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 CorporationJill Smock
B.S., OCPS II, DirectorTy Sells B.A., OCPS II, Director of Training & Development
Gretchen Conturo
B.A., OCPS II, Outreach CoordinatorJaime Urban B.A., OCPS I, Local Programs Coordinator
Cheryl Campbell
B.A., Youth Services CoordinatorStephanie Christie
Prevention AssistantDaylea Godfrey
Prevention Assistant
Devin Thomas
B.A., Prevention AssistantKevin Rigby
Prevention AssistantSteven Thompson
Prevention Assistant
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]
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. Gretchen coordinates Winner Choice Camps, International Conferences and co-coordinates a community committee, which works all year long to plan the local county's Just Say No March and Rally.
Jaime Urban has been involved with Youth to Youth International since she attended a “Winners’ Choice” Camp in 7th grade in 1991; Loving the positive message of Youth to Youth and its belief in the power of youth, she stayed actively involved with the program throughout her high school career as a Youth Advisory Board (YAB) member and Speakers Bureau Member. A real highlight for Jaime is the fact that some of her fondest memories and best friends came from her high school involvement in the Youth to Youth program!
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, across the country and in the Cayman Islands!
Jaime currently serves as the Local Programs Coordinator, overseeing all local programming development and the exciting local team staff, coordinating the current Youth Advisory Board consisting of amazing teens from all over Franklin County, serving as a national trainer, and coordinating the Eastern States Summer Conference series.
Jaime is a graduate of Xavier University with a degree in Public Relations. She worked as part of the Youth to Youth Summer Staff during college, and became a full-time employee upon graduation in 2001.
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.
Steve Thompson is a direct product of the Youth to Youth program. He has been involved with Youth to Youth ever since his first camp when he was in the seventh grade. Even at the young age of twelve he knew he would fall in love with the positive messages of the program. Steve went on to become a YAB (Youth Advisory Board), and Speakers Bureau member through high school. He had the opportunities to travel to Alaska, Atlanta, and California, to help train and share his love for the program with other teens. Steve will never forget the amazing people that he has meet and all the great memories that he made while he was in the program. Steve has had many roles as an employee of Youth to Youth International. He started right out of high school packing vans and cleaning storerooms, and loved every moment of it. After a brief couple years off , while attending Ohio Christian University, Steve has come back with a whole new role. As a Prevention Specialist Steve is in charge of the DFAC (Drug Free Awareness Campaign) Team, anything audiovisual, he also produces all the videos and slideshows, and yes he still packs the occasional van. Along with all those roles Steve is one of Youth to Youth’s featured speakers. With his presentation Dream Big, Act Bigger, Steve challenges young people to work to accomplish their wildest dreams. Steve is currently finishing up a degree in Business Management from Ohio Christian University. He plans to graduate in August 2009. He not only loves the Youth to Youth program he also believes that the young people are going to change the world.
Devin Michael Thomas has been involved with Youth to Youth since 1999 and since has been in love with the positive message that this program brings. Devin has received a Bachalor of Arts in Radio/Television/Film from Capital University. He has currently been an employee of Youth to Youth since 2005. He is a part of the Youth to Youth Local Team and works heavily with the teens in the Youth Advisory Board as well as with the high school seniors with a group called Senioritis. In his spare time works on his music as an emcee as well as dance choreography for young teens.
Stephanie has been involved in Youth to Youth since 2001, when she attended her first Speakers’ Bureau Training as a high school youth. Intrigued not only by the skills she learned, but her peers excitement and enthusiasm, she stayed heavily involved and got several opportunities to speak with Youth to Youth thereafter. After she graduated high school in 2003, she went on to Duquesne University, returning every summer to volunteer for the Youth to Youth International Summer Conference. Still feeling very passionate about spreading the drug free message, she moved back to Columbus, Ohio after 2 years at Duquesne, and began working at Youth to Youth in 2004. She is currently finishing her last quarter at The Ohio State University, and will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in March. Stephanie currently works with the local team on speaking engagements, trainings, fun events, and the weekly Youth Advisory Board Meetings. She also serves as the Office Manager for both the International and Western States Conferences. Recently, she has been working on research for the development of a bully prevention program within Youth to Youth.
Daylea has been involved with Youth to Youth since 1998 when she attended a “Winner’s Choice” Camp as a 7th grader, continuing her involvement as an active Youth Advisory Board and Speakers Bureau member through her high school years at Gahanna Lincoln. She was hired as a part time Prevention Assistant upon graduating in 2004 and has been with us ever since. Daylea is also a full time student at The Ohio State University in the Fisher College of Business where she is studying marketing and is to graduate in spring of 2008. On a regular basis, Daylea works with the Youth Advisory Board and Speakers Bureau, getting to know and having fun with the teens of Franklin County as well as serving as a youth trainer for number of Youth to Youth’s many conferences. She has had the opportunity to spread the drug-free message as a youth and as an employee all over Ohio and in Pennsylvania, California, Texas, Florida, and Bermuda. Daylea is also in charge of developing and managing promotional items sold by Youth to Youth making sure that everybody can represent the drug-free lifestyle, with a little style.
Kevin Rigby
Prevention Assistant
Kevin Rigby has been involved in Youth to Youth since the summer of 2002 when he attended his first conference as a participant. Going into high school he became actively involved in the local Youth Advisory Board and Speakers Bureau. Youth to Youth gave Kevin the opportunity to travel to many places like: The Cayman Islands, California, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and the great city of Toledo. After a year removed from the program Kevin decided to apply for a Summer Staff position and was accepted. After a grueling summer of packing, unpacking, loading and unloading vans, driving, two conferences, and traveling he proved himself to be an exceptional worker and was hired part-time as a Prevention Assistant. As Prevention Assistant Kevin works with the Youth Advisory Board and on the Local Team planning and organizing events for Franklin County. While working at Youth to Youth Kevin majors in Communications at Capital University and is expected to graduate in 2010.
