{"id":23096,"date":"2025-11-19T15:25:50","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T15:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/?p=23096"},"modified":"2026-02-27T13:29:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T13:29:36","slug":"cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"<style media=\"all\" type=\"text\/css\">\n\n    \n    \/* xs & sm (mobile) *\/\n    @media (max-width: 767.98px) {\n        }\n\n    \/* md (tablet) *\/\n    @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1199.98px) {\n        }\n\n    \/* lg (desktop) *\/\n    @media (min-width: 1200px) {\n        }\n\n    \/* custom styles *\/\n    <\/style>\n<section class=\"rte  block_d9a9589b6dd6f15f74471b4c2e65003d\" id=\"block_d9a9589b6dd6f15f74471b4c2e65003d\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <p><strong>ALEXANDRIA, VA (November 19, 2025)<\/strong> &#8212; CADCA is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026 National Leadership Forum Awards. Every year, CADCA recognizes exceptional individuals that have made significant contributions to the field of substance use prevention and community coalition leadership. The awards will be presented during the 36th Annual National Leadership Forum, February 2-5, 2026 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur\u00a0honorees\u00a0represent the very best of public service and community leadership, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements at our National Leadership Forum,\u201d said CADCA President and CEO General Barrye L. Price, Ph.D. \u201cThese distinguished leaders have shown what it means to stand up for the well-being of our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s honorees\u00a0exemplify innovation\u00a0and dedication to creating safer, healthier, and stronger\u00a0communities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Outstanding Youth Leader:\u00a0Sharmada Venkataramani\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Recognizes\u00a0an outstanding young person for service to a coalition and\u00a0their dedication to\u00a0preventing substance\u00a0misuse\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Sharmada is a rising junior at South Forsyth High School, passionate about youth advocacy and prevention work. She began by publishing a piece on Big Pharma&#8217;s role in the opioid crisis for the state social studies fair and further engaged with the Forsyth County Drug Awareness Council. There, she launched the &#8220;Elevate with Awareness&#8221; campaign, highlighting the importance of teen marijuana use awareness. Sharmada also led students in advocating for nicotine regulation bill HB 1260. As the youth sector lead for the 2024-2025 school year, she guides 30+ students on various prevention projects.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, she collaborated with District 4 Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills to establish the Forsyth County Youth Mental Health Coalition, distributing over 750 mental health resource guides. Sharmada serves as the county organizing deputy director at the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, representing over 1500+ students to advocate for youth-focused reforms. She is also the JV president of her school&#8217;s mock trial team, a state-level award winner, and an officer in her school&#8217;s Future Business Leaders of America Club. In her free time, she enjoys Indian classical dancing and spending time with friends. Sharmada aims to attend law school and pursue a career in securities law.<\/p>\n<p><strong>National Newsmaker Award: Amy Neville &amp; Alexander Neville Foundation\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Recognizes an individual or organization that has used their platform or media presence to bring national attention to substance use prevention issues\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Amy Neville is the President of the Alexander Neville Foundation (ANF), an organization her family founded after the tragic loss of her 14-year-old son, Alexander. A drug dealer on Snapchat sold Alex a counterfeit pill laced with fentanyl that took his life. This unimaginable loss compelled Amy to confront the fentanyl crisis and the growing dangers of unregulated social media platforms.<\/p>\n<p>Through ANF, Amy works closely with young people to co-create meaningful drug prevention\u00a0and social media education programs. The foundation is rooted in youth collaboration and has\u00a0become a guiding voice in efforts to curb substance misuse and reshape the digital environment\u00a0for children and teens. Amy continues to speak nationally on synthetic drug dangers, social\u00a0media harms, and the urgent need for corporate and legislative accountability.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2025, Amy appeared in Bloomberg Media\u2019s acclaimed documentary\u00a0<em><a title=\"Can\u2019t\u00a0Look Away:\u00a0The Case Against\u00a0Social Media\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/Tracker?data=2f1QxNV3NrA7bfUQIQBl76IjtA4yU1F1JoKeDtuTSrEuZXqPDBmVx8IdBhgqwpj7UvAYvU3TlI6BMCZXP8fyoCz-0UxtHuJ_gevY5gJxheH0UPICe4QzAQSxgiLQ1Ix0IKR9P6S5ajajrBTij7dOpRcSPmMFyrp6njvIJhZfqmV1sGdSjJd5IEjbcfZpNlpw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Can\u2019t\u00a0Look Away:\u00a0The Case Against\u00a0Social Media<\/a><\/em>, which explores the real-life consequences of Big Tech\u2019s\u00a0unchecked power. Her powerful presence in the film underscores her message: \u201cThis is all about\u00a0money\u2026 We need to take back the power from these companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amy has also shared her family\u2019s story and insights on CNN, FOX, CBS, ABC, and in\u00a0<em>Rolling Stone\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0investigative piece \u201cInside Snapchat\u2019s Teen Opioid Crisis.\u201d Her mission\u00a0remains\u00a0clear: to\u00a0prevent more families from experiencing the devastation hers has endured and to ensure youth\u00a0are protected both offline and online.<\/p>\n<p><strong>National Leadership Award: Kirk Lane\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Recognizes\u00a0leaders who\u00a0have 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\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane was appointed by Governor Asa Hutchinson on August 7, 2017.\u00a0In his current role, Lane serves as the Director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP), which works to support communities across the state through innovative prevention, treatment, and recovery initiatives. Under his leadership, ARORP partnered with CADCA to help Arkansas coalitions build capacity to secure federal Drug-Free Communities (DFC) funding. As a result of this partnership, seven of 13 ARORP-supported coalitions were awarded DFC grants, bringing $4.3 million in federal investment to Arkansas communities.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, Director Lane served as the Chief of Police for the City of Benton, Arkansas. Director Lane began his law enforcement career in 1982. In 1986, he worked for the Pulaski County Sheriff\u2019s Office for 22 years rising to the rank of Captain. His assignments during this time period included Patrol, Narcotics, Investigations, SWAT and Honor Guard. In January of 2009, Lane retired from the Pulaski County Sheriff\u2019s Office as the Investigation Division Commander and was appointed the Chief of Police of the Benton Police Department.<\/p>\n<p>He attended the University of Virginia and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. He is a graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Academy, the Drug Enforcement Administration\u2019s Drug Commander\u2019s Academy and the FBI National Academy 197th session. He has served on boards representing Arkansas for the Regional Organized Crime Information Center and was the Chairman of the Arkansas Chief\u2019s Association Legislative Committee. Director Lane also served on advisory boards for the Criminal Justice Institute, the Arkansas Prescription Monitoring Program and the Arkansas Alcohol and Drug Coordinating Council.