Fentanyl remains the leading driver of the nation’s overdose crisis. According to the CDC, preliminary data predicts more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths for the 12-month period ending in November 2025 with synthetic opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl, involved in the majority of those deaths. Only 2 milligrams of fentanyl, an amount small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, can be a lethal dose.
Addressing a crisis of this scale requires a coordinated response, and this July in Orlando, the major players involved in leading that response will be in the room with you.
CADCA’s 25th Annual Mid-Year Training Institute is co-located with the inaugural DEA Fentanyl Free America Summit, taking place July 12-16 at the Gaylord Palms. Registration for Mid-Year grants you complimentary access to the Summit, which means an expanded program bringing together more than 2,500 attendees across law enforcement, public health, education, prevention, and community officials, with senior officials from federal agencies including DEA, ONDCP, and SAMHSA.
We’re excited to introduce two of our keynote speakers, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrance C. “Terry” Cole and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Sara Carter.
Terrance C. “Terry” Cole, Administrator, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
There are few people who understand the mechanics of the substance misuse crisis better than Terry Cole. A 31-year law enforcement veteran, Cole spent two decades as a DEA Special Agent in assignments spanning Oklahoma, New York, Dallas, Washington DC, Colombia, and Afghanistan, eventually retiring in 2020 as DEA’s Acting Regional Director for Mexico, Canada and Central America.
From 2023 to 2025, he served as Virginia’s Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, where his leadership contributed to a 59.1% reduction in overdose deaths, the largest year-over-year decrease in the country. He was sworn in as DEA Administrator in July 2025.
As Administrator, Cole is leading a renewed enforcement effort to dismantle cartel command structures, disrupt chemical supply chains at their source, and combat the global synthetic drug crisis. He’ll bring that perspective directly to Mid-Year.
Sara Carter, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy
Sara Carter has been covering the human cost of the drug trade for decades, from frontline reporting on cartel wars along the US-Mexico border, to producing the 2018 documentary Not in Vein investigating the opioid and fentanyl crisis in the United States. Now, as the nation’s Drug Czar, she’s leading the implementation of the President’s National Drug Control Strategy, working with federal, state, local, and tribal leaders to keep dangerous drugs out of American communities. She brings both the policy authority and the ground-level understanding that this moment demands.
There’s more to engage with this year than ever before! We hope to see you in Orlando.
