PreventionFIRST! President/CEO, Nicole Schiesler is the 2026 recipient of the Ohio Prevention Professionals Association (OPPA) Prevention Visionary Award.

For nearly 30 years, Nicole has been one of Ohio’s most influential prevention professionals. Her work has always been grounded in strengthening and advancing the collective efforts of prevention professionals across the state.

In the late 1990s, Nicole worked for the Ohio Prevention Education Resource Center (OPERC), a comprehensive statewide resource library serving prevention professionals, coalitions, and behavioral health agencies. From the very beginning of her career, Ohio’s prevention community recognized Nicole as an unwaveringly helpful leader with a talent for problem-solving and creative thinking.

Over the decades, she has continued to build on that strong foundation, particularly through her leadership at PreventionFIRST!

Nicole’s commitment to relationship-building, capacity development, and fostering innovation has been central to PreventionFIRST!’s impact.

Her state-level peers are effusive in their praise:

“I am so excited for Nicole! Since the late ’90s, in her role at OPERC, Nicole has provided vital support to Ohio’s prevention infrastructure. Decades later, that work continues through the statewide impact of PreventionFIRST! and the development and sustainability of the OCAM Network.”

“Nicole consistently offers clear, practical illustrations of prevention best practices grounded in science. She brings a collaborative spirit to every space she enters and is generous with both her expertise and her time, always willing to support others and strengthen the broader prevention field.”

“Nicole works tirelessly to build partnerships and expand the field of prevention. She wants to make sure everyone has a seat at the table and is working together. Innovation thrives because Nicole creates the space for it. That is the environment she fosters.”

“For Ohio’s prevention field, Nicole is a thought leader, a north star, and the epitome of professional empowerment,” said OPPA Executive Director Jim Ryan. “Ohio’s prevention professionals and advocates are collectively better at our work because Nicole is part of our profession.”

The Ohio Prevention Professionals Association (OPPA) is Ohio’s membership association for prevention professionals and advocates. The 2026 OPPA Prevention Awards were presented at the OPPA Conference on May 7, 2026. Members of OPPA nominate candidates for the awards.