Kiersten Simon, ’08 (MS), CAADC, serves as the Executive Director of Prevention Academy within Saint Joseph’s University’s School of Education and Human Development. In this position, she leads the development and delivery of prevention education initiatives for adolescents and school communities across Delaware and Montgomery Counties, PA.
Specializing in adolescent and adult substance use disorders, Simon worked in various clinical settings as Primary Therapist, Site Director, and Clinical Supervisor, treating adolescents, young adults, and families who struggle with substance use. From this lens, Simon recognized the inherent need to focus on prevention of substance use disorder through education, research, and dialogue with adolescents and the adults who care for them.
Simon shifted her professional focus from a clinical capacity to an upstream, public health model of prevention education, becoming a prevention specialist, regional officer and in due course, Executive Director of a global, school-based prevention organization which ultimately served over 2.5 million students in over 70 countries and 41 United States.
Simon earned her Master of Science in Education at Saint Joseph’s University with an interest in and passion for understanding how humans learn, the family, societal and psychological factors that impact learning and specifically influence decision-making as adolescents grow, learn, and develop into contributing members of society. Simon is thrilled to join the Saint Joe’s community in this capacity, embracing the opportunity to partner with schools and communities in Delaware and Montgomery Counties to support and protect the well-being of young people.
