Some leaders are just getting started. Others have spent decades shaping the field. All of them are leading prevention efforts and building healthier communities.  

Every year, CADCA’s National Leadership Forum brings the prevention field together to learn the latest prevention strategies and celebrate the people moving this work forward. In February 2027, we are proudto honor three individuals whose leadership and voice are making a difference in their communities. Meet the honorees. 

National Leadership Award: Dr. Ronald S. Rochon 

Recognizes leaders who have been longtime supporters of the community coalition movement and who use their voice and influence to educate the community about the importance of substance abuse prevention  

Dr. Ronald S. Rochon assumed the presidency of Cal State Fullerton in July 2024, becoming the university’s 10th president since its founding in 1957. With over three decades in higher education, Rochon has dedicated his career to advocating for educational excellence, access and equity.  

Before joining Cal State Fullerton, Rochon served as president (2018-2024) and provost (2010-2018) of the University of Southern Indiana, where he guided a strategic plan focused on student success, community engagement, and financial viability. During his presidency, the university saw growth in degree completion, student persistence, and on-time graduation. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Buffalo State College and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. 

Nationally, Rochon chairs the Board of Directors for CADCA and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. He was named to the Indiana Business Journal’s “Indiana 250” list for three consecutive years. A first-generation college graduate, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Tuskegee University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  

Outstanding Youth Leader: Ana Carolina Borbolla Menare 

Recognizes an outstanding young person for service to a coalition and their dedication to preventing substance misuse   

Ana Carolina Borbolla Menaré is a first-year student at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a double major in Political Science and Public Health. She is passionate about youth-centered approaches to substance use prevention and advancing prevention policy at the state, national, and international levels. Ana has spent seven years with Community in Crisis, a community prevention coalition, where she has led youth advocacy and engagement initiatives for students in her county. She currently serves as a Senior Youth Prevention Champion with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and as a member of CADCA’s National Youth Council. She has been a featured panelist for a U.S. Department of Education and CDC webinar on youth leadership in substance use prevention. Ana has also led bilingual prevention education initiatives with the Mexican Consulate in New Jersey. Her work centers on culturally responsive prevention education and youth engagement, with a particular focus on effectively reaching Hispanic communities and developing prevention approaches that reflect their unique needs and experiences. She hopes to pursue a career in international prevention policy to help create a safer country and world for young people everywhere. 

National Newsmaker Award: Kevin Sabet  

Recognizes an individual or organization that has used their platform or media presence to bring national attention to substance use prevention issues    

An affiliate of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies and the Medical School at Yale University, and dubbed by NBC News as the “prodigy of drug politics,” and by Salon as the “quarterback of the new anti-drug movement,” author, consultant, and advisor to three U.S. presidential administrations, Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., has studied, researched, written about, and implemented drug policy for over 25 years. He is the only person appointed by Republican and Democrats to work at the White House drug office. Kevin is currently the President and CEO of the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) and SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), two non-profit organizations he founded with Congressman Patrick Kennedy. His latest book, Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know, distributed by Simon & Schuster, won the Next Generation Indie Book Award in the Social Justice Category, and has been optioned for a documentary film. His latest book, One Nation Under the Influence, was published by Polity in November 2025. He regularly publishes op-eds and his work has been seen in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and other publications; he is also a regular columnist for Semana de notícias. He received his doctorate and master’s degrees from Oxford University and BA from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Be there when we honor these leaders at the National Leadership Forum in February 2027. Register today.