Samantha is the Stimulant Prevention Enhancement Specialist and has been with DBHDID since June 2023.  In this role, Samantha works to provide technical assistance around evidence-based stimulant use prevention to the Regional Prevention Centers as well as their community partners and other statewide groups.

Samantha also serves as the Youth Empowerment Liaison. In this role, she connects state-level prevention staff and Prevention Specialists working with youth groups focused on community-level substance use prevention. This includes managing the Youth Empowerment Grant, connecting with training programs, and providing technical assistance to the Regional Prevention Centers.

Before working with DBHDID, Samantha spent almost nine years with Communicare’s Regional Prevention Center. She worked as a Certified Prevention Specialist, working with community coalitions and other partners focused on substance use prevention. During this time, she also took on the role of the Faith-Based Prevention Enhancement Specialist, working with faith communities to incorporate the message of prevention into their messages.

Samantha began her prevention experience years before she started working at Communicare.  During high school, Samantha participated in a youth-led prevention coalition that focused on reducing underage drinking within the community. During college, she continued to volunteer with the coalition, and then during her final semester, she completed an internship with the Department of Behavioral Health, Children’s Branch. During this internship, Samantha worked closely with the Garrett Lee Smith Grant for Suicide Prevention.