Laura Mitchell Chair

Laura Mitchell is an accountant by trade and a passionate advocate for mental health and substance use parity and equity in treatment and prevention. She has served on the MCCPTA Board of Directors for the last 5 years as the Chair of the Operating Budget, Substance Use Prevention, Financial Review Committees, as a Wheaton Cluster Coordinator and the Area Vice President for the DCC. She also serves as a liaison to the Montgomery County Suicide Prevention Alliance, the Opioid Prevention Coalition (formerly the Opioid Intervention Task Force), and the County Mental Health Advisory Council (MHAC). Laura is a former local elected official who has worked for two decades to advocate for adequate mental health and SUD prevention and treatment services in Maryland and nationally.

Margaret E. Mattson Co-Vice Chair

Dr. Mattson’s major interest is Behavioral Health, specifically the intersection of health/biology with behavior. She received her Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell University and subsequently did postdoctoral studies in public health methodology, including epidemiology and clinical trials. Most of her career was at the National Institutes of Health and the Substance Addiction and Mental Health Services Administration where she conducted and published research in prevention and treatment of addictive behaviors including tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. She was a co-investigator in national clinical trials of behavioral and pharmacologic treatments for addictive disorders. She has been a member of AODAAC for three years and held various roles including Co-Chairperson of the Prevention subcommittee, Member of the Executive Committee, and currently (2020-2021) Chairperson.

Evelyn Saim-Lobos Multicultural Diversity

Evelyn Saim-Lobos is a program director within Sheppard Pratt for two Adolescent Recovery Programs: The Landing and the Recovery and Academic Program (RAP). She helped establish the partnership with MCPS for the creation of the Recovery and Academic Program, one of only two recovery education programs within the state of Maryland. She has served as a voting member of the Montgomery County Alcohol and Other Drug Addiction Advisory Council (AODAAC) since 2018 and Co-Vice Chair since July 2020. She is also the Chair of the Treatment and Recovery subcommittee and is striving to effectively serve her community. Evelyn is passionate about helping adolescents find the courage, s​trength and necessary support to maintain their recovery. Of the titles held, Evelyn is most proudly a wife to a wonderful partner and mommy to her daughter, Luna.

Ed "Bunny" Rich Jr. Business Community

Edwin Rich currently serves as the Co-Executive Director of the Tree of Hope (formerly known as Avery Road Alumni Association). He has been a long-standing voting member of the AODAAC (Alcohol and Other Drug Advisory Council) committee where he has served as the Chair of Treatment and Recovery committee for many years.  He has also served as the Vice Chair for the full AODAAC committee. Edwin is a founding member of Peer2Peer and served as the Vice-Chair for 4 years.  Edwin is a person in recovery of 20 years.  For the last 20 years he has served to bring hope to the recovery community through mentorship and support, volunteering to facilitate groups in various facilities in Montgomery County.  He has volunteered for the last 14 years at the Clarksburg jail where he facilitates groups in the Jail Addictions Service program.

Elyse Grossman, Ph.D. General Public

Dr. Elyse R. Grossman is a public health lawyer and policy consultant focusing on alcohol, marijuana, and other drug policy and law.  She currently works at Advancement Strategy Consulting, LLC, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  She has more than 17 years of experience researching, analyzing, and publishing on issues of policy and law concerning alcohol consumption and substance use -- especially in areas of prevention and youth.  She completed her Masters and Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and her J.D. at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.  She has been on AODAAC since 2015 and served as the Chair from 2018-2020.

Malliga lyer, Ph.D. General Public

Dr. Malliga R. Iyer graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University. She is a long-time resident of Montgomery County, having moved to this area after her graduate studies. She leads a medicinal chemistry team at NIH and her research activities include developing novel therapeutic interventions for substance use disorders. She is interested in new methods to advocate and engage in addiction prevention in the community. She looks forward to volunteering in the county and serving as an AODAAC voting member.

Nick Borowski Individual in Recovery

Nick is a certified peer who dedicates himself, at all hours, to helping individuals start their path to recovery. Nick is also Second Chance's primary ambassador, forging relationships with government and institutional partners in the recovery community. A lifelong Montgomery County Resident, Nick grew up in Burtonsville, Maryland, and attended Paint Branch High School. After a long battle with drugs and alcohol, Nick graduated from the Montgomery County Adult Drug Court, which Nick credits with saving his life. Once in recovery, Nick went back to school, attended college, and interned at the Library of Congress. He obtained his certificate as a CCAR Peer Recovery Coach and Peer Trainer. Nick welcomed his daughter, Valentina, into the world in 2019.

Cristina Rabadán-Diehl, Ph.D. Pharmacist

Dr. Cristina Rabadán-Diehl is a Bethesda Resident since 1993. She is a scientist and public health professional with more than 30 years of experience having worked at the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, she is an Associate Director at Westat, a research company in Rockville, and a Professorial Lecturer at GWU. She is an Ambassador for Shatterproof, collaborates with the Addiction Policy Forum and is a member of the Substance Addiction and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Advisory Council. Cristina lost her son, Jonathan, in 2019 to an opioid overdose.

Zayn Bandukwalla Student HS Age or Younger

Zayn Bandukwalla is a sophomore at Winston Churchill High School. He is a member of his high school club PROVIDE which offers resources for those experiencing drug-related challenges. He also participates in advocacy for fair and equal prosecution for drug-related offenses. Zayn is passtionate about peer-to-peer education with fellow students. He was born in Ohio and lived in California for seven years before moving to Maryland. He enjoys playing and watching soccer and is a huge fan of Newcastle in the Premier League. Zayn looks forward to contributing as an AODAAC board member.

Hannah Sheklow General Public

Hannah Spring Sheklow is a mother and community member who is dedicated to substance misuse education/prevention and recovery. Her passions include supports for people in recovery and mental health. Hannah's focus on these areas grew from the loss of her daughter, which inspired her commitment to helping create an environment of hope and support for people in recovery, as well as to educating other parents on the risks that children of any age may encounter. Hannah has prior experience coordinating addiction education events for adults and youth. She also previously started a group called The Village that brought together law enforcement, lawyers, parents, teachers, youth, and experts for regular meetings for ongoing informative substance use prevention and response discussions.

Denyse Dillon General Public

Ms. Dillon is a public health consultant who has provided advice and consultation to federal and state government agencies and not-for-profit entities. She also has 25 years of professional experience practicing law. Ms. Dillon earned her law degree from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, in addition to a Master's Degree in Public Health from Benedictine University. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia, where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. Ms. Dillon has expertise in health policy development and implementation, as well as in regulatory compliance. Her experience includes promoting quality healthcare to ensure that services are distributed equitable for all members of the community.