Josephine Romano

Board of Directors

Jo Romano is a consultant, coach and trainer specializing in substance use prevention and recovery. She co-founded the Central Vermont Turning Point Center in Barre, VT and currently serves on the TPCCV board.

Areas of expertise

  • Substance use prevention and recovery training across the lifespan

  • Recovery coaching and peer support workforce development

  • Training design and technical assistance for states, regions, and local coalitions

  • Domestic violence, early childhood, and substance use systems integration

As a certified Vermont Prevention Specialist since 1991, Jo works on projects providing training and technical assistance to health departments, agencies, workplaces, and community coalitions as they collaboratively adopt, implement, and develop best practice and program sustainability.

She spent 19 years providing training and technical assistance to the Vermont Department of Health's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs, including advanced consultation on SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention Framework — covering assessment, capacity building, planning, evidence-based interventions, program implementation, evaluation, cultural competency and sustainability.

As a past Associate for SAMHSA's Collaborative for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT), Jo provided technical assistance to 13 Grant to Reduce Alcohol Abuse-funded grantees throughout the Northeast, and provides advanced consultation on training design and delivery.

Jo is a certified Recovery Coach and co-designed a five-day peer recovery coach curriculum — covering substance use, mental illness, co-occurring conditions and life coaching skills — and served as lead trainer for the Vermont Peer Recovery Coach Academy at Friends of Recovery VT, where volunteers and paid staff are trained to coach those with substance use and/or mental health conditions.

She has also served as Vermont Judiciary liaison to the legislature and as Washington County Superior Court Clerk and County Clerk, overseeing operations, strategic planning, systems development, case flow management, juror selection and elections. Jo served as president of Central Vermont Domestic Violence and worked to bridge the gap between domestic violence, early childhood and substance use systems.

Jo is a Vermont Carnegie Associate and a certified Professional Life and Leadership Coach, supporting management and their teams to communicate, collaborate and innovate.