Theo Krzywicki
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Theo, End Overdose's CEO and full time Los Angeles City firefighter/paramedic, has had first hand experience with opioid overdose from many angles. A person in long time recovery, Theo himself has battled addiction and has experienced significant losses in his life due to overdose, including the loss of his fiancé and many friends. These experiences fueled Theo's determination to help others by becoming a firefighter/paramedic. After reviving countless lives with naloxone, he became determined to share his skills and training with all who wish to have it. Theo has continued to innovate and build the organization with ceaseless fervor. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Theo worked to develop an online training program with his best friend. In its first months of inception, the online program helped certify and deliver over five hundred naloxone kits to different people across the United States and has grown to train thousands each month. With strong determination, Theo continues to build our programs in order to make naloxone and fentanyl test strips available to everyone who needs it and provide the highest quality training available with the lowest barrier.
Ryan Hampton
Board Member
A prominent advocate, speaker, author, and media commentator, Ryan Hampton travels coast-to-coast to add solutions to our national addiction crisis. In recovery from a decade-long opioid addiction, Hampton has rocketed to the center of America’s rising addiction recovery advocacy movement. An alumnus of the Clinton White House, he’s worked with multiple non-profits and national recovery advocacy campaigns. He is now a prominent, leading face and voice of recovery advocacy and is changing the national conversation about addiction. With content that reaches millions each month, Ryan breaks down cultural barriers that have kept people suffering in silence and is inspiring a new generation of people recovering out loud through his Voices Project. He was part of the core team that released the first-ever U.S. Surgeon General’s report on addiction in 2016 and was singled out by Forbes as a top social entrepreneur in the recovery movement. Ryan connects a vast network of people who are passionate about ending the overdose crisis in America. He has been featured by—and is a contributor to—media outlets such as USA Today, MSNBC, Fox and Friends, the New York Times, NPR, HLN, Vice, Forbes, Slate, HuffPost, The Hill, the Wall Street Journal, and others. Ryan has received praise from Democrats and Republicans alike for addressing addiction as a trans-political issue—crossing the political spectrum to build an inclusive coalition focused on solutions. He worked closely with the White House, Senate Democrats, Republicans, and U.S. House leadership, helping craft portions of the historic H.R. 6, SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, signed into law in October 2018. In 2016, he created the web series Addiction Across America, documenting his 30-day, 28 state, 8,000-mile cross-country trip visiting areas hit hardest by the addiction crisis. His first book, “American Fix — Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis and How to End It,” was released by St. Martin’s Press in August 2018. In 2019, Ryan was named by Facebook as an inaugural leadership fellow and created the national advocacy initiative, Mobilize Recovery. Since its inception, Mobilize Recovery has recruited and trained over 2,000 new advocates from all 50 states focused on community-based solutions to end the addiction crisis. He lives in Nevada with his fiancé, Sean, and their dog, Dollar.
Garret Hade
Board Member
Garrett Hade is a person in sustained recovery from addiction and has worked with a number of national non-profit organizations dedicated to finding solutions to ending the addiction crisis. He is Co-Founder of The Voices Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to shattering the stigma associated with addiction as well as providing on the ground recourses communities hit hardest by the addiction crisis. Garrett has provided recovery education and naloxone trainings to detox and treatment centers, sober livings, and community events nationwide – helping to break stigma and provide effective knowledge to help save lives.
Katie Krzywicki
Co-Founder
After seeing so many people she cared about affected by opioid use, Katie wanted to ensure her community understood the importance of having naloxone readily available, as well as recognizing the signs and symptoms of opioid overdose. Prior to co-founding End Overdose, she was a Global Account Director at Telstra, a Global Fortune 500 company. While at Telstra, Katie was the US Representative for the company's International Gender Diversity Council. Katie's work experiences range from real estate management to non-profit fundraising.
