Jane Callahan

As the Director of the National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute, Jane Callahan is responsible for a large national program to support community coalitions throughout the country. The Institute is administered by Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). Her duties include developing and carrying out an effective strategy to show a measurable increase in the knowledge, capacity and accountability of community anti-drug coalitions throughout the nation.

As the Project Director, Ms. Callahan is responsible for managing the Institute, which aims to make existing coalitions more effective and to expand the number of community coalitions inside the United States. She ensures that the Institute provides education, training, and technical assistance for coalition leaders and community teams, with an emphasis on the development of coalitions serving economically disadvantaged areas; develops and disseminate evaluation tools, mechanisms, and measures to better assess and document coalition performance measures and outcomes; and bridges the gap between research and practice by translating knowledge from research into practical information.

As the former Director of the City of Vallejo, California Fighting Back Partnership (FBP), Ms. Callahan guided the operation of this local community coalition from 1990 to 2002. One of the largest, broadest and most comprehensive anti-drug coalitions in the country evolved during Ms. Callahan’s tenure.

From 1985 to 1990, she was the Coordinator of the Children’s Network of Solano County, CA, one of the first children’s service multi-agency, multi-sector collaboratives in California. With a strong policy and resource development focus, it served as an early model for today’s systems reform efforts, which work to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families through collaborative policy advocacy.

She also has a background in legislative advocacy for children and has worked to pass several important children and family bills in California, has helped community groups start organizations and programs in rural California counties and has participated in policy and program development initiatives on the local, state and national level.

After majoring in English and Child Development and receiving a M.A. in Education from Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA in 1974, she helped found a nonprofit organization to start programs to help families in the area of childcare and family support. She devoted six years to managing this nonprofit organization, which continues to exist today offering a variety of programs and services.