Caitlin Mello is the Policy and Executive Associate at the Alliance. She assists the Executive Suite and Board of Directors in their day-to-day work alongside working on a robust behavioral health and substance use focused policy portfolio. Prior to joining the Alliance, Caitlin studied social work with a concentration on public policy. While pursuing a degree, they interned for 9 months with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights State Advisory Committees where they assisted in policy analysis of the civil rights implications in the criminal legal systems of New Hampshire and Oregon. From 2019 – 2020, Ms. Mello received a Fulbright Grant to teach U.S. Politics and Conversational English at a university in Chełm, Poland. She has also previously worked in clinical social work settings in Vermont, focused on intimate partner violence, substance use disorder, mental health, and housing for a combined two years. They have a Bachelors’ degree from the University of Vermont in clinical social work with a focus on the neuroscience of behavioral health change and a Masters’ in Social Work from Columbia University with a focus on public policy and contemporary social issues.