Loudoun County, VA (April 29, 2022) – The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office will host an in-depth forum on how we as a community can best prevent opioid-related deaths impacting Loudoun County.
The forum, Fighting Fentanyl Together: Education, Prevention, Enforcement, Treatment & Recovery in combating the Opioid Crisis, will be held Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at 7 p.m. at the LCSO Ashburn Station. The Ashburn Station is located at 20272 Savin Hill Drive, Ashburn.
The forum is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Please register to attend by May 13, 2022, at https://bit.ly/LCSOOpioidForum (link).
Special Guests include Derek Maltz, retired top DEA official and TV news contributor, and Jennifer Breaux, Manager of Breaux Vineyards, who lost her son to a fatal fentanyl overdose in 2021.
Expert panelists include Jessica Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas Carr, Director, Washington Baltimore High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, Jarod Forget, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge (Washington Field Office), Michelle Petruzzello, Assistant Director of Loudoun County Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services, Susan Carroll, President, Inova Loudoun Hospital, and Melissa Hinton, Founder & Chair of Loudoun Serenity House.
Our experts bring a collective depth of knowledge and diverse experience that will make this an unforgettable evening. As a community, we must combine our resources to attack the opioid crisis at all levels.
About our Speakers and Panelists:
DEREK MALTZ is a frequent television commentator and expert regarding drug trafficking, homeland security, and border issues. Retired Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent, most recently serving as Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division where he directed a multi-faceted law enforcement operational coordination center with representatives from 30 law enforcement, DOD, and intelligence community agencies with the responsibility of facilitating and synchronizing global efforts to target the transnational threats impacting the United States. Mr. Maltz is a graduate of Syracuse University with a BS in Accounting.
JENNIFER BREAUX serves as the President and General Manager of Breaux Vineyards. Ms. Breaux has established herself as an industry expert in social media and entrepreneurship, most notably demonstrated by appearances on industry-specific online marketing panels. She serves on the board of directors of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, as the Vice President of the Virginia Wineries Association, on the Board of the Greater Hillsboro Alliance, and on other local boards. Mrs. Breaux has had firsthand experience with the tragic consequences of opioids.
JESSICA ABER serves as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. A graduate of William and Mary Law School with a JD in law, Ms. Aber previously served as the Deputy Chief of the Eastern District’s Criminal Division in Richmond. Prior to that, Ms. Aber served in the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division. Ms. Aber is a graduate of the University of Richmond with a BA in Political Science and Criminal Justice.
THOMAS CARR serves as the Executive Director of the University of Baltimore's Center for Drug Policy and Prevention, College of Public Affairs. He is also the Executive Director of the Washington/Baltimore High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program. Formerly, he served as Chief of the Maryland State Police Bureau of Drug Enforcement and Commander of the Criminal Investigations Division. He is the committee chair for the Performance Management Process used by the HIDTA Program, Office of National Drug Control Policy. This committee established metrics to measure drug control efforts in the fields of drug law enforcement, criminal intelligence, treatment, and prevention. Mr. Carr has a degree in History from Towson State University and attended the Maryland State Police Academy, the FBI National Academy, the DEA Drug Commander’s School, and the Federal Executive Institute.
JAROD FORGET is the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division. SAC Forget will be responsible for expanding the DEA’s high level of investigative and regulatory services throughout the community, working on new and innovative ways to combat and protect families against the national opioid crisis and violent crime across the region, expanding public outreach and prevention programs, and providing important insight into the DEA’s work across the tristate area. Mr. Forget has a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in international affairs from Northeastern University.
MICHELLE PETRUZZELLO, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 20 years of experience. She has worked in both mental health and substance abuse treatment settings. She began working for MHSADS in 2001 and has been the Assistant Director since 2013. Ms. Petruzzello has participated in multiple initiatives including MHFA and REVIVE! training, Loudoun County’s Crisis Intervention Team, opening the CIT Assessment Center, Mental Health Docket, Drug Court, and embedding primary care within MHSADS. Ms. Petruzzello graduated from The College of New Jersey with a master's in Community Agency Counseling and a concentration in Chemical Dependency Counseling. She received her bachelor's degree from Monmouth University in Criminal Justice and Psychology. and Psychology.
SUSAN CARROLL, FACHE, MBA, MHA, serves as President of Inova Loudoun Hospital and Sr. Vice President of Inova Health System. She began her career at Inova Loudoun Hospital in 1996 as Director of Business Affairs eventually rising to the level of Chief Operating Officer in 2005. Since then, she has been Vice-President of the Inova Cancer Service Line, CEO at Inova Alexandria Hospital, Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Region, Interim President of Inova Fairfax Hospital, and President of Inova Fair Oaks Hospital. Ms. Carroll holds a master's degree in health administration and business administration from Ohio University.
MELISSA HINTON serves as the Founder & Chair of Loudoun Serenity House. Ms. Hinton is a recovery advocate with experience working in the addiction treatment field. Melissa has 33 years of personal recovery and is actively involved with women in the recovery community. In 2018, in partnership with the Community Foundation of Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties, Melissa spearheaded an initiative to open the first women’s recovery house in Loudoun County. Loudoun Serenity House opened in the town of Leesburg, VA in October 2020 after the tragic loss of Melissa’s younger sister Rachel in 2019 from her addiction. Ms. Hinton has a bachelor's in business management.