Leah Schexnayder
Co-Founder
Leah Schexnayder was born in raised in Pasadena, California. She is now a Los Angeles County EMT and works in the emergency department as an ER Technician. Leah had her first interaction with the severity of the opioid epidemic when she lived on the east coast while in college. Although she grew up seeing addiction in her family, Leah had never seen anything to this extent. Upon returning to California, Leah had many close friends die of an opioid overdoses and was overwhelmed by the frequency of overdose responses in her job. Leah felt a personal responsibility to ignite change in her community, as she knew how simple the use of naloxone was. Today, Leah is continuing her education in medicine in order to build her platform and bring awareness to this growing epidemic.
David I. Deyhimy, M.D., FASAM
Chief Medical Advisor
David I. Deyhimy, MD, FASAM, is an addiction medicine specialist and anesthesiologist dedicated to helping those suffering from substance use disorder and preventing overdose deaths from opioids. He is the founder and medical director of MYMATCLINIC, specializing in managing opioid use disorder and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). He is the medical director of The Solace Foundation of Orange County, the first non-profit naloxone distribution program in Orange County. He is Chief Medical Advisor for Project Opioid and a medical advisor for healthcare and digital therapeutics companies. A firm believer in medical research and evidence-based substance use disorder treatments, he has helped thousands of patients improve their lives with medical treatments, education, and behavioral change. In his free time, David enjoys spending time and traveling with his wife and two teenage daughters. He is also an avid cyclist and loves to surf and ski whenever possible.
Debbie Camp
Grant Writer & Senior Health Advisor
Debbie Camp (Aunt Debbie), End Overdose's Grant Writer and Senior Health Advisor, is a Public Health Nurse with over 14 years of field experience. As an overdose awareness advocate, she understands the heartbreak of the opioid epidemic, having lost a nephew to an overdose in 2016. Since 2017, she has been working with the grief community in Los Angeles to break the stigma of addiction and overdose. Calling herself the proudest Auntie on the block, Aunt Debbie says, “I feel James's spirit is with me, nudging me to turn grief into action”. Born and raised in the Detroit area, she has lived in LA for the past 20 years. With years of experience in health care, education, project planning and the indie music scene, Debbie is an integral part of the End Overdose team.
Zej Radke
Creative Advisor
Creating art in all its forms, from paintings to short films, has been the way Zej has attempted to convey messages of hope and reconciliation. In addition, he is a professional photographer specializing in weddings and a student of English literature at UCLA. His photographs have been featured in magazines, and his videos have amassed millions of views. He, like countless Americans, has been affected by the opioid epidemic. Knowing that these deaths are preventable and spreading that awareness is a deeply rooted passion of his. Hence, Zej helps create video content that instructs and engages audiences to confront the opioid epidemic.
Anthony Banuelos
Director of Operations
A.J. Banuelos is End Overdose's Director of operations. After years of addiction, he is a living testament to change! Rather than being a part of the problem at hand, he is taking action to be a part of the solution. He is a survivor of opioid overdose himself and knows the dangers of abuse, has lost people close to him, both family and friends. His passion is to help others in there struggles, he is currently enrolled in CCAPP to become a Drug and Alcohol Counselor, to be an agent of change, to help guide people and discover their full potential.
Gianna Uy
Director of External Affairs and Programs
Gianna graduated cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a B.S. in Psychobiology and a minor in Public Affairs. She first started working with End Overdose to organize a grassroots harm reduction effort for UCLA greek life chapters. As the Events Director for Universities Allied for Essential Medicine (UAEM) at UCLA and a member of UCLA Greek life, she worked passionately to bring about positive change. Her dedication led her to co-found our UCLA Chapter alongside the current President, Maddie Ward. In her current position, Gianna focuses on fostering strong relationships between End Overdose and various community, governmental, and creative organizations. Additionally, she oversees the development and outreach strategies of End Overdose chapters across the United States. She works on the implementation of our high school programs, grant writing, and aids in the development of internal systems. Through these efforts, she seeks to educate and empower individuals in the fight against overdose.
