Board of Directors

  • Susan P. Weinstein, Esq.

    Chairperson

    Susan P. Weinstein, Esq.

    Susan P. Weinstein, Esq. is the co-founder and president of the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) and has 30 years of experience with drug and drug-related topics. She identifies new and emerging issues and determines the substantive issues that LAPPA undertakes. She oversees all of LAPPA’s work products and liaises with federal and state partners on a host of topics. Prior to co-founding LAPPA, Ms. Weinstein was employed by the National Center for State Courts, the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, and the National District Attorneys Association. She has authored numerous publications and presented at various conferences on the intersection of public safety and public health. Ms. Weinstein received her Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from Syracuse University’s College of Law and her Bachelor of Business Administration from the George Washington University. She is a member of the bars of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the State of New Jersey, and the District of Columbia.

  • Sarah Kelsey, Esq.

    Vice Chairperson

    Sarah Kelsey, Esq.

    Sarah Kelsey, Esq. is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA), where much of her recent work has focused on controlled substances including prescribing practices, safe consumption sites, emerging drugs of concern, prescription monitoring programs, pain clinic laws/regulations, and other related topics. Prior to forming LAPPA, Ms. Kelsey was the CEO of the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws (NAMSDL), a resource for governors, legislators, attorneys general, prosecutors, drug and alcohol professionals, health professionals, community leaders, the recovering community and others who strive for comprehensive and effective state drug and alcohol laws, policies, regulations, and programs. During her tenure with NAMSDL, first as a research and legislative attorney and then as CEO, Ms. Kelsey specialized in the retrieval, review, analysis, and comparison of each of the states’ drug and alcohol laws. Ms. Kelsey received her B.A. in Government Affairs from the University of Virginia and her J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University. She is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association.

  • Jasmine Dale, CPA, MAcc.

    Treasurer

    Jasmine Dale, CPA, MAcc.

    Jasmine Dale, CPA, MAcc is an accounting professional with nearly 15 years experience in not-for-profit accounting, financial statement preparation, budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning. She has served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) since 2020. As LAPPA’s CFO, she is responsible for maintaining effective internal controls; providing timely, accurate, and reliable financial information; upholding strong financial management and accountability; ensuring compliance with grant and accounting regulations. During her tenure at LAPPA, she has successfully navigated annual A-133 audits, improved the internal control environment, and established LAPPA’s strong financial foundation. Prior to working for LAPPA, Ms. Dale was a Senior Corporate Accountant and Finance Consultant with Sentara Healthcare, the largest integrated health system in the United States; she was also an auditor at a regional accounting firm and Deloitte, one of the largest professional accounting organizations in the world.  Ms. Dale received her B.A. in Accounting at Seattle University and her Master of Accountancy from the University of Denver – she currently holds a CPA license in the state of Virginia.

     

  • Michael C. Barnes, Esq

    Michael C. Barnes, Esq

    Michael C. Barnes, Esq. is Chairman of the Center for U.S. Policy, a not-for-profit organization advancing solutions to pressing national challenges, including the substance use disorder and drug poisoning crisis. He is also Principal Attorney at Sequel Legal, where he practices health and drug law and policy. Mr. Barnes’s research and analysis have been published in more than 15 legal, policy, and medical journals. He is a member of the advisory board for the Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit, the National Sheriffs’ Association’s Drug Enforcement Committee, and the editorial board for the Journal of Opioid Management. Mr. Barnes was a political appointee under President George W. Bush, having served as confidential counsel in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

  • Amelia Walton, LPC

    Amelia Walton, LPC

    Amelia Walton is a Licensed Professional Counselor, consultant, and advocate who specializes in working with developmental and acute trauma. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Warren Wilson College and holds both a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and an Education Specialist degree from James Madison University. She has advanced training in multiple trauma-informed modalities and is an EMDR certified therapist. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her family.

  • Brandon Wieland, CPA, CFP®

    Brandon Wieland, CPA, CFP®

    Brandon Wieland is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner TM who spent the first fifteen years of his career working in the public accounting industry primarily working with non-profit Organizations where he conducted financial statement audits, regulatory and compliance tax filings and served as an outsourced consultant for accounting systems and operations. Mr. Wieland left public accounting in 2021 to pursue a career in the non-profit sector and is currently the Director of Finance for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), an international 501(c)(3) not-for-profit scientific Society with over 11,000 members. There he manages the accounting and finance operations of the ASBMB with the help of his four accounting staff headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. Mr. Wieland earned his B.A. in accounting from the University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants.

  • Brandee Izquierdo, Ph.D, DPA, MPA

    Brandee Izquierdo, Ph.D, DPA, MPA

    Brandee Izquierdo is the Director of Behavioral Health Programs for Pew Charitable Trusts where she leads researchers and advocates working at the state and federal levels to expand access to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders and improve suicide prevention interventions in hospitals and health systems. Before joining Pew, Dr. Izquierdo held several leadership roles, including executive director of the Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic Project and director of advocacy and outreach at Faces & Voices of Recovery. She also served as the associate director of special populations with Behavioral Health System Baltimore and as director of consumer affairs for Maryland’s Behavioral Health Administration. Dr. Izquierdo is a woman in recovery, holds a bachelor’s degree in government and public policy, a master’s in public administration, and a doctorate in public administration.