Meet the STAFF
Robert E. Sweet B.A., B.S.E., M.A., President & CEO of CompDrug Corporation
Mark Sellers M.S.W., L.S.W., OCPS II, M.P.A. Vice President ,Prevention of CompDrug Corporation
Jill Smock
B.S., OCPS II, DirectorTy Sells B.A., OCPS II, Director of Training & Development
Javier Sanchez B.S., OCPS II, Youth Development Coordinator Gretchen Conturo
B.A., OCPS II, Outreach CoordinatorJaime Urban B.A., OCPS I, School & Local Programs Coordinator Cheryl Campbell
Youth Services Coordinator
As well as President and Founder of the Youth to Youth Program. Bob obtained his Master's degree in Public Health Education from Columbia University in New York City, majoring in Addictions and Dependencies. He has 28 years experience designing and directing programs for drug and alcohol addiction, intervention, education, and prevention. He has served on numerous local, state, and federal planning group and commissions, and served as a member of the first White House Drug Control Policy Forum.
Mark holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from The Ohio State University. He has more than 20 years experience in the field of prevention. Mark is a co-founder of Youth to Youth and the Senior Sense programs. He has served as a consultant, program developer, and national trainer for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) in Washington, D.C.
Jill Smock has been impressed with the power of Youth to Youth since she volunteered as an adult staff in 1984 at a local summer conference. She joined the, then very small, Youth to Youth staff in January of 1985. At that time Jill worked directly with the teens running the Youth Advisory Board and the Speakers Bureau. Soon Jill was traveling across the country, training communities to begin Youth to Youth groups and facilitating summer conferences. In 1989, Jill moved overseas and worked for the US Army Youth Services. It was there that the Youth to Youth connection with the military began, as she worked with military dependent teens to take leadership in running peer prevention programs. Under Jill's direction the military has since contracted six overseas Youth to Youth conferences. Three years later she was back at Youth to Youth International where she directs the Youth to Youth International program. Jill coordinates the Western States conference, as well as, out-of- town training contracts. She also is in charge of national informational and marketing materials and the Youth to Youth Speaker Service.
Ty Sells began his involvement with Youth to Youth in the summer of 1985, when he attended his first conference. He immediately became a member of the Speakers' Bureau and the Youth Advisory Board. Ty served as a volunteer Youth Staff member in 1986, and was hired by Youth to Youth in the summer of 1987. While pursuing his degree in Communication at The Ohio State University, Ty shared his time loading vans and cleaning storerooms for Youth to Youth. As the program expanded, Ty was given new opportunities and responsibilities. By the early 90's Ty had worked his way up to Youth Development Coordinator. This new role included many challenges. Ty became responsible for creating and developing much of the programs content, as well as, overseeing the Youth Advisory Board. During this time, Ty helped created many of the trainings and presentations still used today. These include Advanced Leadership Training, The Seeds of Violence, KEYSS to Recruiting and Working with Young People, and A Step Beyond Training presented at national conferences in California and Washington D.C.
Ty also took on a new role as a keynote presenter. His presentation, "The Power Of Acceptance", has taken him all over the world including Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Canada, Italy, Germany, and Japan. Ty has also authored a chapter that is featured in the book Teen Empower. The chapter is entitled Thank You, and is dedicated to the many adults who have dedicated their lives to helping young people.
Ty is currently the Director of Training & Development for Youth to Youth International. After seventeen years he still loves and believes in the program. He still enjoys the many challenges involved in working with youth and the creative process of finding solutions. As a product of the program, Ty is aware of the impact Youth to Youth can have. As a young boy, to a college student, and even as a professional, Youth to Youth has influenced and affected Ty Sells. Ty hopes to one day give back, as much as Youth to Youth has given him.
Check out Ty's website
[ tysells.com]
Javier Sanchez attended Youth to Youth International's summer conferences for three years before becoming actively involved in the program as a senior in high school. As a participant in the program, Javier took part in the weekly Youth Advisory Board meetings and assisted with several speaking engagements. He also had the opportunity to travel as a youth trainer to California and the Cayman Islands. In June of 1993, Javier joined the staff of Youth to Youth International, where he assisted in summer and regional conference trainings, project and event coordination, and the Youth Advisory Board. A year and a half later, Javier returned to the Cayman Islands to serve as the coordinator of their national Youth to Youth program. After five years of organizing conferences, Speakers Bureau trainings, Drug-free Rallies, and YAB meetings in the Cayman Islands, Javier returned to Columbus, Ohio to once again work for Youth to Youth International as a Prevention Program Specialist. Javier is a national trainer and motivational speaker for Youth to Youth as well as a member of the leadership team for the Franklin County, Ohio’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB), violence prevention projects leader, and High School Advisor liaison. Javier was recently awarded a fellowship with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Developing Leadership in Reducing Substance Abuse Program.
Check out Javier's website
[ javierpseaks.com ]
Gretchen Conturo is the Outreach Coordinator for Youth to Youth International. Gretchen has been involved with Youth to Youth since 1985 when she was a drug free teen leader participating in the program and served as youth staff at conference. As a teen in the program, Gretchen was on Speakers Bureau, the Youth Advisory Board and traveled with Youth to Youth as a teen trainer. In 1987 Gretchen began her career with Youth to Youth, assisting teens to make an impact in their communities as positive drug free role models. Presently, she works part-time in order to spend more time with her two children Joshua and Abigail. She is the editor of the adult "Network News," the media liaison for Youth to Youth and co-coordinates a community committee, which works all year long to plan the local county's Just Say No March and Rally.
Jaime is a graduate of Xavier University with a degree in Public Relations. Jaime has been involved with Youth to Youth International since she attended a “Winners’ Choice” Camp in 7th grade, continuing her involvement during her time at Canal Winchester High School. As a youth and employee she has received many opportunities to spread the drug-free message both locally and beyond, conducting trainings and attending conferences all over Ohio as well in Michigan, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin, California, and Alaska. She was also a proud recipient of both the “Red Ribbon VIP Award” and “Volunteer of the Year Award” while involved as a youth. As an employee for Youth to Youth Jaime serves as the School & Community Projects Coordinator. Jaime works with the Youth Advisory Board and Speakers Bureau, assists with fun event planning, general public relations assistance, and serves as a youth trainer.
Cheryl has been involved with Youth to Youth since 1993 at the age of 13 when she attended her first Eastern States Summer Conference; where she had such a positive experience that she continued her involvement with Youth to Youth through high school and college. In 2002, after graduating with a degree in Education from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, Cheryl began her teaching career working with students grades K-12. For the past two years, Cheryl taught at a small, private school servicing children with autism and related disorders. At the same time, she volunteered as the co-advisor to a Youth to Youth group in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. In the summer of 2006, Cheryl said goodbye to her students in Rhode Island and moved to Columbus, Ohio to join the staff at Youth to Youth International. As an employee for Youth to Youth, Cheryl serves as the Youth Services Coordinator. She is the liaison for middle school and high school advisors, works with the Youth Advisory Board and Speakers Bureau. In her spare time, Cheryl enjoys spending time with her friends, cheering for her favorite football team: The New England Patriots, catching up on the latest pop culture and is starting to develop an interest in scrap booking.
