About the BI trainers
Dr. Pamela Luna is a career professional promoting the health and well-being of youth on local, state and national levels. As a County Office of Education (COE) Director, she managed the Healthy Kids Center serving four counties in California, in addition to serving as a Program Coordinator at San Diego COE. She has been hands-on in large studies such as the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey and the National Youth Tobacco Survey.
During her years with RAND, Inc., as consultant and Adjunct Faculty, she played a pivotal role in the development and training of the most widely-used substance abuse prevention curriculum for early adolescents, "Project ALERT’. In this capacity Dr. Luna has trained over 8,000 educators in North and South America. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at several professional meetings.
Dr. Pamela Luna earned her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree from the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University and a Master of Science in Teaching (MST) from the Department of Health and Human Performance at Portland State University.
Janet Tillman is an education professional with over 30 years of experience spanning middle and high school education, educational leadership, and medical student training. She began her career as a classroom teacher and moved into leadership roles where she developed alternative discipline options to foster inclusive learning environments.
As the CEO of Tillman LIFE Consulting, Janet helps organizations regenerate their cultures by aligning them with their core vision and mission. She also serves as a Life Coach, guiding individuals in overcoming obstacles to success. Janet's notable roles include Interim Director of Programs at the Foundation for a College Education and DEI Leader at Gehl, where she led identity training for U.S. teams. Her work in trauma-informed education for medical students at institutions like the University of Michigan and Stanford University underscores her commitment to equity and personal empowerment.
Janet holds a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology.
A History of Brief Intervention
Ira Sachnoff has dedicated over 40 years to the fields of alcohol and drug prevention and youth development. He spent 16 years as the Director of the San Francisco Peer Resource Programs, which he launched in 1980 at Galileo High School.
For more than a decade, Ira served as the lead Brief Intervention trainer for EMT, playing a key role in expanding BI training across California and beyond. During his time with EMT, he trained over 5,000 youth-serving adults in the Brief Intervention approach, helped another 5,000 establish youth-to-youth peer programs, and trained more than 15,000 Youth Peer Educators.
In early 2024, Ira retired from his role as an EMT BI trainer. His contributions remain an integral part of the BI program’s foundation.