LIHU‘E – Kaua‘i County Anti-Drug Coordinator Theresa Koki recently became the island’s first certified prevention specialist.
Koki and 38 other professionals received CPS certificates last month from the state Department of Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. They were the first to be named certified prevention specialists in the state since the program was established in July 2011.
“Throughout the years that Theresa has been with the county, she has always demonstrated a high level of commitment to her job,” Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said.
“Obtaining the CPS credential is a validation of her expertise in drug and alcohol prevention, which will help the community in our efforts to reduce alcohol and drug use on Kaua’i,” the mayor said.
Chris Brown of the state division’s certification office said the certification process promotes the credibility of prevention professionals and also establishes a recognized credential of professional competency in anticipation of it becoming a future requirement for those in the prevention field.
To earn the CPS designation, applicants had to meet education and experience requirements to include 2,000 hours of alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention work, as well as meet direct supervision and practical experience standards. Certificate holders also must be qualified with planning and evaluation, education and skill development, community organization, public policy, environmental change, and professional growth and responsibility.
“It’s really nice to receive an affirmation of one’s knowledge and skills, and to know that the CPS certificate is accepted throughout the U.S., as well as in a number of other countries,” Koki said.
“It subscribes to the same standards as the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse,” she said.
Koki has served as the anti-drug coordinator for five years. She wrote and manages over $3.5 million in federal and state grants.
She developed a curriculum for the Pi‘ina Hoku Youth Leadership Program and produced the video “Wasted … Time is Always Wasted if You’re Wasted All the Time.” She has organized several alcohol and drug prevention events and activities.
Koki serves on the Kaua’i Suicide Task Force, Kaua’i Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition and the Leadership Kaua’i Alumni Network.
She is the appointed chair of the Hawai’i Partnership to Prevent Underage Drinking for Kaua’i and the Kaua’i chair of the State Advisory Council of the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant.
Koki also leads the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Prevention, Enforcement, Treatment and Community Integration.
