Speaker series to bring local leaders to campus to discuss substance abuse

The series, titled (the) Local Matters, will feature speakers with expertise in policy, public health, law enforcement, criminal justice, prevention services and clinical care.

A new speaker series will bring local leaders to campus throughout the fall to discuss the impact of substance abuse on Alamance County.

Titled (the) Local Matters, the series will feature six local leaders with expertise in policy, public health, law enforcement, criminal justice, prevention services and clinical care. Beginning Oct. 9 and continuing each Wednesday afternoon through Nov. 13, a featured speaker will lead community conversations about state and local responses to the opioid epidemic, and substance use more broadly, in Alamance County.

Featured speakers:

Oct. 9: Regina Musa

Rural Services Linkage to Care Coordinator, North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition

Musa will speak about outreach strategies for linking people who use drugs with social and health services.

4:15 to 5:15 p.m., Moseley 128 F/McKinnon F

Oct. 16: Sean Boone

District Attorney of Alamance County

Boone will speak about prosecution responses to substance use.

4:15 to 5:15 p.m., Moseley 215

Oct. 23: Virgil Hayes

Advocacy Manager, North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition

Hayes will discuss the use of a harm reduction approach to address structural violence in the drug economy.

4:15 to 5:15 p.m., Moseley 128 F/McKinnon F

Oct. 30: Stacie Saunders

Director of the Alamance County Department of Health

Saunders will discuss the role of local public health in community response to opioids.

4:15 to 5:15 p.m., Moseley 215

Nov. 6: Capt. Dalton Majors

Division of Community Relations, Burlington Police Department

Majors will discuss strategies for community policing in the opioid crisis.

4:15 to 5:15 p.m., Moseley 128 F/McKinnon F

Nov. 13: Courtney Jones

Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS)

Jones will discuss how to help those living with addiction achieve long-term sobriety.

4:15 to 5:15 p.m., Moseley 128 F/McKinnon F

This series is supported with funds from Project Pericles and the Periclean Faculty Leadership Program. Please reach out to Jennifer Carroll, assistant professor of anthropolgy, at jcarroll16@elon.edu with questions about these events.