at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. His main research interests include the causes and consequences of treatment delay in first-episode psychosis; correlates of tobacco, marijuana, and other substance abuse in early-course psychotic disorders; the premorbid and prodromal phases of schizophrenia; the Crisis Intervention Team model of collaboration between law enforcement and mental health; and a novel case management program implemented by NAMI-Georgia in Savannah, Georgia. He is a community psychiatrist and double-boarded in both psychiatry and preventive medicine/public health. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a member of the prestigious American College of Psychiatrists. He is committed to bringing public health and a prevention approach to psychiatry through such strategies as his publication of the book Clinical Manual of Prevention in Mental Health, which was published by the American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. in 2010.

Eugenia Conolly, M.Ed.,C.P.P., Director, Statewide Projects Division, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration, Catonsville, Maryland
Ms. Conolly has over 25 years' experience in the management, administration, planning, and development of health and substance abuse services. She is currently Director of the Statewide Projects Division at the Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration, which provides effective substance abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment of alcohol and other drug abuse. Ms. Conolly also collaborates and provides guidance to State, county, and community policymakers regarding the development and implementation of effective prevention/wellness policies and practices. As operational manager of the management and supervision of the Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration's Regional Field Services Section, she monitored and provided technical assistance to public and private substance abuse treatment providers throughout the State. Ms. Conolly's skills include organizing and directing resources, evaluating information, planning strategies, resolving problems, communicating ideas, and motivating others to accomplish tasks within changing environments.

Michael Couty, Juvenile Court Administrator, 19th Judicial Circuit, Juvenile Division, Jefferson City, Missouri
Mr. Couty has worked in the public sector for over 35 years with both youth and adult populations. He is currently Juvenile Court Administrator for the 19th Judicial Circuit, Juvenile Division, Jefferson City, Missouri, and has held the position since February 2007. Mr. Couty formerly served as Director of the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, where he was responsible for providing leadership and oversight of the State's alcohol and drug abuse prevention, education, and treatment initiatives. He also served as the division's methadone authority and worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on methadone maintenance programs and policies. With Mr. Couty's leadership, Missouri developed a model for methadone treatment, which included a computerized system for tracking. Some of his appointments and memberships include former First Vice President, National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD); Former Chair, NASADAD Criminal Justice Committee; Member, NASADAD Medicaid Managed Care Committee; Former Board Member, National Association of Drug Court Professionals; Former Co-Chair, Governor's Commission on DWI and Impaired Driving for Missouri; and Past President, NASADAD. Mr. Couty is a former member of SAMHSA's Advisory Committee for Women's Services.

Steven Green, L.C.S.W., Executive Director, Gila River Behavioral Health Services, Gila River Health Care, Gila River Indian Community, Sacaton, Arizona
Mr. Green is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has over twenty-five years of public and private behavioral health administrative experience. For the past ten years he has served as the Executive Director of Behavioral Health Services for the Gila River Indian Community. Under his leadership he has transformed their program into a comprehensive community based system of care. His previous behavioral health experience includes eight years as a clinician and eleven years as a utilization manager. He has been a guest lecturer on American Indian Health Policy issues at Arizona State University and has served as a consultant to various American Indian tribes in the Southwest.

Ronald "Kwesi" Harris, Director, African American Male Resource Center, Chicago State University, Chicago, Illinois
Mr. Harris has earned national acclaim for his extraordinary skills and strength in reclaiming youth and adults from substance abuse and violence and has specialized training in youth leadership development. As a founding member of Chicago's Citywide Coalition Against Tobacco and Alcohol billboards, he lectures nationally against popular culture negative imagery and positive youth development. Serving more than 20 years as a Team Manager and ATOD Prevention Director at the Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center, Inc., Mr. Harris recently joined the staff of Chicago State University. Using his extensive knowledge of substance abuse prevention, community organizing, and coalition-building across multicultural and intellectual barriers, "Brother Kwesi," along with his staff, has resurrected the African American Male Resource Center on campus. His actions to date have resulted in some of the highest African American male student retention rates in the university's history. As Director of the Center, Mr. Harris formulates policy, conducts workshops, and creates seminars that include character development, relationship-building, social justice, environmental racism, media advocacy, conflict resolution, and cultural reclamation. By promoting healthier lifestyles, and modeling behavior that promotes self-sustainability and leadership, he is building new levels of excellence and achievement. Using effective, unprecedented, groundbreaking techniques, Mr. Harris has established new and unique working collaborations with administrators, students, and support staff members that advance the Chicago State university mission to recruit, retain, and graduate African American male students.

