The International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium has named Jessica Andrews-Wilson, Executive Director of GUIDE, Inc., as the 2025 Prevention Specialist of the Year. This prestigious honor recognizes credentialed professionals worldwide who demonstrate exceptional commitment, innovation, and leadership in the fields of prevention, substance use disorder, and peer recovery.

As Executive Director of GUIDE, Inc., a nonprofit based in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Jessica has dedicated more than 30 years to prevention and youth development. Her career began in high school, when she served on a CDC task force addressing teen driving fatalities. This early experience sparked a lifelong passion for youth leadership and community prevention, leading her to the Georgia Teen Institute, a statewide prevention and leadership program she now oversees as part of GUIDE’s mission.

Under Jessica’s leadership, GUIDE has become a statewide leader in substance use prevention, positive youth development, and professional training. She has authored two of the four core courses required for prevention credentialing in Georgia, expanded youth leadership programs across the state, and played a key role in the passage of one of Georgia’s first clean indoor air ordinances. Jessica’s agency is also the only approved provider of the 30-hour mandatory core courses for prevention credentialing in Georgia and a founding partner of the statewide Afterschool and Youth Development Initiative.

Each year, the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium, which represents 76 member boards across the United States and internationally, honors credentialed professionals who have made significant contributions to their professions and communities. Jessica was nominated by the Prevention Credentialing Consortium of Georgia and selected as this year’s recipient from among a competitive pool of nominees.

Jessica is an Internationally Certified Prevention Specialist, serves on the PCCG Board of Directors, and is the President of the Georgia School of Addiction Studies. She previously received the Ray Avant Excellence in Prevention Award for her contributions to the field.

For more information about GUIDE, Inc. and its prevention and youth leadership programs, visit GuideInc.org.