Darcy Michero
Director of Events and Fundraising Programs
Darcy graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.S. in psychobiology. Her interest in mental health and pharmacology led her to explore the realm of clinical research and become a research coordinator managing clinical trials that investigate digital therapeutic hybrid solutions for opioid, alcohol, and tobacco use disorders. Darcy is published in Telemedicine Reports in a peer reviewed article on alcohol use disorder and knows the intricacies of harm reduction and treatment solutions for SUD. As an avid enthusiast of nightlife events and music festivals, Darcy noticed the devastating effects of fentanyl among her own circle, and began volunteering for End Overdose to ensure resources like naloxone and fentanyl test strips were accessible to her community and others like it across the country. With a dedication to harm reduction solutions and saving lives, she currently pursues this passion by curating events and promoting drug safety to the community she holds so close to her heart.
Mike Giegerich
Public Relations Officer
Mike Giegerich is a former music publicist with over seven years of experience working alongside a list of acclaimed artists. He personally has years of recovery from addiction and has seen the effects of the opioid epidemic on both family and friends. His passion for combating the overdose crisis and public relations led him to End Overdose where he now spearheads communication to the media and our growing community. Through his role, Mike hopes to shine a light on End Overdose’s lifesaving work and all of the people who make it possible. Alongside his duties as publicist, he’s developing End Overdose's outreach to the alternative music community that kick-started his career years ago.
Maddie Ward
Programs Coordinator & UCLA Chapter President
Maddie Ward is a fourth year undergraduate student at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) studying cognitive science. As a UCLA student, Maddie has gained experience fighting for more affordable and accessible essential drugs and treatments as the External Relations Board Member for UCLA’s chapter of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines– experiences that led her to End Overdose. Now, she serves as the President of UCLA’s End Overdose chapter along with completing research and design for End Overdose headquarters. Through the opening of the UCLA chapter, Maddie hopes to eliminate drug-related overdose on the UCLA campus and beyond.
Destiny Martinez
Fulfillment Leader
Destiny Martinez, is a full time mother, the oldest of seven and a backbone to many things, such as people and movements, no matter how big or small it may be. Destiny is a fulfillment leader and advocate for End Overdose. She is inspired by a lifelong journey of heartbreak due to addiction that opened her eyes to stand tall and step forward to lend her open heart and arms, because addiction was taking over loved ones. Being with End Overdose accomplished her goal in life thus far in being able to help others. Destiny was inspired by her brother in law Anthony Banuelos, Director of Operations. She stands proudly with us to make extra step for change.
Ayiana Randolph
Volunteer & Events Coordinator
Born and raised Californian, Ayiana, is a 3rd generation cosmetologist and entrepreneur. Ayiana got involved with End Overdose after a close friend of hers passed away due to a fentanyl overdose. She hopes to be a voice and a vessel to spread awareness about harm reduction and mental health resources. “Living in a big city such as Los Angeles, there are so many people in need of education and life saving tools, so being apart of an impactful and beautiful organization such as this one is truly an honor.”
Jill Stevenson
Atlanta Chapter Lead
Jill Stevenson is a Software Account Director located in Atlanta, GA. Her passion for harm reduction started after losing her sister to an overdose. She began researching harm reduction and came across End Overdose on instagram. As someone involved in the nightlife and music scene, she knew she had access to spread the message among the Atlanta crowd that desperately needed it. Jill planned and executed the first End Overdose Atlanta event in April, 2022. After the great turn out and positive feedback, she took on launching the Atlanta Chapter. Jill believes that by breaking the stigma, educating, and distributing resources, there will be a significant change among the Atlanta community.
Ben Lewis
Boston Head of Operations
Ben was born and raised in the Queen City of Charlotte, North Carolina and graduated with a B.S. in Statistics from UNC Wilmington. Seeing the negative effects of America’s drug war impact members of his own family, both in terms of incarceration and overdosing, Ben became passionate about drug policy reform a few years after graduating college. He’s currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Technology and Public Policy at MIT, researching policing and drug policy. Ensuring the health and safety of people in the drug-using community is Ben’s number one goal in life, which is why he’s honored to be Head of Operations for End Overdose Boston.
