Board of Directors

Email:  keithsr007@gmail.com

Keith was born in Richmond, VA and graduated from Virginia State University. After college, Keith relocated to Hartford, CT where he began working in the insurance industry for The Travelers and then Aetna Insurance. It was in Baltimore where he began his 34-year career working for BlueCross/BlueShield, which ultimately relocated him as an Underwriting Consultant, to Chapel Hill, NC and then to Hillsborough, NC. 

He retired in 2018 and resides in Hillsborough with his wife. He has an adult-aged son and daughter. Keith stays busy in retirement, going to the fitness center to work out, and serving his community and prioritizing the health and well-being of our youth. Keith is a Guardian Ad Litem of the North Carolina /District 15B where he is a child’s advocate in court serving Chatham and Orange Counties. Keith is also a football and basketball referee and started officiating at age 28. You can find him driving across the State to referee games. 

He is a member of the North State Football Officials (for High School), Burlington Football Officials (for middle school and recreation), Diamond Officials (recreation and college football), and Triad Basketball Officials (high school). Keith also coached his son’s AAU basketball team, and White Rock Baptist Church youth basketball teams for 3 years. Keith is not shy about his love for all things football and basketball. In this town, however, he “bleeds” one kind of blue – that is the pale blue hue! He is an avid UNC Tarheel Fan. Football is his chosen sport, with NFL and college games being his fan-favorites. 

He currently serves as Board Chair at the Orange County Health Department. He is a member of Chapel Hill/Carrboro School Health Advisory Council, Family Success Alliance (FSA) Advisory Council, the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce member, and Campus and Community Coalition (CCC). It was through his past board member and Chair position with the OC ABC Board where he was first introduced to the work of Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth. Through his work on the ABC Board, he volunteered to attend Drug Treatment Court to support those having to appear before the judge, which is where he learned firsthand that drug addiction does not discriminate and that all, no matter age, race, or familial make-up, can be affected by drug and alcohol misuse. Additionally, he participated in the Orange County Misdemeanor Diversion Program and Teen Court.

Email:  jessica_hoffman@med.unc.edu

Dr. Hoffman is a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she is currently focused on alcohol addiction research with a primary interest in the neural mechanisms responsible for both the reinforcing and damaging properties of alcohol. She received her BA from the University of Missouri – Columbia and an MA from University Missouri – St Louis with a focus on neuroendocrinology research. She transitioned into neuroscience research focused on alcohol and drug abuse at the University of South Florida where she earned a PhD in Neuroscience in 2018.

Jessica Hoffman, PhD, is one of five postdoctoral scholars in 2023 to receive the Postdoctoral Award for Research Excellence (PARE), administered by the UNC Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. Dr. Hoffman is also a recent recipient of the prestigious K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, which provides 2 years of support for her continued postdoctoral research followed by 3 years of independent funding as she transitions to a tenure-track faculty position. Dr. Hoffman is mentored by Clyde Hodge, PhD, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology based at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies.

When asked what motivated her to take on the role of Board Member at Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth, Jessica had this to say, “A big part of what makes being a scientist so meaningful to me is being able to share what I learn with my community at large. I participate in community outreach and education regularly through the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and engage with folks from all walks of life and of all ages. When the opportunity to serve as a Board Member for the Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth was presented to me, I thought this would be a wonderful way to extend my reach in the community while also getting experience working with a non-academic based non-profit.”

When Jessica isn’t in the throes of her research, “Prince” is her shadow, of the furry kind, and loyal companion on adventures both big and small; walking around the beautiful UNC Campus and hiking out and back one of the many North Carolina scenic trails are her favorites. When not exploring, you can find Jessica “nose-deep” in a good book, whipping up a batch of sweet treats, painting watercolor, and finding calm in the rhythmic click-clack of her sewing machine. As she puts it best “Life for me is a joyful blend of exciting science, quality time with friends and family, long walks, sugary treats, and the sweet satisfaction of creating something new.”

Dr. Donita Robinson

Treasurer

Email:  donita_robinson@med.unc.edu 

Dr. Robinson is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of Education and Outreach at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies.  She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Robinson studies how addictive drugs such as alcohol and nicotine affect decision making in the brain, and whether drug-use during adolescence can produce long-lasting effects on the brain.

Her current research focuses on the brain regions that orchestrate decision making and investigates how addictive drugs either acutely or persistently alter function of these circuits and the resulting behavior. To that end, her goal is to address public health concerns, such as the neurobiological consequences of underage drinking.

Her scientific expertise lies in neural dynamics of corticostriatal circuits during drug exposure and action selection in animal models. She specializes in measurements of real-time neural activity, such as dopamine release and neuronal firing patterns, during animal behavior. Currently, a major focus of her lab is to investigate the long-term consequences of adolescent binge alcohol on neural mechanisms of reward bias and behavioral flexibility.

Dr. Robinson is a neuroscientist who thinks the brain is fascinating! The mother of an adolescent, she understands firsthand the importance of parents and other adults talking with youth about the risks of underage drinking and drug use, and the harms substances pose to the still-growing adolescent brain.  She wants to empower other adults to talk early and often to the youth in their lives. 

She explains, "Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by risk-taking and sensation seeking, and this often leads to experimentation with addictive drugs. The teenage brain is specifically sensitive to some aspects of alcohol and insensitive to others, which can lead teens who choose to drink to binge drink. Binge-drinking makes teens and older drinkers vulnerable to blackouts, which are particularly harmful."

Lori Bateman

Secretary

Email:  lbabateman@gmail.com

Lori joined the Orange Partnership Board of Directors in early 2024. A North Carolinian, born and raised in neighboring Person County, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology, while working in clinical research full-time at Duke University Medical Center. Lori and her husband, Todd, have a son who attends school in the Orange County School district.

Lori took her educational background and applied it to the areas of cardiovascular and pulmonary research initially at Duke University Medical Center and more recently at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Lori currently directs multimillion-dollar grants and contracts from the National Institute of Health that study Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Lori has been a member of the Orange County Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), served as Vice-President of the Hillsborough Elementary School PTA, and is a parent volunteer in Orange County Schools. She looks forward to engaging and helping the Orange Partnership conduct important work in the areas of drug and alcohol prevention and education.

When asked what motivated her to take on the role of Board Member at Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth, Lori had this to say, “A big part of what makes being a researcher so rewarding is being able to share what is learned with the medical community. When the opportunity to serve as a Board Member for the Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth was presented to me, I thought this would be a wonderful way to serve my local community, particularly youth, while also sharing my expertise and gaining experience with a non-academic based non-profit.”

Outside of work, Lori enjoys spending quality time with friends, playing tennis, drinking coffee from around the world, attending her son’s sporting events, and sightseeing in new places with family.