<\/p>\n<p>Director Lane is an active member of the Arkansas State working group for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and received the 2012 Marie Interfaith Leadership Award for his work in this area.\u00a0He also serves on the CADCA Board of Directors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CADCA Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Mark Gold\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Honors an individual whose career and contributions have had a profound and sustained impact on the prevention field\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Mark S. Gold, M.D. is a world-renowned expert on addiction-related diseases and has worked for 40+ years developing models for understanding the effects of opioid, tobacco, cocaine, and other drugs, as well as food, on the brain and behavior. Today, Dr. Gold continues his research, teaching, and consulting as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis.\u00a0He publishes a weekly article for\u00a0<em>Psychology Today<\/em>\u00a0that translates the latest science on addiction-related issues into easy to understand, accessible information for the general public that CADCA distributes to its members.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u041e CADCA\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nCADCA is the premier prevention\u00a0association equipping coalitions\u00a0with tools, knowledge, and support to create positive change in their communities. CADCA\u2019s vision is safer, healthier, and\u00a0stronger\u00a0communities everywhere. Through our work we have built a network of more than 7,000 coalitions across the United States and over 28 countries. At the core of CADCA\u2019s creation is the belief in the effectiveness and efficiency of local coalitions as catalysts for drug-free communities globally, combating substance misuse through the implementation of comprehensive strategies for community change.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CADCA is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026 National Leadership Forum Awards. Every year, CADCA recognizes exceptional individuals that have made significant contributions to the field of substance use prevention and community coalition leadership.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[230],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum | CADCA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CADCA represents over 5,000 community coalitions that involve individuals from key sectors including schools, law enforcement, youth, parents, healthcare, media, tribal communities and others\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ru_RU\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum | CADCA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CADCA represents over 5,000 community coalitions that involve individuals from key sectors including schools, law enforcement, youth, parents, healthcare, media, tribal communities and others\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CADCA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-19T15:25:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-27T13:29:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cadca-member-of-logo1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"880\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CADCA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u041d\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u043d\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u043e\u043c\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CADCA\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"CADCA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#\/schema\/person\/59450668a789ea773e67638b55479314\"},\"headline\":\"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-19T15:25:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-27T13:29:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/\"},\"wordCount\":13,\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"ru-RU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/\",\"name\":\"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum | CADCA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-19T15:25:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-27T13:29:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#\/schema\/person\/59450668a789ea773e67638b55479314\"},\"description\":\"CADCA represents over 5,000 community coalitions that involve individuals from key sectors including schools, law enforcement, youth, parents, healthcare, media, tribal communities and others\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"ru-RU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/\",\"name\":\"CADCA\",\"description\":\"The Premier Prevention Association\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"ru-RU\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#\/schema\/person\/59450668a789ea773e67638b55479314\",\"name\":\"CADCA\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum | CADCA","description":"CADCA represents over 5,000 community coalitions that involve individuals from key sectors including schools, law enforcement, youth, parents, healthcare, media, tribal communities and others","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/","og_locale":"ru_RU","og_type":"article","og_title":"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum | CADCA","og_description":"CADCA represents over 5,000 community coalitions that involve individuals from key sectors including schools, law enforcement, youth, parents, healthcare, media, tribal communities and others","og_url":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/","og_site_name":"CADCA","article_published_time":"2025-11-19T15:25:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-27T13:29:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":880,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cadca-member-of-logo1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"CADCA","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"\u041d\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u043d\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u043e\u043c":"CADCA"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/"},"author":{"name":"CADCA","@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#\/schema\/person\/59450668a789ea773e67638b55479314"},"headline":"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum","datePublished":"2025-11-19T15:25:50+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-27T13:29:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/"},"wordCount":13,"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"ru-RU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/","url":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/","name":"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum | CADCA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-11-19T15:25:50+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-27T13:29:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#\/schema\/person\/59450668a789ea773e67638b55479314"},"description":"CADCA represents over 5,000 community coalitions that involve individuals from key sectors including schools, law enforcement, youth, parents, healthcare, media, tribal communities and others","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"ru-RU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/news-release\/cadca-to-honor-outstanding-leaders-in-substance-use-prevention-at-2026-national-leadership-forum\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CADCA to Honor Outstanding Leaders in Substance Use Prevention at 2026 National Leadership Forum"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/","name":"CADCA","description":"The Premier Prevention Association","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"ru-RU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/#\/schema\/person\/59450668a789ea773e67638b55479314","name":"CADCA"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23096\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cadca.org\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}