Allison Tanita
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Chapter President
Allison Tanita is a third-year undergraduate student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo studying pre-veterinary animal science. First hearing about End Overdose via Instagram during the formation of the UCLA chapter; she knew Cal Poly was in dire need of these same services and resources. Seeing firsthand how addiction and overdose can impact families and communities, she appreciates the compassionate approach End Overdose brings to harm reduction. Allison hopes to bring awareness to these overdose prevention resources and make them more accessible.
Jackie Pawlowski
Chicago Chapter Lead
Jackie Pawlowski is a born and raised Chicagoan. She is in school pursuing a degree in sociology. Looking to volunteer, help make a difference, and motivated to do something in memory of her cousin and help others avoid the heartache of loss due to overdose, she happened to come across the End Overdose organization. Since starting with End Overdose, she has heard countless stories from others about their experiences of loss to overdose. The stories of others are those which help her maintain her drive and dedication to the cause of educating others of important, lifesaving information to anyone willing to listen and learn. She continues to train and educate in memory of her cousin, Shevy. She runs the End Overdose branch in Illinois and continues to learn and educate herself about this nationwide issue and enjoys helping broaden Illinoisans’ knowledge of ways we can end overdose deaths.
Ember Yanez
Claremont Colleges Chapter President
Ember Yanez is a second year undergraduate student at Pomona College majoring in chemistry. Ember grew up in a community where addiction was very prevalent and lost multiple loved ones to drug overdose. This lead her to advocate for harm reduction on a small scale in her community throughout high school. She discovered End Overdose in the fall of her first semester of college. She recognized the huge impact the organization was having all across the country and decided to bring End Overdose’s lifesaving mission to her campus. Ember believes that the stigma around drug use creates unnecessary death and suffering and is dedicated to educate people about harm reduction and end overdose-related deaths in her community.
Sophie Kennedy
CU Boulder Chapter President
Sophie Kennedy is a student at the University of Colorado Boulder studying Integrative Physiology. Harm reduction — especially through the intersection of shared personal experience and accessible biology — has been a long time passion of hers. She is a proponent of teaching adolescents how illicit substances affect them and how to reduce potential dangers allowing them make an educated decision on how and if they use.
Eliza Yass
GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences Co-President
Eliza Yass is a third year medical student at George Washington University. After working to coordinate substance use treatment for individuals in Boston after college, she became passionate about harm reduction and reducing stigma towards addiction. She and fellow medical student, Prianka Kumar co-founded EO at GW School of Medicine to spread awareness about drug use and increase education surrounding overdose response within the medical community and beyond.
Prianka Kumar
GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences Co-President
Prianka Kumar is a fourth year medical student at George Washington University who is also pursing an MPH degree through the Milken School of Public Health. She is fiercely passionate about harm reduction and increasing education and awareness around drug use alongside her co-president and fellow medical student Eliza. After medical school, she plans to become a psychiatrist specialized in addiction. In her free time, she is an electronic music lover and can be found at shows and music festivals across the country (which is how she found out about End Overdose!)
Kendra Bean
Hawaii Chapter Lead
Kendra Bean was born and raised in Maui and is currently attending UH Mānoa on O`ahu, pursuing a public health and epidemiology degree. End Overdose is an organization she had been following closely for some time, especially after seeing the devastating impacts that drug overdoses have had on her community. She greatly believes in harm reduction and that individuals should have access to, and be equipped with, both the preventative and responsive measures that EO makes available free of charge. Those in the Hawaii chapter come from a variety of backgrounds including nursing, teaching, biology, and public health. Kendra’s goals of running the End Overdose branch in Hawaii are two fold: to educate herself about this nationwide epidemic, and to give back to the community that raised her by empowering individuals with the knowledge and confidence to identify and respond to a suspected overdose.
Cara Cavaretta
Keck School of Medicine Chapter President
Cara Cavarretta is a medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. After witnessing family members struggle with addiction, she became more attune to the epidemic that is substance use and how it is an illness, not a personal failure. In working as an EMT at a rehabilitation center, she saw firsthand how something as simple as a nasal spray can be life-saving. Once in medical school, Cara determined a need in the surrounding community to spread awareness about the signs of a drug overdose and teach folks how to respond in the event of one. She and a fellow medical student, Jacob Hershenhouse, co-founded a chapter of End Overdose at the Keck School of Medicine to address these needs in Eastside Los Angeles.