Jane McGrath, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Dr. McGrath is the Founder and Director of Envision New Mexico, The Initiative for Child Healthcare Quality, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Envision New Mexico is a statewide quality improvement program focusing on obesity prevention, behavioral health, school- based health centers, early developmental screening, and resident training. She is Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, Health Sciences Center. Dr. McGrath is a former member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on School Health and is Past President of the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care. She is certified in adolescent medicine and spent 14 years as School Health Officer for the New Mexico Department of Health, where she helped guide the development of school-based health centers and worked closely with school nurses throughout the State. Dr. McGrath has authored numerous publications on school-based health care for children and adolescents.

Michael Montgomery, M.Ed., Chief (Retired), Office of AIDS, California Department of Health Services, Vienna, Maine
Mr. Montgomery served as Chair of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors. Mr. Montgomery spearheaded a successful national effort to secure additional rebates from antiretroviral drug manufacturers. As Office of AIDS Chief, Mr. Montgomery was responsible for a budget of over $400 million. As Chief of the HIV Care Branch, Mr. Montgomery managed several Ryan White CARE Act programs. Mr. Montgomery helped implement California’s system of HIV reporting, he initiated the rapid HIV testing, and began a beneficial collaborative relationship with Mexico on HIV-related border health issues. Mr. Montgomery worked within the California Department of Housing and Community Development as a Housing and Community Development representative. Mr. Montgomery expanded an $18 million budget to a budget exceeding $120 million, which dramatically improved pharmacy participation.

Patricia Mrazek, M.S.W., Ph.D., Substance Abuse Prevention Advocate, Rochester, Minnesota
Dr. Mrazek is a mental health policy consultant and writer, specializing in prevention. She was a Sheldon Fellow in the Advanced Family Therapy Program at the Tavistock Clinic in London, England. Dr. Mrazek was Assistant Director of the National Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Executive Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research in Washington D.C. She was a Senior Program Officer and Study Director in the Institute of Medicine's Division of Biobehavioral Sciences and Mental Disorders, where she worked on a seminal project on the prevention of mental disorders as well as projects on HIV/AIDS prevention, depression in primary care, social marketing to adolescents, and family violence. Dr. Mrazek has been a consultant for the National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) Committee on Prevention Research and SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services. She served as an ex officio member of the NIMH Committee on Prevention Research, a member of the World Federation for Mental Health Coordinating Committee for the International Consortium for Prevention, the National Advisory Board of Magellan Behavioral Health, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and National Mental Health Association workgroup on Preventing Substance Abuse and Mental Health Problems in Managed Healthcare Settings. She is widely published in the areas of child maltreatment and the prevention of mental and behavioral disorders.

Mary Ann Tulafono, First Lady of American Samoa, Office of Governor Togiola T.A. Tulafono, Pago Pago, American Samoa
As the First Lady of American Samoa, Mrs. Tulafono provides leadership of interagency councils, governing and advisory boards, and executive committees with a deliberate focus on engaging all stakeholders around issues that are of importance to both the First Lady and Governor Tulafono. She joined the national effort against childhood drinking with her TA'ITA'ITAMA Prevent Underage Drinking Initiative when she became an official member of the National Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, a nonprofit nonpartisan national organization reflecting the Governor's concern about the harmful effects of underage drinking. At the State and local levels, Mrs. Tulafono has actively collaborated with the Departments of Human and Social Services, Health Education, Public Safety, Criminal Justice, the District Court, the Alcohol Beverage Control Board, and community coalitions to reduce the negative consequences of underage drinking. She has served as Chair of the Early Intervention Program, serving infants and toddlers from age birth to three years with developmental disabilities. Mrs. Tulafono is an environmentalist who persistently promotes a safe and healthy community through her Beautify Your Environment Committee and village-based projects. In 1999, she served as an advisor to the American Samoa Delegation to the United Nations Conference on Small Island Nations' Sustainable Development.

Patricia Whitefoot, M.Ed., Director, Indian Education Program, Toppenish School District, Toppenish, Washington
Ms. Whitefoot is a member of the Confederated Tribal Lands of the Yakama Nation. She has been actively involved in the Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest Indians (ATNI) for over 20 years and serves as Chair of the ATNI Education Committee, which is represented by the 52 tribes of southern Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, and northern California. Ms. Whitefoot currently serves as President of the Washington Indian Education Association. She is also Director of the Toppenish School District's Indian Education Program. Ms. Whitefoot founded the Tribal Leaders' Diabetes Committee and was a tribal leader consultant on the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care and Improvement Act and the Indian Education Executive Order. One of her greatest achievements was the creation of the Gathering of Native America, a curriculum team used widely in Indian country to address multigenerational trauma and healing. Ms. Whitefoot previously served as Co-Chair of the E3 Washington Tribal Education steering committee and as Program Supervisor for Indian Education in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Education.