.jpg "Lewis Ponzo, MA photo")
Director of Community Health and Chronic Disease Programs
GNR Public Health
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Mr. Ponzo currently serves as the Prescription Drug Prevention Coordinator but has held roles as the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Regional Prevention Specialist for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities - Office of Behavioral Health Prevention and Federal Grants.
In addition, Mr. Ponzo is the statewide Programmatic Officer for Drugs Don’t Work, Voices for Prevention, The Confess Project, The Georgia Marijuana Abuse Prevention Program, the Georgia Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Initiative and the Naloxone Training and Distribution for Law Enforcement and First Responders. Within this capacity Mr. Ponzo supervises subrecipient prevention services/programs through the monitoring of prevention contracting, goal and performance measure progress, contract deliverables, payments, reporting, and evaluations. Mr. Ponzo serves as liaison with Funder Organization, state Advisory Committee, and community organizations.
Mr. Ponzo ensures project activities are conducted in accordance with Federal and state regulations, policies and procedures. Mr. Ponzo also provides technical assistance to funded providers concerning aspects of prevention and assists in the development of the community prevention infrastructure.
Mr. Ponzo obtained his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University in the field of Criminal Justice and Psychology. Mr. Ponzo later went on to attend Argosy University for a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Mr. Ponzo is currently pursuing an MBA with a concentration on Executive Leadership. Prior to joining the DBHDD-OBHPFG team Mr. Ponzo held community, programmatic and executive roles working directly with dual diagnosed children, adolescents, and adults throughout Metro Atlanta. Mr. Ponzo prides himself on being family oriented and is passionate about motivating, inspiring and encouraging others.
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
2:15 PM – 3:30 PM