Kevin Tanner
Commissioner
DBHDD
Kevin Tanner serves as the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
Prior to his appointment by Governor Brian Kemp, Kevin Tanner served as the County Manager of Forsyth. Governor Kemp also appointed him as chair of the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission in 2019, helping to secure meaningful improvements in this field. Previously, he served four terms as a State Representative for District 9 and has a total of thirty-two years in public service.
Before his time in the General Assembly, Tanner served as the Dawson County Manager where he oversaw day-to-day operations as the county’s chief operating officer. He was recognized in 2011 as the Appointed Official of the Year by the Georgia Association of County Commissioners and in 2007 as one of Georgia Trend Magazine's 40 under 40.
Tanner received his undergraduate degree from North Georgia College and State University and earned a master's of public administration from Columbus State University. He and his wife, Stacie, are the proud parents of three daughters, and he serves as a Deacon and adult Sunday school teacher at Bethel Baptist Church.
https://dbhdd.georgia.gov/
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Commissioner
DBHDD
Ben Westhoff
Journalist
Book-Fentanyl, Inc.
Ben Westhoff is a best-selling investigative journalist, speaker, and filmmaker focused on drugs, culture, and poverty. His books are taught around the country and have been translated into languages all over the world.
Westhoff’s Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic is the bombshell first book about fentanyl, which is causing the worst drug crisis in American history. Westhoff was interviewed about the book for Fresh Air and Joe Rogan, and has written about the fentanyl crisis for The New York Times, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, and many others. Since the book’s publication, Westhoff has advised top government officials on the fentanyl crisis, including from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and the U.S. State Department. He now speaks at conferences and summits around the country about the opioid crisis, and is the 2023 Norman E. Zinberg Memorial Lecture awardee from Harvard Medical School. Westhoff's work has appeared in The New York Times, the Library of Congress, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Daily Beast, New York, Forbes, Vice, Oxford American, Pitchfork, and others. He's been honored by the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Entertainment Journalism Awards, Religion News writers Association, Best Music Writing, Best of Southern Food Writing, L.A. Press Club, and the Missouri Press Association.
https://www.benwesthoff.com/contact#
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Journalist
Book-Fentanyl, Inc.
Cassaundra “Yo’ Sis” Bingaman
Inspiration
Youth on the R2ise
Cassaundra “Yo’ Sis” Bingaman is a multi- award winning, national spoken word artist, creative, and humanitarian. She has been recognized as an esteemed leader in her community and is a self-proclaimed student of life who is learning, living, and breathing the power of words
and expression as an effective means of healing for herself and any living thing that nears her.
She has over a decade of professional experience working directly with youth in foster
care who live with extreme behavioral and/or mental health challenges. She uses her lived
experience to create, teach, and practice innovative approaches to behavioral management,
crisis prevention, and personal empowerment.
Yo’ Sis is currently the program coordinator for Youth on the R2ise, an organization in
Atlanta, Ga, that provides a safe place for people in recovery from addictive diseases and/or
mental health challenges to maintain their wellness through the arts.
She is the understudy of founder and executive director, Alexia Jones, and credits the
Beracha Method for expanding her understanding of recovery and diversifying her practices to
include trauma informed care and strength-based approaches for ANYONE seeking to feel and
become a better version of themselves.
Yo’ Sis is a world traveler who was born in Maryland. She resides in Georgia. She is not
married. She has no biological children. She is a dynamic entertainer, advocate, and activist
who loves sunshine and espresso. Lastly, she cares less about you remembering who she is
and more about you remembering how she made you feel!
You can follow her on Instagram at @yo_sis__ , become her Facebook friend atCassaundra Bingaman, and get in contact with her directly at yo.sis@yahoo.com.
About Cassaundra “Yo’ Sis” Bingaman
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Inspiration
Youth on the R2ise
Willie Dean
Director-Behavioral Health Unit State of Georgia
Department of Community Health Healthcare Facility Regulation Division
Willie Dean has 33 years of experience in the field of substance abuse treatment and mental health disorders. An advocate of learning and personal development, Mr. Dean earned an Associate of Arts in Law Enforcement, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Applied Theology, Master of Addiction Counseling (MAC), and GCAADC certifications. Currently, I am employed with the Department of Community Health Healthcare Facility Regulations Division as the Director of the Behavioral Health Unit, since 2018.
https://dch.georgia.gov/
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Director-Behavioral Health Unit State of Georgia
Department of Community Health Healthcare Facility Regulation Division
Learn more aboutEd Johnson, LPC, LAC/S, MAC, CCS, CPRS
Ed Johnson, LPC, LAC/S, MAC, CCS, CPRS
Ed Johnson, LPC, LAC/S, MAC, CCS, CPRS
Professional Trainer
Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center (SATTC)
Ed Johnson obtained a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling from the Citadel. Since March 2010, Ed has worked as a Program Manager for the Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center (SATTC) located at the National Center for Primary Care, Morehouse School of Medicine. He worked in the field of addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery for over twenty-five years in both front-line and supervisory positions, eighteen of which were with individuals with opioid use disorders. He has provided numerous trainings throughout the Southeast on addiction prevention, treatment and recovery related topics. He is currently credentialed / licensed as a Master Addiction Counselor (MAC), a Certified Addictions Counselor (CACII), and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
About Ed Johnson, LPC, LAC/S, MAC, CCS, CPRS
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Professional Trainer
Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center (SATTC)
