Otter names new drug policy chief
Gov. Butch Otter has named a new head for his Office of Drug Policy: Elisha Figueroa, who now is project director for the Mayor's Anti-Drug Coalition for the City of Meridian. Click below for Otter's full announcement.
C.L. “Butch” Otter
GOVERNOR
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 2, 2012
LEADER OF MERIDIAN ANTI-DRUG EFFORT NAMED TO HEAD IDAHO OFFICE OF DRUG POLICY
(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced today that Elisha Figueroa, now project director for the Mayor’s Anti-Drug Coalition in the City of Meridian, will become administrator of the Idaho Office of Drug Policy effective April 2.
The agency’s day-to-day operations have been overseen by project manager Caitlin Zak since former administrator Debbie Field stepped down last summer. The Office of Drug Policy is within the Executive Office of the Governor, and the administrator serves at the Governor’s pleasure.
Figueroa has been active in Drug Free Idaho, the Office of Drug Policy’s Strategic State Prevention Planning Committee, the planning committee for the Idaho Conference on Alcohol and Drug Addiction, and as secretary of the Idaho Crime Prevention Association. She has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Arizona State University and a master of social work degree from Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa.
In Meridian, Figueroa has directed a grassroots volunteer organization that works to implement innovative, sustainable strategies for fighting substance abuse. She managed the federal Drug Free Communities grant, and helped with the writing and management of law enforcement grants for the Meridian Police Department.
Figueroa and her husband have three children.
“It’s a pleasure to provide this new opportunity to someone so passionate about, and committed to, fighting the scourge of substance abuse on our communities throughout Idaho,” Governor Otter said. “Collaborating with a wide variety of public and private interests is a hallmark of the Office of Drug Policy’s work, and it also is the area in which Elisha excels. I am pleased to make her a member of my team.”
“This is an especially exciting time to be involved in substance abuse policy and prevention in Idaho, as individuals, communities and organizations are coming together in new ways to address the drug threats facing our state,” Figueroa said. “I look forward to working with communities throughout the state to develop strategies to address these concerns, as well as others that may emerge in the future.”
