A two-day leadership conference featuring national leaders in the field of alcohol and drug abuse prevention will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 18 and 19 , at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.

Featured speakers during the conference include Fred W. Garcia, deputy director for demand reduction, office of National Drug Control Policy, and Gale A. Held, director, State Prevention Systems Program, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, in the U.S. Public Health Service. Also scheduled to speak is Steve Pasierb, Senior Vice President and Deputy Director of Communications for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, a non-profit coalition working to reduce the demand for illicit drugs through media communication.

Janet Schalansky, Acting Secretary of SRS, will introduce Garcia at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. She said it is an honor for Kansas to have one of the leaders in the design and implementation of a national drug and alcohol abuse prevention strategy on hand for the conference.

Mr. Garcia is a nationally known advocate for drug and alcohol abuse prevention for children and families," Schalansky said. There is a growing recognition that substance abuse is the root cause of many series social problems. He and the other speakers at the conference will give Kansas access to the latest program and policy directions as we work on prevention and treatment in our home state."

Garcia, a nationally known advocate for drug and alcohol prevention programming for children and families, will speak on National Policy, Programs and Possibilities," beginning at 8:40 a.m. Wednesday. Held will speak at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday on A Blueprint for the Future." Pasierb's talk at 1:30 Wednesday concerns the role of media in prevention.

Andrew O'Donovan, commission of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services for SRS, will introduce both Mr. Held and Mr. Pasierb. He will also take part with each of the speakers in a panel discussion following their presentations and offer closing remarks Tuesday. The second day of the conference will involve teaching prevention skills to those in attendance, which is expected to include alcohol and drug abuse counselors from the Regional Prevention Centers in Kansas and from state agencies that deal with alcohol and drug abuse.

Funding for conference comes from the Ewing and Marion Kauffman Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Kansas.

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001