Kiersten Simon, ’08 (MS), CAADC, serves as Executive Director of Prevention Academy within Saint Joseph’s University’s School of Education and Human Development. She oversees the design and delivery of prevention education for adolescents and school communities across Delaware and Montgomery Counties, PA. Working with cross-disciplinary professionals, she advances an upstream public-health approach that strengthens protective factors, reduces risk, and supports youth well-being.
Specializing in adolescent and adult substance use disorders, Simon previously held clinical roles as Primary Therapist, Site Director, and Clinical Supervisor, treating adolescents, young adults, and families navigating substance use. Through these experiences, she recognized the need to prioritize prevention—through education, research, and open dialogue with adolescents and the adults who support them.
Motivated by this insight, Simon shifted from clinical practice to public-health–focused prevention leadership, ultimately serving as Executive Director of a global school-based prevention organization reaching more than 2.5 million students in over 70 countries and 41 U.S. states.