The School of Journalism and Mass Communications
named Jack Claypoole the 2007 Distinguished Alumnus.
Claypoole is Administrator of the Drug Free Communities program
in the Office of National Drug Control Policies. In January
of 2007, he was appointed to direct ONDCP’s
Major Cities and Critical Areas Initiative in addition to
leading DFC.
With the philosophy that local problems need
local solutions, the DFC program is designed to mobilize
and strengthen community-based efforts to reduce youth substance
use.
Prior to his appointment, Claypoole was a
former DFC grantee and served as President and Chief Executive
Officer of LRADAC, The Behavioral Health Center of the Midlands
in Columbia, South Carolina. With nearly 20 years of experience
in the alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention, Claypoole
helped LRADAC win national recognition from organizations
such as Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)
and the United States Department of Justice for the way the
agency partners with community organizations to combat the
disease of addiction and reduce youth drug use. A 1987 graduate
of the University of South Carolina College of Mass Communications
and Information Studies, Claypoole is currently pursuing
an Executive Masters in Leadership from the McDonough School
of Business at Georgetown University in Washington.
