Denver Opioid Abatement Council
Mayoral appointment as Community Advisor, two consecutive terms.
I serve as a Community Advisor on the Denver Opioid Abatement Council (DOAC), a mayoral appointment I've now held across two consecutive terms. The DOAC stewards Denver's share of opioid abatement settlement funding to mitigate the harms of the opioid crisis in the city and county. I serve on the council as a person who uses drugs and an independent subject-matter expert.
Highlights
- Initiated an ordinance change that established compensation for lived and living expertise community advisors on the council, and expanded equitable representation among voting members and advisors — shifting community participation from extractive to sustainable.
- Co-led a series of focus groups with unhoused people who use drugs to inform the 2025-2026 DOAC strategic plan, ensuring funding priorities reflect the needs of the people most affected by the crisis.
- Participated as Community Reviewer on the Colorado Opioid Abatement Council's Infrastructure Share Grant (Feb–Apr 2023), ensuring lived and living expertise informed funding allocation decisions.
Why this matters
Opioid settlement money is one of the largest Harm Reduction funding opportunities this generation will see in Colorado. Whether it actually reaches the people most harmed by the crisis depends on who's at the table when spending decisions are made — and whether our participation is compensated and structured for the long haul.