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Joël Phillips, Executive Director
Joël L. Phillips is founder and Executive Director of the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS) Inc. He brings a thorough knowledge of the prevention system at community, state and national levels. His experience includes the full development of the prevention field, from the very earliest days of OSAP, and encompasses the entire spectrum of the phased prevention capacity process envisioned in the SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework. Mr. Phillips has directed many of CARS' pioneering projects in the needs assessment field, including their continuing production of the California County Handbook that produces detailed trends and comparative analyses for each of California's 58 counties. Currently, he is directing a focused needs assessment project in Napa County CA that is designed to develop feasible ways of improving the utility of social indicator needs assessments by developing finer grain estimates (e.g., by demographic and geographic micro-communities).
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He has also developed synthetic estimator applications for social cost estimates, and has applied those in county and community studies (e.g., San Diego County, CA). In CARS' capacity as prime contractor for the California Prevention Institute (CPI), Mr. Phillips has facilitated and directed staff support of a variety of capacity building interagency task forces and planning efforts. For example, over the past four years he has facilitated the California Governor's Prevention Advisory Council (GPAC) Committee in a systematic planning effort under California's SIG to reduce binge drinking in the state. This planning effort has involved data analysis to identify those components of the population (e.g., residential college students, high-school binge drinkers) that are most in need of services, and those services that show the greatest evidence for effectively meeting those needs (e.g., high school SAPs). He has directed and facilitated other statewide and community strategic planning efforts, and capacity development efforts including development of various components of California's Prevention Data System. He is currently collaborating to build the capacity of California ADP's data warehousing and analysis capacity. In addition to his work in California, Mr. Phillips has consulted on capacity development projects in other states and on national efforts such as the development of CSAP's MDS. With respect to implementation, Mr. Phillips guided the development of a management-focused evaluation approach that was an early recognition of data-based decision making. Mr. Phillips and CARS recognized that performance monitoring and input to data-based decision making and program improvement were crucial ways in which local evaluation resources could improve prevention practice and outcomes. This perspective has now become a key theme within the SPF. With respect to evaluation, Mr. Phillips and his staff have conducted more than 200 local, state and national evaluation studies. He has directed numerous studies within the PPWI, HRY, Community Partnerships, mentoring CSAP initiatives, as well as numerous studies with funding from other federal agencies (the Department of Education, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Department of Labor) and many studies for state and local jurisdictions.
Kerrilyn Scott-Nakai, Project Director
Ms. Scott-Nakai is currently the Project Director for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) and Community Prevention Initiative (CPI) Technical Assistance Projects. In this capacity, she oversees the provision of TA, training, product development, and resources dissemination to 18 SDFSC grantees, the 58 County AOD Offices, and prevention providers throughout the state. She is responsible for the delivery of over 2,500 TA days per year, overseeing a pool of expert consultants, and ensuring that services and products are research-based, relevant and culturally appropriate.
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Over the years, she has established a strong track record in managing the delivery of technical assistance to a broad array of prevention staff in the areas of program design, evidence-based practices and evaluation. Over the past 10 years, Ms. Scott-Nakai has had the opportunity to personally visit, work with, and establish professional connections with the majority of County AOD Offices throughout California. She has over 15 years of assisting federal, state, county, and school and community-based organizations with their prevention efforts.
Barbara Thorsen, Project Manager
Barbara Thorsen is currently Program Manager for the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS) bringing her expertise in managing Technical Assistance (TA) service delivery, training coordination and program management. At CARS she manages the TA and Training component for the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) and Community Prevention Initiative (CPI) grants for the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. In this capacity she is responsible for the delivery of over 2,500 TA days per contract year between SDFSC and CPI, overseeing all aspects of technical assistance process: reviewing assignments, hiring consultants, invoicing and working with subject matter experts to ensure accurate and timely service for both projects.
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Before joining CARS, Ms. Thorsen managed Federal and State grants at Sonoma State University for 7 years where the content included reducing children's exposure to violence, the Indian Child Welfare project, mandated child abuse reporter training, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Among the funders for these projects were the California Department of Social Services, The California Attorney General's Office, Crime and Violence Prevention Unit and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, Ms. Thorsen has extensive knowledge and skill in providing services to children and families through her experience as the director of various child development centers.
Terese Voge, Research and Publications Manager
Terese Voge, MPA has over 10 years of project management experience in the social service field. In her capacity as Research and Publications Manager at CARS, she manages the development of publications and curricula, and contributes to the research-to-practice agenda associated with CARS' two TA and Training contracts for California's State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. She brings to CARS recent knowledge and experience of local policy development, community organizing, data collection and analysis, and evaluation. She also has a background in providing direct social services to adolescents in a counseling setting, as well as elderly in a hospital setting.
