Distinguished Achievement in a Profession

Lora Tolley Peppard ’98

Dr. Lora Peppard’s life has been a record of achievement, culminated to date by her recent election by her peers to serve as the President-Elect of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. Her desire to fulfill God’s purpose for her in life includes serving others in need at individual and population levels. Her determination for achievement and service to others during her college years were reflected in her receipt of several scholarships to attend Wesleyan, where she earned her degree in international business and also started Expressions Dance Company - Wesleyan’s first organized performing dance ensemble. After graduating, Lora earned her master of science degree in advanced practice psychiatric mental health nursing from Boston College, her doctor of nursing practice degree from Columbia University, and her doctor of philosophy degree from George Mason University.     

As a licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner for 20 years, Lora is committed to using her skill set wherever God leads her. Since 2019, Lora has been called to work with those in the throes of addiction and to prevent substance use in youth through her role as Deputy Director for Treatment and Prevention with the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (W/B HIDTA), a grant funded program out of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a component of the Executive Office of the President. In this role she oversees a variety of treatment and prevention initiatives and has developed and implemented a family-focused treatment model titled CATALIST to screen and treat youth with substance use disorders and their caregivers.     

In 2020, Lora launched and continues to serve as the Director of ADAPT, a national training and technical assistance division to support the integration of evidence-based strategies for substance use prevention into communities identified as high intensity drug trafficking areas across the country. Lora and the ADAPT team organize and conduct annual national prevention summits, develop important resources for communities, and offer an entire suite of technical assistance services. Lora and the ADAPT team also provide training and technical assistance services for the Combatting Overdoses through Community-Led Interventions federal grant program. Grantees focus on stimulant-, opioid-, or poly-drug-involved overdose reduction in regions of the U.S. where the highest rates of overdoses occur.     

Lora has received several awards and honors, published numerous articles and book chapters, served as guest editor for a special issue on substance use prevention in an academic journal, and was recently invited to serve as an evaluation expert for a special prevention project at the United Nations. The outstanding work that Lora does makes a difference not only to people with substance use disorders and their families, but also to those who work as drug prevention and treatment practitioners and executives. Most importantly her work provides hope for a healthier and happier future.