Interview With Jim Bergman
Jim Bergman, Director of the National Center for Tobacco-Free Older Persons (NCTFOP) at the Center for Social Gerontology, is an expert on law and aging issues as they relate to tobacco use. The impetus for creating the NCTFOP was to raise the consciousness of people within the aging network, as well as the general public and policymakers, about the impact of tobacco on older people. Among other initiatives, the NCTFOP is testing to determine which types of smoking cessation programs or nicotine replacement therapy interventions are most effective with older persons. Bergman emphasizes that quitting not only lengthens the life span, but more importantly, it also improves the quality of that lifetime.

Interview With Janet Zwick
Janet Zwick is Deputy Director for the Iowa Department of Public Health and Division Director for the Division of Health Promotion, Prevention, and Addictive Behaviors. She has received numerous awards for her work, including one from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention for Outstanding Contribution and Leadership in the Prevention Field. Ms. Zwick has also received an award from the National Association for State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors for Dedication and Leadership in the Field of Prevention. She uplifts environmental strategies as the most important prevention effort the State of Iowa can assist with, as well as the nation.

Interview With Dr. Butterfoss
Dr. Butterfoss is Associate Professor and Head of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Section at the Center for Pediatric Research in Norfolk, Virginia. The Center for Pediatric Research has two parent organizations, Eastern Virginia Medical School and the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. Dr. Butterfoss is an expert on building community coalitions and has developed “Seven Steps to Coalition Success.” Among other coalitions, Dr. Butterfoss works with CINCH, the Consortium for Infant and Child Health, which now has more than 200 agencies.

Interview With Tom Backer
Dr. Backer is President of the Human Interaction Research Institute (HIRI), a Los Angeles-based nonprofit center for research, policy, and intervention on innovation and change. He is also Associate Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology at the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Backer has studied and shaped substance abuse prevention programs for many years. He is the author of more than 400 books, articles, and research reports.

Interview With Sharron Ayers
Sharron Ayers currently serves as the State project director for the Louisiana Alliance to Prevent Underage Drinking. Prior to accepting this position, she was with the Department of Education in the Substance Abuse Prevention Education Program for 8 years. She serves as a national consultant for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, and Facing Alcohol Concerns through Education. Sharron is also the co-owner of a business called “Beyond Your Limits,” which deals with human development and human rights issues. The Alliance strives to reduce the use of alcohol by those under 21 years of age by supporting policy and environmental changes. In this one-to-one interview, Ms. Ayers imparts her knowledge and expertise in the area of preventing underage alcohol use.

Interview With Ann Houston
Ms. Houston has been involved in a very important aspect of environmental strategies - the field of media advocacy. She has been in this field for over 10 years, developing relationships with people in the media to get them to cover issues and policy relating to substance abuse prevention positively.