Dr. Luke Engeriser is currently the Psychiatry Residency Program Director, Addiction Medicine Fellowship Director, and Associate Professor at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.  He also serves as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of AltaPointe Health.  He attended medical school at Northwestern University and completed psychiatry residency training at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. During his final year of residency, Dr. Engeriser received the Al Glass Award, the military's highest psychiatry resident research award, for his paper exploring the psychological effects of warfare. Dr. Engeriser served an additional three years in the Army at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he held the position of Chief, Department of Behavioral Health. After separating from the Army, Dr. Engeriser was Medical Director of Mid-Coast Mental Health Center/PenBay Psychiatry in Rockland, Maine. Prior to attending medical school, he completed a Master of Arts in Divinity at the University of Chicago and worked as a teacher of English at the Teacher Training College in Torun, Poland. Dr. Engeriser is a Past President of the Alabama Psychiatric Physicians Association, and he is currently President-Elect of the Alabama Society of Addiction Medicine.  He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and is board certified in Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine.

Whitney Johnson is the Training and Outreach Coordinator with Project FREEDOM, a VitAL initiative focused on reducing the number of opioid-related deaths and adverse events among adults through training, education, and implementation of secondary prevention strategies. In her current role, Whitney creates and provides training materials to first responders, healthcare care professionals, and the community on mental health, substance use, and related topics. She has over 15 years of experience working in mental health and substance use across communities and correctional facilities in Alabama, Maryland, and Washington, DC. Whitney holds a master's degree in Criminology from the University of Alabama and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Public Health.

TeNisha Murry, LICSW, PIP has been working in the field of Mental Health since 2011. She has a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Social Work from Alabama A&M University. As a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) she has several years of experience providing both direct psychological and psychosocial care to civilians as well as Veterans. TeNisha has also provided macro level care by creating presentations and speaking to groups/organizations regarding various topics on Mental Health Care and substance treatment for several years. TeNisha is a passionate Mental Health Advocate with specialized training in trauma focused therapy, suicide prevention and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Furthermore, TeNisha is committed to public health education and advocacy.  

Jessica Northcott, MSW, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Program Manager at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Pharmacy, Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU). Jessica provides technical assistance and implementation support to expand access and capacity of medications for opioid use disorders in healthcare and  SBIRT implementation in pharmacy settings. Previous to PERU, Jessica worked in substance use treatment focusing on pregnant and postpartum persons and the incarcerated population. Jessica earned a Master of Social Work from University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice.

Richard A. Tucker is a former Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).  Mr. Tucker received his Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Life from Georgia State University.  His extensive experience in law enforcement includes 10 years as a police officer; Mr. Tucker’s 25-year DEA career has included both domestic and international assignments.  He speaks fluent Thai. He has held a variety of management and enforcement positions including, investigations, intelligence and personal security. He has presented to national and international audiences on a wide variety of topics, including undercover operations, demand reduction, illicit abuse of prescription medicines and intelligence. Mr. Tucker has also instructed law enforcement professionals on issues involving conducting investigations of drug trafficking organizations. He is retired from his law enforcement career and engaged in consulting to the healthcare industry.  Mr. Tucker’s experience provides unique perspective on many issues, including property crime, organized crime, and trafficking and use of drugs at the local, regional, and international levels. This broad view also provides compelling insight on many legal and enforcement issues.

Damon West, M.S. Criminal Justice, is a college professor, internationally known keynote speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Coffee Bean: A simple Lesson to Create Positive Change, which Forbes’ listed in the “Top Twenty Books You Need to Read to Crush 2020.”

His autobiography, The Change Agent: How a Former College QB Sentenced to Life in Prison Transformed His World, vividly tells how he transformed the pot of boiling water that is a Texas maximum-security prison into a pot of coffee. 

At 20 years old, he was a Division 1 starting quarterback at the University of North Texas, when he suffered a career ending injury. He turned to hard core drugs to cope with disappointments of life. After graduation, he worked in the United States Congress, was a national fundraiser on a U.S. Presidential campaign and eventually trained to be a stock-broker for United Bank of Switzerland (UBS). One day at UBS, he was introduced to methamphetamines; he became instantly hooked—and the lives of so many innocent people would forever be changed by the choices he made in order to feed his insatiable meth habit.

After a fateful discussion during his incarceration with a seasoned convict, Damon had a spiritual awakening. He learned that, like a coffee bean changing with the application of heat and pressure, he was capable of changing the environment around him. Armed with a program of recovery, a renewed faith, and a miraculous second chance at life, Damon emerged from over seven years of prison a changed man. His story of redemption, grit and determination continues to inspire audiences today.