Join us for this interactive webinar on the importance of advocating for policies and regulations that improve substance misuse outcomes in your communities. This webinar will provide an overview of the difference between advocacy and lobbying, current research on policies and regulations that are often adopted with little public health input, and what tools are available to prevention practitioners to ensure they are providing a voice in the regulatory process. The webinar will conclude with a real-life example of an advocacy campaign that was successful in creating local policy change in a community in Arizona.
Mary Segawa, M.S., Mary has worked in community and statewide prevention and public policy for over 20 years. In her role as the Public Health Education Liaison at the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board where she worked closely with other state agencies and community organizations to coordinate prevention efforts, provide training, and develop resources. Mary played a key role in promoting public health policy at the WSLCB as they implemented the two citizen initiatives that privatized liquor and legalized cannabis. Prior to her work at the WSLCB she served as Executive Director of a county-wide non-profit agency focused on prevention of youth substance use and violence. Mary is now working as an independent contractor. She recently received the National Prevention Network’s 2020 Award of Excellence.
Julie J. Craig, Director of Community Initiatives, Arizona Youth Partnership. Julie started her career working as an Emergency Medical Technician while attending the University of Arizona in Tucson, Az. From there she worked more than 10 years as a Police/Fire 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatcher and this is where her work with Substance Abuse and Community Coalitions began. She has been with the Arizona Youth Partnership for over 13 years and manages several Community Substance Abuse Coalitions in Mohave, Gila and Pinal Counties, and provides Technical Assistance to youth anti-tobacco coalitions across Arizona. She is an Instructor/Trainer in several curriculums including Kids at Hope, Strengthening Families Program 10-14, Too Good for Dugs/Violence, Mind Matters, and PAXT 360. She also provides education to communities regarding underage drinking and Substance abuse issues. Julie lives in rural Arizona on a small ranch where she raises goats, sheep, and donkeys.
Alicia Sparks, PhD, MPH is the Vice Chair of the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance and Senior Associate at Abt Associates. Her research focuses on the implementing and evaluating alcohol and other drug prevention policies. Dr. Sparks contributed to the first ever Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health and co-authored an APHA policy statement on the need for alcohol policy in the U.S. She served as a Fellow at the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth and has worked directly with liquor law enforcement organizations on alcohol prevention programs and policies at the state level, as well as with college campuses and local coalitions on implementing effective prevention policies. Dr. Sparks holds a PhD in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and an MPH from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