Grace Adler
Occidental College Chapter President
Grace is a third year undergraduate student at Occidental College majoring in Psychology. She has grown up seeing the effects of addiction first hand in her family, friends, and city. Her dad lost his life due to an opioid overdose when she was five years old, and this experience cultivated a person determined to put an end to overdose. She began volunteering with us in the summer of 2022 - tabling at events, packing kits, and participating in trainings throughout LA. Ultimately, she decided that this harm reduction resource would lead to significant positive change at her college. Before she introduced End Overdose to Occidental, the school was not properly equipped for overdose situations. Considering this is a small liberal arts college, the small student body provides an opportunity for intimate trainings, open conversations, and real change to the perception of the overdose epidemic. Grace believes that harm reduction is the most effective way to end overdose because it targets the problem with love and compassion rather than judgement and misconception.
Hayden Rutter
University of Alabama Chapter President
Hayden Rutter is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Alabama, studying biology. He is on the pre-medical track in the Honors College at UA. His passion for the medical field has brought him to help find a solution to the current drug overdose epidemic. Through the founding of the University of Alabama chapter, Hayden hopes to eliminate drug-related overdose on the UA campus and for the greater Tuscaloosa community.
Tyler Mahomes
UC Berkeley Chapter President
Tyler Mahomes is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. He's studying legal studies with a minor in public policy. As a UC Berkeley student, Tyler has gained experience as a Healthy and Safety Officer for multiple student organizations and advocated for student health and wellness which led him to End Overdose. Tyler aims to make overdose prevention resources more accessible to students on the UC Berkeley campus and beyond to end overdoses for good.
Anna Khazem
UC Irvine Chapter President
Anna Khazem is a third year undergraduate student at the University of California, Irvine and is double majoring in Criminology, Law, and Society and Psychological Science. She was motivated to start a chapter and begin working with End Overdose after an inspirational figure of hers passed as a result of an overdose, and she saw the need to save lives like his from being taken again. She believes that there is far too much stigma and not enough help being offered to those who struggle with drug dependency and addiction. She recognizes the need for change in her community and intends to educate Orange County on the opioid epidemic and how to ensure that no more lives have to be lost to overdose.
Brian Wong
UC Riverside Chapter President
Brian Wong is a third year undergraduate student at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) studying business administration and psychology. After witnessing how addiction and drug overdose can tear people apart he wanted to be a part of an organization that focuses on harm reduction, as well as dispelling the stigma around talking about drug use and preventative measures. He is currently working with the UC Riverside chapter to equip their student body and the Riverside community with knowledge and resources that can save lives and prevent overdoses.
Jonathan Liang
UC San Diego Chapter President
Jonathan is a fourth Year Human Biology Major at UC San Diego (UCSD) on the Pre-Research track. He is currently a Pharmacy Technician and apart of the Pre-Health Professional Fraternity Delta Epsilon Mu (DEM). He came across End Overdose through social media and was inspired by their mission to help save lives. After seeing the high costs of medication and naloxone alike, his goal was to help bring low cost Narcan to his school. His goal in chartering a chapter at UCSD is to break the stigma as well as supplying the community with the resources necessary to save lives, making a difference in the rave community and beyond.
Noelle Behar
University of Florida Chapter President
Noelle Behar is a dedicated fourth-year Health Science major with a passion for harm reduction. As an advocate for health and well-being, her journey through the world of health science has led her to a profound understanding of the importance of harm reduction strategies. She values the idea of creating a safer community and igniting a larger conversation about substance safety. She hopes to contribute to a world where compassion and science converge to make a lasting impact.
