Adult Coalition Members
SAFE in Northern Michigan’s structure and operations of the coalition; including coalition leadership, decision making processes, by-laws, workgroups, and financial management:
The SAFE leadership structure consists of a Steering Committee and several work groups, including SAFE Youth. SAFE adheres to a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Manual, which: 1) Identifies required and desirable sectors for membership; 2) Describes established work groups and the option for creating temporary work groups; 3) Timelines for creation and review of strategic action plan and logic model; 4) Commits the coalition to data-driven, evidence-based approaches; All Steering Committee and work group members are volunteer.
To provide the support students need to conduct their prevention activities in the community, the SAFE Steering Committee meets monthly. Decisions are made using a consensus model; so far, the Steering Committee has reached consensus on all decisions.
The SAFE Steering Committee Officers
Project Director Susan Pulaski, Health Department of Northwest Michigan
Project Coordinator Nichole Flickema, Health Department of Northwest Michigan
Chair Randy Koch, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
Co-Chair Corey Hebner, Michigan State Police
Secretary Sarah Ford, Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation
Communications Olivia Van Elslander, Health Department of Northwest Michigan
Other members of the coalition are representatives from the 12 sectors. Steering Committee members serve on work group(s) and/or “specialize” in assisting SAFE Youth directly on a specific project, such as chaperoning events or assisting with producing promotional materials.
SAFE has six work groups that are in line with the SAFE strategic action plan and logic model:
SAFE Youth Work Group drives the coalition. The SAFE Youth coalition has over 100 teens from the 3-county region. The SAFE Youth determine which interventions and strategies to implement in their community using the logic model as a guide. After implementation of interventions, SAFE Youth evaluate the effectiveness and make changes as necessary.
Communications and Media Work Group is chaired by Olivia Van Elslander, marketing and public relations coordinator, at the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. Work Group members will develop and implement a Marketing Communications Plan with assistance from marketing experts and SAFE Youth.
Recruitment and Engagement Work Group is chaired by Susan Pulaski, the Project Director. Its members assure the required and recommended sectors listed in the SAFE SOP Manual are represented on the Steering Committee.
Funding and Sponsorship Work Group is chaired by Nichole Flickema, Project Coordinator who works with youth to seek sponsors. This work group focuses on identifying and seeking funds from local businesses and community members that may be interested in supporting SAFE financially.
Data and Evaluation Work Group is chaired by Nichole Flickema, the Project Coordinator. The Data Work Group 1) Reviews and analyzes MiPHY reports; 2) Solicits input from youth and adults regarding current substance use patterns; 3) Informs the Steering Committee if priority substances should change; 4) Works closely with the Project Coordinator to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the action plan and logic model.
The Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Drop-Off (POD) Work Group is chaired by Jennifer McKay, of Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. The purpose of the POD workgroup is to maintain and expand the drug take back initiative which provides a convenient location for residents to properly dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Coalition Structure
