Center for U.S. Policy Welcomes Distinguished Leaders to Its Board of Directors

New directors bring health care, education, and communications experience to the not-for-profit Center for U.S. Policy, enhancing its efforts to address the U.S. drug poisoning and mental health crises. Washington, DC, USA, February 8, 2023 - The Center for U.S. Policy (CUSP) today announced that Ronne Ostby, M.A.; LaTonya Pinkard, M.Ed.; and Marsha Stanton, Ph.D., R.N., have been elected to its board of directors. These leaders’ knowledge and accomplishments in health care, education, and communications bolster CUSP’s efforts to enhance the health, safety, and economic opportunity of all Americans. Ronne Ostby, M.A., is a health communication professional with nearly 25 years of experience improving public awareness of health concerns, including the prevention of substance misuse, suicide, and youth violence. She has worked with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. She is Chief Strategy Officer at a research, advisory, and communications agency. LaTonya Pinkard, M.Ed., has been a post-secondary educator for over 15 years and is currently a Professor of English at a Maryland higher-education institution. She the author of Nate & His Magic Lion, published by Briley & Baxter Publications. She is a certified life coach, a certified yoga instructor, and the owner of Mahaba Yoga. Ms. Pinkard was featured in seasons 3 and 4 of Netflix’s Emmy® winning docuseries, “Last Chance U,” in which she fulfilled the “roles of academic compass, voice of reason and ad hoc therapist within a formal classroom setting,” according to Sports Illustrated. Marsha Stanton, Ph.D., R.N., is President of the International Health Facility Diversion Association. Dr. Stanton’s career has spanned clinical practice, program development, health professional education, publication planning, alliance development, and legislative engagement. She is a recipient of the Distinguished Service and Lifetime National Advocacy awards from the American Society for Pain Management Nursing, Educator of the Year awards from the American Society of Pain Educators and the National Association for Drug Diversion Investigators, and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Academy of Pain Medicine. “Ms. Ostby, Ms. Pinkard, and Dr. Stanton bring to the Center for U.S. Policy a wealth of experience and reputations for ethical leadership and dynamic public service. Our board and staff are delighted to work with them to promote evenhanded responses to national challenges, including the drug poisoning and mental health crises,” Michael Barnes, CUSP’s chairman, said. More thorough bios of CUSP’s board members are published on the organization’s website. About the Center for U.S. Policy The Center for U.S. Policy is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research and education organization dedicated to enhancing the health, safety, and economic opportunity of all Americans. The Center for U.S. Policy's priorities include preventing substance use disorder (SUD) and drug poisonings, and supporting people with SUD and mental health conditions, including those who are justice-involved or otherwise overlooked. CUSP pursues its mission by conducting research and analysis; formulating policy proposals; educating professionals, policy makers, and young people; and increasing public awareness. In conducting its activities, CUSP strives to focus on facts and to engage respectfully with people whose ideas and opinions differ from its own.