Meet Young Onuorah, Mental Health & Substance Abuse Liaison

Prevention Services Division Director, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services

Young Onuorah, MPA, ICPS, ISSUP Advanced Member, is an internationally certified prevention specialist, with more than 30 years management experience in both private and public businesses. Before migrating from Nigeria to USA in August 2006, Young was the Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Coordinator for the United States Agency for International Development’s NetMark Africa Regional Malaria Project. While in Nigeria, he helped develop and build public private partnerships with international donor agencies including USAID, GLOBAL FUND, PSI, WHO, UN, World Bank, ExxonMobil, Federal/State ministries of Health, local and international NGOs.

As the division director for prevention service at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Young provides statewide leadership for Oklahoma’s prevention programs, overseeing policy, programs, and funding that support access to high-quality prevention services across the state; communicates information from the agency leadership to staff; and leads strategic planning efforts, providing a vision for current and future operations of the division. He has served on several state level workgroups including the Evidence-Based Practices Workgroup (EBPW); the Governor’s Prescription Drugs Workgroup; and Oklahoma Injury Prevention Advisory Council. He has represented the state at several national workgroups and meetings.

Young is married for over 30 years, has a daughter, volunteers at Project 66 among others, is a member of the prayer team at Life.Church OKC, and the protectors’ men’s life group.