CADCA Is Honored To Have the Following Speakers at Our 30th Annual Forum!

 Opening Plenary Keynote Speaker – Nora Volkow, MD 

Nora D. Volkow, M.D., became Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health in May 2003. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug use, misuse and addiction. 

Dr. Volkow’s work has been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is a disease of the human brain. As a research psychiatrist and scientist, Dr. Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate the toxic effects and addictive properties of abusable drugs. Her studies have documented changes in the dopamine system affecting, among others, the functions of frontal brain regions involved with motivation, drive and pleasure in addiction.

National Leadership Award  – Mayor Martin Walsh, Boston, Massachusetts

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, a lifelong champion of working people and a proud product of the City of Boston, is the City’s 54th mayor. Mayor Walsh was sworn in to serve a second term on January 1, 2018.

Mayor Walsh’s vision is of a thriving, healthy, and innovative Boston — a City with equality and opportunity for all, where a revolutionary history inspires creative solutions to the challenges of the 21st century.

Since taking office, Mayor Walsh has focused on strengthening Boston’s schools, adding hundreds of high-quality pre-kindergarten seats, funding extended learning time and advanced curriculum at more schools, and securing tuition-free community college for Boston Public Schools graduates.

Born and raised in the neighborhood of Dorchester by immigrant parents, Mayor Walsh is driven to make sure Boston is a City where anyone can overcome their challenges and fulfill their dreams. As a child, Mayor Walsh survived a serious bout of Burkitt lymphoma, thanks to the extraordinary care he received at Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. His recovery from alcoholism as a young adult led to his lifelong commitment to the prevention and treatment of addiction. And while working full-time as a legislator, he returned to school to earn a degree in Political Science at Boston College.

National Newsmaker Award – Laura Monteverdi, Emmy and Murrow-awarded Anchor and Multimedia Journalist at THV11 in Little Rock, Arkansas

Laura Monteverdi is an Emmy and Murrow-awarded anchor for THV11 This Morning and multimedia journalist at THV11 in Little Rock, Arkansas. She specializes in general assignment reporting, and to fighting the opioid epidemic in our “Saving a Generation” promise.

Before moving to Arkansas, Laura was the morning anchor/reporter at KDLT in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. During her time there, Laura embraced the Midwest, learning how to do everything from skiing to milking a cow, as part of her own weekly segment, “Life with Laura.”

One of her many accomplishments include spear-heading one of THV11’s largest community efforts. In March of 2018, after months of production, Laura and the THV11 team aired “Saving A Generation: The New Face of Drug Addiction,” a THV11 Special Presentation. 

Laura led the project, which takes a look at the drug addiction crisis in Arkansas. She has a personal connection to the epidemic, which she shares in the documentary-esque program. In September 2018, she and the production team won a Regional Emmy Award. In 2019, they were awarded a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award as well. 

Laura now travels the state sharing her story with youth organizations, local churches and schools.

In her spare time, Laura enjoys traveling, biking, hiking and enjoying everything the Natural State has to offer with her rescue dog, Juneau, by her side.

Membership Breakfast – Alex Berenson, Winner of the Edgar Award and #1 New York Times Best Selling Author of “Tell Your Children – The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence“

Alex Berenson is a journalist, non-fiction writer, and novelist. After graduating from Yale University in 1994, he became a reporter for the Denver Post and The Street.com. From 1999 until 2010, he worked as a business and investigative reporter for the NY Times, primarily covering the pharmaceutical and health care industries; he also served stints covering the war in Iraq. He has also written 12 spy novels. Tell Your Children is his second non-fiction book.

Featured Training Session Presenters

Amelia Arria, Ph.D.

Director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health
Session title – Cannabis and Youth
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 1-2:15 pm

Thom Brown

CEO Colombo Plan, President and CEO Rubicon Global Enterprises
Session title – Emerging Global Drug Threats: Research You Can Use to Understand and Address Them
Thursday, Feb. 6, 10:45 am – Noon

Robert L. DuPont, MD

President, Institute for Behavior and Health
Session Title – Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1:45-3 pm

Mark Gold, Ph.D.

Emeritus Eminent Scholar and Distinguished Alumni Professor (1990-2015)
Session title – Emerging Global Drug Threats: Research You Can Use to Understand and Address Them
Thursday, Feb. 6, 10:45 am – Noon

Bertha Madras, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Session title – Marijuana: The State of the Science
Thursday, Feb. 6, 9-10:15 am

 Dale Quigley