Jerry Blackburn, MEd, SUDP

Biography

In addition to joining Seattle University as an adjunct faculty member in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, Jerry currently works as the Program Director for the Empower Youth Network, a community nonprofit providing prevention-based services for youth. Jerry is a graduate of the University of Washington with a Master of Education and has been a certified Substance Use Disorder Professional since 1999. Previously, Jerry served as the Executive Director for the Influence the Choice community prevention coalition as well as a faculty member in the recently sunsetted Substance Use Disorder Counseling Education Program at Bellevue College, and a Clinical Program Manager for Friends of Youth. Jerry has worked in the field of substance use disorder care for over twenty years in roles which include direct adult and adolescent clinical services, intervention/prevention specialist, clinical director/program manager in both outpatient and adolescent residential treatment programs, as well as research and systems related positions.

In his community, Jerry has served as a founding board member for The Garage- The Issaquah Teen Café, ParentWiser- the PTSA Council Education Committee, the Greater Issaquah Equity & Inclusion Group, as well as serving as a longtime steering committee member for the Counselor Camp- Adolescent/Young Adult Behavioral Health Conference. In 2024 Jerry was appointed to the King County Children and Youth Advisory Board (CYAB).

In 2005 he was honored by the Washington State Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse with the Richard Rivera Passionate Youth Professional Award, the Issaquah Schools Foundation presented him with the Golden Apple Award in appreciation for his dedication to the health of young people in 2017, and in 2021 he received the Influence the Choice Vicki Hoffman Legacy Award for his work as an advocate for preventing substance use and promoting the mental, physical, and social wellness of our youth.