James E. Copple Founding Partner Expertise: Public Policy, Strategic Planning, Training and Facilitation, Community Coalition Building, Public Speaking, Organizational Development, Systems Improvement, Evaluation and Accountability, Government Relations, Communications, Fund Development Content Knowledge: Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic and International Development, Gangs/Youth Violence Prevention, Juvenile Justice, Substance Abuse Prevention/Treatment, Global Education, Crime Prevention, Homeland Security, Public Health, LGBT, Methamphetamine, Criminal Justice, Service Learning, and Mental Health Interventions Full Biography: James E. Copple has a long and distinguished career in youth work, education, substance abuse, and crime and violence prevention. A nationally recognized speaker and writer in this field, Mr. Copple has served as the Founding President of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Crime Prevention Council in Washington, D.C., and most recently, President of the International Institute for Alcohol Awareness. Mr. Copple works as Senior Policy Analyst for the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and is a Founding Partner of Strategic Applications International, LLC.

Over the past ten years, Mr. Copple has facilitated 22 state-wide summits on Methamphetamine Prevention and Enforcement, numerous summits on violence prevention, gun prevention, and comprehensive planning on alcohol prevention among underage youth. He has delivered major addresses in every state of the union and spoken in twenty-two different nations, including a major facilitation between the Israel and the Palestinian Authority on youth substance abuse and violence prevention at the request of the State Dept.

Mr. Copple specializes in designing and implementing comprehensive system responses across local, state, and federal governments to address the major social issues of our day. Recently, Mr. Copple on behalf of SAI has worked in International Development working with governments and communities to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa. Mr. Copple has mobilized projects in Swaziland, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

Mr. Copple has authored two major pieces of legislation, the Drug Free Communities Act and the Crime Free Rural State and Communities Act in the Department of Justice Reauthorization Bill. He regularly consults with states and communities on model state statutes and local ordinances related to drug abuse, gang violence, and underage drinking. While at NCPC, he played a major role in the design and implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Mr. Copple has done doctoral work in education at the University of Kansas and taught history at Eastern Nazarene College, and Boston College. He served as an adjunct professor of education at the Wichita State University and Special Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools in Wichita, Kansas. He loves sailing, reading, and spending time with his eight children and 14 grandchildren.