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In her previous employment she served in a leadership capacity on multiple community coalitions and partnerships addressing the health and well being of children and families. Her expertise offered to these efforts includes the use of public policy, advocacy, community education, and community needs assessment to improve health. She has experienced success with the application of these approaches locally on an number of issues including, improving access to mental health services, expanding education to clinicians and influencing social norms around the issues of post partum depression and early childhood mental health, and using environmental prevention strategies to address the obesity epidemic with children. She played an integral role in the development and sustainability of the Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate Program offered through Sonoma State University. She is a current Board of Supervisors appointed member of the Maternal, Child Adolescent Advisory Board for the County of Sonoma. She was honored as a Public Health Champion in 2008 for the County of Sonoma in the category of Ensuring the Quality and Accessibility of Health Services.
Mark Freeman, Online Manager
Mark Freeman currently serves as the Online Training Manager for EMT Associates and the Center for Applied Research Solutions. In this capacity, he oversees the design and implementation of My Prevention Community and EMT Online University which using multi-media learning strategies and other web-based technologies to provide innovative knowledge transfer to the prevention field. Mr. Freeman led efforts to develop two multi-media training programs, "Brief Intervention for Substance Using Adolescents" and "Dealing with Difficult Issues with Youth."
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Joanne Oshel, Technical Assistance and Data Coordinator
Before joining CARS, Ms. Oshel has worked for various government programs and non-profits as an Operations and Program Assistant. She has developed program curriculum and procedures, data collection and client tracking, budget management, reporting, and accounting, and facilitated trainings in the areas of career development.
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In addition, she has worked in the field of education for eight years as a Program Manager, Teacher, and System Technology Coordinator. While working for a regional office of education in Illinois, she worked with at-risk high school students providing computer training to students in the Gear Up program, and assisted in the guidance of students in the WIA program. Joanne also worked in the areas of technology and teacher recertification where she provided technical assistance to teachers and administrators in seventeen school districts providing: guidance on incorporating technology into their classrooms, trained teachers in the use of technology and software, worked with data collection and analysis of school district statistics, and provided general technical assistance on various software and web based programs. She also designed and managed websites, computer labs and grant data collection and reporting through the 21st Century Learning Community grant, teacher recertification programs and training, and assisted in the management of all technology. While working for a private school system in Kentucky, Joanne worked as a technology teacher and System Technology Coordinator. She managed all technology for the school district, to include: website design and management, strategic planning and research for future technology, teacher training and alignment of technology standards in the classroom, federal technology grant management, writing technology plans, and teaching technology to students and teachers.
Ms. Oshel has also worked for private companies where she has provided assistance in the areas of marketing, technology, and general administrative assistance. She has worked in marketing for medical facilities and product distributors and sellers, to include: strategic planning, design of materials, writing and distribution of press releases, coordination of focus groups, e-commerce marketing, and coordination of various marketing programs. In addition, Joanne has worked with various companies in redesigning processes, forms, and reports to better enable businesses to run more efficiently.
Maria Traylor, Training Coordinator
Maria Traylor has 15 years of experience in business development in which she has served as owner for an exclusive Sonoma County Wedding and Planning Event Business. This experience translates to her expertise in using coordination, production and management skills for organizing trainings and workshops for Center for Applied Research Solutions. Ms Traylor oversees the logistics for training events for local, regional and statewide substance abuse prevention training events. Maria is responsible for building and maintaining cooperative working relationships with grantees and consultants to impact the appropriate response service that CARS provides. Additionally, Ms. Traylor assists in maintaining and managing administrative records and databases for the TA and Training Projects.
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Ms. Traylor brings the hands-on approach to the social service field. Her strong capacity to express and implement basic problem-solving techniques and interact productively with persons of all economic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds is key to working with the prevention field. Maria has the experience of working with professionals from a variety of culturally diverse disciplines including, educational, community-based, and business representatives.
Kari DeCelle, Graphic Designer
Kari DeCelle currently serves, among other roles, as the in-house graphic designer for the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS). In this capacity, she is responsible for designing all print materials and online graphic media including marketing materials, training curricula, logos, binder covers, flyers, and brochures. Ms. DeCelle formats publications including manuals, catalogs, curricula, and newsletters and designs large exhibit display boards, banners, signs, and other promotional materials for CARS, its projects and clients.
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