Meet The NCRG Staff!

The National Center for Responsible Gaming has grown in staff and offerings over the past few months. We are certain you have noticed our new resourceCollegeGambling.org. You also know about our new presence on Twitter (@theNCRG) and the expanded NCRG Webinar Series (make sure you sign up for theJune 1 webinar!). We are also working to reach out to mental health treatment providers with valuable training opportunities, and we will keep you posted on those developments.

With these exciting events and more that are happening, we asked ourselves: Do our blog readers know the people behind all of the work at the NCRG? Let us introduce ourselves!

Christine Reilly, Senior Research Director

Christi

ne ‘s role is to administer the NCRG’s research grant programs and coordinate educational activities such as the annual NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction and theEMERGE Trainingprogram(Executive, Management, and Employee Responsible Gaming Education). From 2000 to 2009, Christine served as the executive director of the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders. She also was the first executive director of the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG), from 1997 to 2000.

Prior to the NCRG, Christine served as executive director of the Missouri Humanities Council, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. She was appointed to the Missouri Governor’s Literacy Task Force and LIFT-Missouri, a non-profit organization focused on adult literacy. She also served as associate director of the Alabama Humanities Foundation and director of continuing studies for the Vanderbilt University Divinity School. She received her B.A. from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College,magna cum laude, and an M.A. in American religious history at Vanderbilt University.

Nathan Smith, Program Officer

Nathan’s interest in addiction treatment stems from his experiences growing up with a family member affected by addiction. Nathan has seen first-hand the struggles that addiction bring not just to the person who is addicted, but to their family and friends as well. He takes particular interest in pathological gambling because it somewhat bridges the research gap between the addictions perceived as more “traditional” like alcohol or drug dependence and newer, less understood behavioral addictions.

Nathan received his B.A. in sociology from Azusa Pacific University and is currently at Harvard University pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts in Psychology at the Extension School, while taking classes at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public Health. Nathan hopes to complete his thesis project on public health approaches to suicide prevention in the coming year and wants to continue his education by pursuing a Ph.D.

Amy Martin, Communications and Outreach Manager

Amy’s responsibilities with the NCRG include increasing the NCRG’s traditional and social media presence, building relationships with the NCRG’s key partners and reaching out to new audiences who need information and resources about treatment and prevention of gambling disorders. Her main interest is to communicate the latest research on pathological gambling and help others apply those research findings in practical ways through outreach efforts. She is the newest member of the NCRG team, so please say hello to her at theNCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction.

Before the NCRG, Amy has worked to build community and expand communications efforts in non-profit organizations such as the National Indian Education Association, International Center for Journalists and the American Cancer Society. She has a communications strategy consultancy, which included work for the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, a national recognition program produced by the U.S. Department of Education. She received her B.A. in psychology from Kansas State University and her M.A. in public relations from Louisiana State University.

Have a comment or question for the NCRG team? Leave us a comment below or connect with us onFacebookorTwitter!

NCRG staffICRG Newsaddictionsannual reportConferencedeadlinesfundinggamblinggrantsmoneyNational Center for Responsible GamingNCRG Conference on Gambling and Addictionresearchstaffstudentsupdates