Rohma Akhtar
University of Kentucky Chapter President
Rohma Akhtar is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Health, Society & Populations with a minor in Gender & Women's Studies and Spanish. She developed an interest in End Overdose after losing an inspirational figure to an accidental overdose. He was a vocal advocate for mental health and addiction issues, actively working to eliminate the stigma that hinders crucial conversations aimed at saving lives. Witnessing the positive impact her inspirational figure had on his community, Rohma was inspired to follow suit. Rohma’s goal is to provide her community with valuable resources while fostering a sense of belonging for those who are struggling on their own. She firmly believes that no one should have to deal with the challenges of mental health and addiction in isolation and aims to forge a path towards empathy, awareness, and change
Aspen Hough
UT Dallas Chapter President
Aspen is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). Pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology, she is dedicated to making a positive impact. As the Chapter President and founder of End Overdose at UT Dallas, her commitment extends beyond the campus as she aspires to educate not only UTD students but also the broader Dallas community on opioid overdose prevention and response. Aspen's passion for harm reduction and addiction recovery has been a driving force since high school, but her decision to join End Overdose was sparked by the alarming rise of the fentanyl crisis in her community. Actively involved in the concert industry and the EDM scene, Aspen has witnessed firsthand the impact of the crisis on her beloved community, fueling her advocacy for change and awareness.
Maddie Dufault
University of Washington Chapter Co-President
Maddie Dufault is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Washington. She is studying communication with a double minor in entrepreneurship and business administration. Maddie was inspired by the work she saw End Overdose doing in Southern California and saw the impact the organization would make on her campus and in the Seattle area. She hopes through bringing End Overdose’s mission to her campus, the community will expand their knowledge about opioids and overdoses will end for good.
Rebecca Wait
University of Washington Chapter Co-President
Rebecca Wait is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Washington in Seattle. She’s studying political science with a double minor in business and law, societies, and justice. Rebecca came about End Overdose when she bonded over the organization with her close friend Maddie Dufault in there entrepreneurship class last winter. They both realized the importance of this and wanted to quickly become involved. Rebecca now serves as co-president with Maddie Dufault at the University of Washington End Overdose chapter. Rebecca hopes to educate and inspire students in her community so that we can stop overdoses for good.
Ishi Nagpal
UW Madison Chapter Co-President
Ishi Nagpal is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Marketing, Management & Human Resources, and International Business. She became interested in End Overdose after finding the organization on Tik Tok and researching its mission. After discussing the need for an organization like End Overdose on campus with roommate Katherine Kafkis, they came together and started the UW-Madison chapter of End Overdose. Ishi hopes to make overdose prevention resources accessible as well as provide life-saving training.
Katherine Kafkis
UW Madison Chapter Co-President
Hi, I am Katherine Kafkis, a third-year undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and I am majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a certificate in Chemistry. I came across End Overdose through my roommate and Co-President, Ishita Nagpal. The minute I read about End Overdose I knew it was something that my campus needed and quickly got to work registering the UW-Madison Chapter. I hope to spread awareness on the prevalence of overdose and destigmatize drug addiction while also teaching fellow students on my campus how to potentially save a life
Matthew Antkowiak
Vanderbilt Chapter Co-President
Matthew Antkowiak is a third-year undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University. He is majoring in neuroscience and is on the pre-med track. He is also an EMT and volunteers with Trussville Fire and Rescue. Matthew’s passion is healthcare, and he is dedicated to the health and well-being of others. This is one of the reasons he sought to bring End Overdose to the campus of Vanderbilt University. Matthew serves as co-president with his friend Ekta Anand, and it is their goal to not only train Vanderbilt students on how to recognize and respond to an overdose but also other college students throughout the greater Nashville area.
Ekta Anand
Vanderbilt Chapter Co-President
Ekta Anand is an undergraduate student at Vanderbilt pursuing degrees in Neuroscience and Communication of Science and Technology. A pre-medical student, she hopes to combine her interests in science and writing, as well as her love of service to provide a meaningful experience for patients. She believes End Overdose provides an essential service on college campuses and beyond, and is grateful to contribute to the mission of educating and equipping her fellow students with overdose prevention training, alongside her friend and co-president Matthew. In addition to this, she is involved in a research lab, tutors at her campus writing studio, and delivers health workshops to local homeless shelters.
