With more than two decades of experience in drug prevention and coalition building, Barbara de Nekker has demonstrated success bringing together community partners to achieve long-term, positive change. Through grassroots advocacy and youth engagement, her efforts contributed to the adoption of over two dozen smoke-free policies in Lake County. She has worked with local, regional and national drug prevention coalitions and presented at national conferences on youth advocacy, the social norms approach, coalition development and effective drug prevention messaging. As Director of Youth Activism at Truth Initiative in Washington D.C., Barbara provided technical assistance and training to teens, young adults, and coordinators of tobacco prevention youth groups across the nation.
In addition to drug prevention experience, Barbara worked as a nonprofit consultant for Veterans Moving Forward, Inc., a nonprofit that provides service dogs and canine therapy to veterans, and spent three years in the Netherlands, where she served as a social cultural worker helping foreign women integrate into Dutch society.
Part-time CTAD Coordinator Lindsay Sweet is a Highland Park native, with experience as a volunteer Girl Scout leader and former volunteer Backpack Blessings packing coordinator for Sherwood and Red Oak Elementary Schools.
Lindsay began her career as a project officer and health educator at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), working in tobacco control. She also managed community health programs for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She’s excited to bring her passion for youth substance abuse prevention to CTAD.
