Alcohol Justice

Cruz Avila, MS
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Cruz Avila, MS
Executive Director

Cruz Avila was most recently CEO at Poverello House in Fresno, California for 6 years. There he managed a $3 million-dollar budget, 37 employees, Naomi’s House, The Men’s Resident Rehabilitation program and a temporary overnight shelter for men and women. Cruz also collaborated with other agencies to provide clients with access to mental health counseling and housing. Cruz’s professional experience has focused on organizational management in non-profits, community and economic development and social services. Previous to Poverello House, Cruz was a Manager of Residential Services for Housing with Heart, a non-profit organization that is the social service unit of Jamboree Housing that develops and constructs affordable housing across the state. He also worked in Riverside County Office of Education as a Resource Manager and Counselor. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership. He is working towards completing his Master of Arts in Counseling for completion of his Marriage and Family Therapy License (MFT)

Michael Scippa
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Michael Scippa
Public Affairs Director

Michael has over 35 years of senior management experience in media advocacy and production, marketing, communications, and government relations. In addition to directing similar efforts at Alcohol Justice since 2006, he created the Free The Bowl® and Free Our Sports® Youth Video Contests and directed the REEL Recovery Film Festival - San Francisco Bay Area Edition.

Raul Verdugo
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Raul Verdugo
Advocacy Director

As Director of Advocacy, Raul Verdugo oversees the advocacy program work involving the Los Angeles Drug & Alcohol Policy Alliance (L.A.DAPA) and the California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA). His outreach efforts and interests have expanded his work to include Alcohol Justice liaison support of Native Indigenous communities in California and other states. His values for communication, engagement, and inclusion, including a passion for art and creativity, guide his efforts in aligning partnerships and working collaboratively to pursue change. He continues his pursuit of a BA and BSA in education with a double major in Community Advocacy and Social Policy / and Graphic Design.

India Harris
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India Harris
Accounting Assistant

India Harris has over 5 years of experience in administrative accounting for non-profits. In 2023, as part of the Multi Business Solutions team, India provided direct administrative and accounting support to the finance department. She is now officially a member of the Alcohol Justice team working as the Accounting Assistant.

Robert Lipton, PhD
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Robert Lipton, PhD
Grants Manager

Robert Lipton PhD has had a long career as a spatial epidemiologist studying the relationship of alcohol and other substances to harm. He has also, as a grant writer, obtained over $68 Million dollars in funding for public health/medical research and non-profit organizations. He has also been involved with a great deal of alcohol policy work.

Benjamin Guice
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Benjamin Guice
Program Coordinator

Benjamin Guice is the Program Coordinator for Alcohol Justice’s youth programs. With over eight years of experience in youth leadership development and programming, Benjamin represents Alcohol Justice's ongoing mission to prevent the proliferation of misuse of alcohol and other related drugs and reduce the harms associated with young people being targeted by the alcohol industry. He is a native of San Rafael and a graduate of Terra Linda High School in Marin County. He is currently enrolled in the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.

Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, MSPH
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Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, MSPH
Research Director/Web Content Manager

Carson Benowitz-Fredericks is responsible for conceiving and executing primary and secondary research, as well as composing news, factsheets, and reports. A native of the Bay Area, he received a creative writing degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a Masters of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins, and a training in commercial determinants of health from the University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. He volunteers with harm reduction outreach organizations and, when stressed or startled, is liable to flee into the desert.